Smartphones emerging as main farming tools in China
Beijing, July 10 : With 96 per cent of China's villages connected to the Internet and each rural household having on an average three mobile phones, the sickle and hoe have been replaced by the smartphones and apps as the country's emblematic farming tools.
In east China's Jiangxi province, smart greenhouses with watering and fertilising controlled via mobile phone are a rage.
In a demonstration greenhouse covering 5,000 square metres in the city of Yingtan, most work is done by a system of perforated plastic pipes combined with sensors to monitor temperature, air humidity, mineral content and water content of the soil.
"Everything is controlled by a cellphone app," said Wei Yulong of Dongrui Industrial, which developed the system.
"The system delivers water and fertiliser directly to the roots of the plants," Yulong added.
The polythene that covers the greenhouse can also be adjusted according to the sunlight. This and another 200 agriculture projects are backed up by a provincial Cloud platform.
According to the Jiangxi provincial agricultural department, 59 out of 100 county-level cities are covered by the network, which also helps the local government monitor food safety and rural e-commerce development.
More than 20,000 rural families are registered at the platform.
China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs wants smart phone applications to be widely used in agriculture and has set up demonstration bases to help farmers get familiar with the latest gizmos.
"I can use my cell phone to monitor and control conditions in my greenhouse, orchards and fish ponds, from anywhere in the world," said Chen Yuping, General Manager of Dongrui.
In fish ponds, for example, the oxygen pump used to be controlled manually in accordance with temperature changes. Now? Just leave it to the app.
With over a billion people connected to 4G networks in China, mobile Internet, the Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud computing, and Big Data have transformed farming.
In Ruichang, Jiangxi, a mobile app, synced with an insect light trap, monitors pests.
"After trapping the insects, the mobile app identifies them and counts them. An analysis report is sent in every 30 minutes," said Fan Jingsong, head of the city's agricultural plant protection station.
The application has revolutionised the station staff's work. Previously, they had to go into fields to study the pest situation, regardless of the weather. The work was tough and the accuracy low.
Three Internet-linked pest monitoring systems have been set up in Ruichang and three more will be built soon. "When all the facilities are ready, farmers can use their own mobile phones to check on pests in their farms," Fan said.
Since 2015, training and competitions have been held to encourage farmers to get familiar with the latest farming apps.
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Sambhal violence: Prohibitory orders issued, outsiders barred from entry till Nov 30
Sambhal (UP) (PTI): The district administration has imposed prohibitory orders and barred the entry of outsiders till November 30 after three men were killed and scores of others, including security and administration personnel, injured in a violence by protesters opposing a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque.
The order has been issued under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), said District Magistrate Rajender Pensiya late on Sunday.
"No outsiders, other social organisations or public representatives will enter the district border without the permission of the competent officer," said the order, which came into force with immediate effect.
Violation of the order will be punishable under Section 223 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the BNS.
Violence broke out in the district on Sunday as protesters opposing the survey of the Jama Masjid clashed with security personnel. The protesters torched vehicles and pelted the police with stones while the security personnel used tear gas and batons to disperse the mob.
Divisional Commissioner (Moradabad) Aunjaneya Kumar Singh said on Sunday, "Shots were fired by miscreants... the PRO of the superintendent of police suffered a gunshot to the leg, the circle officer was hit by pellets and 15 to 20 security personnel were injured in the violence."
A constable also suffered a serious head injury while the deputy collector fractured his leg.
"Three people, identified as Naeem, Bilal and Nauman, have been killed," Singh said.
Twenty-one people, including two women, have been detained and a probe has been launched, the official had said, adding that those accused in the violence would be booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).
District Magistrate Rajender Pensiya said, "The casualty count stands at three. The reason for the deaths of two is clear -- bullet wounds from countrymade pistols. The reason for the death of the third person is not clear but it will be after post-mortem."
Internet services were soon suspended in Sambhal tehsil for 24 hours and the district administration declared a holiday in all schools for Monday.
Tension had been brewing in Sambhal since November 19 when the Jama Masjid was first surveyed on the court's orders following a petition claiming that a Harihar temple had stood at the site.
Trouble started early on Sunday when a large group of people gathered near the mosque and started shouting slogans as the survey team began its work.
District officials said the survey could not be completed on Tuesday and was planned for Sunday to avoid interference with afternoon prayers.
Supreme Court lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, who is a petitioner in the case, had earlier said the Court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) ordered the constitution of an "advocate commission" to survey the mosque.
The court has said a report should be filed after conducting a videography and photography survey through the commission, he had said.
On Sunday, Jain urged the Archaeological Survey of India to take control of the "temple".
Gopal Sharma, a local lawyer for the Hindu side, had earlier claimed the temple that once stood at the site was demolished by Mughal Emperor Babur in 1529.
