In China’s ambitious bid to reclaim its vast, arid lands, drones have emerged as powerful tools, flying over the Kubuqi Desert each spring, autumn and winter to spread seeds, reinforce windbreaks and rejuvenate fragile ecosystems. Li Ting, a millennial with a decade of experience in desertification control, has witnessed first hand how unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are transforming both the landscape and the approach to combating desertification. “It has not only reduced the reliance on manual labor, but also significantly lowered operational costs and boosted efficiency. Drones allow workers to carry out their tasks regardless of weather conditions, as long as extreme weather does not occur,” Li said. Li’s experiences mirror the broader drone revolution sweeping across various sectors in China, from agriculture to infrastructure, where such devices are delivering game-changing solutions to boost efficiency and productivity.
Drones that are made in China combine affordability, quality and continuous technological advancements, driving their innovative adoption in new areas. Deploying drones to fight desertification, for instance, is a new application scenario where China has taken the lead, according to Li, who has traveled to countries like the United States and Singapore to learn about drone applications.
In the early years, desert reclamation efforts were labor-intensive, with workers scattering plant seeds by hand across the vast, arid expanses of the desert. This method was slow, inefficient and costly, with limited coverage and uneven distribution of seeds, Li recalled. He explained that it took three to five people to manually sow seeds on a few dozen mu (one mu is equal to about 0.07 hectares) per day, at a daily labor cost of around CNY500, whereas a single drone can cover 300 mu daily at just CNY6 per mu, making the process three to four times more efficient than manual labor. “Drones significantly reduce costs and boost productivity, enabling large-scale desert reclamation projects on an unprecedented scale.”
Li Lingling, General Manager of E-Hawk, a drone manufacturer based in Hubei province, echoed this sentiment, noting that China boasts a higher UAV adoption rate than many advanced economies, thanks to its robust, well-developed industrial supply chain, which has significantly lowered production and research and development (R&D) costs for Chinese logistics, work environments and even travel.
Li Feng, Chairman of Yifei Aviation Technology Co, a drone maker in Inner Mongolia, aims to make drones a new standard in the millennia-old practice of animal husbandry. Founded in 2016, the innovative company has developed two groundbreaking drone applications for husbandry. One of their most notable creations is the “cow face recognition” drone, which can accurately identify individual cows by their faces, allowing farmers to track and monitor their herds with ease. Another product is the herding speaker drone, which can be remotely controlled to guide straying herds back into designated areas, ensuring they stay on their intended paths. “We hope our products will help reduce the need for constant human supervision and increase the efficiency in grazing,” Li Feng said.
Zigui county in Hubei, renowned as the “hometown of Chinese navel oranges”, now has a fleet of over 500 drones, which officials have hailed as a key driver of productivity in modern farming. From pest control to harvesting, these drones have facilitated the full mechanization of agricultural operations. “Achieving mechanized farming in mountainous terrain presents significant challenges, but drone technology is making it possible,” said Song Xingjian, an official of the county government.
Looking to the future, business insiders believe that clearer policy planning and continuous technological innovation will further propel the industry’s growth, providing a strong foundation for breakthroughs and accelerating expansion into new frontiers. China’s low-altitude economy, comprising both manned and unmanned aerial vehicles, has been gaining momentum, prompting the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) to establish a dedicated department in 2024 to support its growth. The new department is responsible for formulating and organizing the implementation of strategic as well as mid and long-term development plans, providing policy recommendations, and coordinating major issues related to the low-altitude economy.
CCID Consulting projects the sector will exceed CNY1 trillion by 2026. As artificial intelligence, big data and the internet of things (IoT) continue to integrate, drone performance is expected to improve, expanding their range of applications and miniaturization. These advances will make drones more compact and lightweight, boosting their potential in military, surveillance and consumer markets, said Guo Meng, Analyst with Zero Power Intelligence Group. China’s drone market is forecast to experience continuous growth from 2024 to 2029, surpassing CNY600 billion by 2029, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.6% during this period, the China Daily reports.
