Leveling the land and setting up greenhouses... Recently, the project of vegetable fields with high-standard facilities has been in full swing in Yaozhong Village of Zhongxing Town. Vehicles shuttle back and forth, welding machines hiss and many greenhouses are under construction. At the same time, in the nearby Aiguo Village, a multi-span greenhouse has begun to take shape, declaring the approaching of the end of the Ludao Tianyuan Vegetable Field Project with High-Standard Facilities.

In recent years, the construction of high-standard vegetable fields in Zhongxing Town has been steadily advancing, and the fields have shown a brand new atmosphere. And why such vegetable fields are highly standard? How are they built? Let’s pay a visit and have a look.

From "Living at the Mercy of the Forces of Nature" to "Digital Farming"

“These vegetable greenhouses are undergoing basic steel structures construction. Next, irrigation facilities, circuits, and other installations will be carried out," said an employee of the project, pointing to the high-standard facility vegetable field in Yaozhong Village. According to the plan, a 100,000-square-meter vegetable greenhouse will be built and the project will be put into operation for sowing in January next year.

The new greenhouse is technology-based. It is learned that the project will introduce advanced equipment such as fully automated logistics seedbeds, rainwater recycling systems, and waste treatment devices, using digital empowerment to equip agriculture with a "smart brain" and continuously promote the long-term development of green and circular agriculture. “For example, there will be a rainwater recycling device in the greenhouse to recycle the rainwater for self-sufficiency in irrigation,” said the person in charge of the vegetable field project in Yaozhong Village. The project has an annual production and supply guarantee base for green leafy vegetables, a fully automated logistics seedbed seedling breeding factory, and a new-variety cultivation demonstration area. After putting into production, it will transform the vegetable production base in Yaozhong Village into one of the high-standard vegetable production bases in Chongming by centralized application of new products, models, equipment, and technologies, driving the development of the vegetable industry in the surrounding areas and increasing farmers' production and income.

Zhongxing Town is a vegetable protection town in Shanghai. In recent years, with active applications for urban agricultural projects, the town has started the construction of agricultural industry clusters boasting vegetable fields with high-standard facilities. Currently, Ludao Tianyuan, Yaozhong Village, and other projects have been implemented for the transformation of vegetable production layout from decentralized management to large-scale operation and cluster development.

In this way, problems such as uncontrollable weather and high labor demand are easily solved in the process of constructing high-standard vegetable fields. “From open-air vegetables to greenhouse vegetables, the vegetable fields with high-standard facilities have changed the traditional planting method, as planting can be developed all year round so that growers no longer live at the mercy of the forces of nature," said Chen Chun, director of the Zhongxing Town Agriculture Office.

Production, Quality Increased

“The high standard of vegetable fields is not only reflected in their appearance but also their yield and quality,” added Chen Chun. After the project is completed and put into operation, vegetable yield and quality are expected to achieve a double increase. The greenhouse can achieve multiple crops per year, which increases the comprehensive utilization rate of the greenhouse and improves its economic benefits.

Smart production has improved planting efficiency. How can we reduce losses in logistics and transportation, so that citizens can eat fresher vegetables? The sorting center next to the greenhouse, which is being used for vegetable harvesting, will soon be put to great use. “On the side of the vegetable field greenhouse with high-standard facilities in Yaozhong Village, there is the Younong Three Brothers Vegetable Sorting Center, which is a benchmark agricultural project introduced in the town this year and is currently under construction,” said Chen Chun, pointing to the planning map. The project covers an area of 15,000 square meters, including a vegetable sorting center, a shipping area, an incoming area, a vegetable rough processing workshop, a cold chain storage, etc. After the project is completed, it will streamline the whole process of vegetable planting and picking, acquiring and sorting, packaging and refrigeration, and transportation and sales. We aim to transform the vegetable industry model from "single production" to "integrated development linking production, processing, and sales”. After the project is put into use, the daily processing capacity can reach 300 tons, and approximately 100,000 tons of fresh vegetables can be supplied to the Shanghai market every year. “Green leafy vegetables are not suitable for long-distance transportation. The biggest characteristic and competitive advantage of local vegetables lies in their freshness, which is why Shanghai residents prefer local ones," said Chen Chun.

Zhongxing Town is a typical case in the construction of Chongming's high-standard vegetable field project. Chongming has always played the role of the largest local vegetable supply base in Shanghai. Next, various functional departments and agricultural leaders will vigorously promote the construction of the project, promote the high-quality development of the vegetable industry, and shine the brand of Chongming cuisine, allowing more people to taste the authentic Chongming flavor.