Imagine balancing a basket of bananas on your back while navigating steep mountain trails—day after day. For farmers in Yunnan, China’s southwestern ‘kingdom of plants,’ this was reality for generations. But now, drones are flipping the script 🌄.
In remote high-altitude fields, where trucks can’t reach, agricultural drones buzz through misty valleys like something out of a sci-fi flick. These high-flying helpers can carry up to 40kg of bananas per trip, slashing hours of grueling labor into minutes. ‘It used to take 10 people all morning,’ says local farmer Li Wei. ‘Now one drone pilot does it alone.’
Yunnan’s terrain—a mix of dramatic cliffs and lush terraces—makes it perfect for growing premium crops but historically tough on farmers. CGTN’s Zhang Zhenni recently trekked through banana fields to capture the tech transformation: ‘Seeing drones glide where only mules once trod? That’s progress with wings.’
Beyond bananas, officials say drone use has doubled crop delivery speeds while reducing fruit damage. For young workers especially, it’s a game-changer: ‘My dad’s generation walked these paths,’ smiles 24-year-old drone operator Chen Yu. ‘We’re rewriting the rules.’ 📈
