Dutch-trained Chinese researchers put theory to test

The reason: he sees high demand in China for skilled agricultural entrepreneurs as agriculture undergoes a seismic shift toward high-tech production. In 2006, Xu founded Beijing Hortipolaris Agriculture Co. to pursue advanced greenhouse horticulture.

In 2017, the company built a 50-mu greenhouse production base with an investment of 150 million yuan ($24 million) in the outskirts of Beijing to grow tomatoes and hydroponic leafy vegetables, using controlled environment agriculture technology from Holland. Today, the venture produces 500 tons of tomatoes and 100 tons of leafy greens a year, and supplies mainly to Beijing and neighboring provinces.

Through his business and previous work experience, Xu found first-hand that what works in the classroom or lab may not work entirely in the field because of real-world conditions. The switch from theory to practice may prove difficult for researchers who are used to academic work. Yet China needs skilled professionals who are able to apply their textbook knowledge to solve problems that are unique to China.

That is where opportunities like the Smart Agriculture Competition organized by Pinduoduo, China's largest agriculture platform, can help to expose researchers to field work. Xu joined TomaGrow, a team of current Wageningen University & Research students and alumni, to take part in the greenhouse challenge. The team is one of four that made it to the finals of the six-month contest, now entering its final stages at Pinduoduo's smart greenhouse base in Yunnan.

"I hope more young people can stay in the industry after graduation, whether to do research or go into production," he said. "Ideally, I hope they can come out of the laboratory, work in the field or the greenhouse, and find out what real agricultural production is like and what its problems are."

While the inaugural Smart Agriculture Competition pitted data scientists against traditional farmers in growing strawberries (the technology teams produced 196% more fruit on average), the current challenge features four teams with cross-disciplinary expertise in agronomy and computer algorithms.

Their brief is to apply nutrition science, precision farming and other relevant techniques to boost the production yield of cherry tomatoes, while ensuring nutritional value, environmental sustainability and commercial viability.

In a way, the challenge mimics the sort of real-life priorities that farmers have to juggle and balance and challenges the young agricultural researchers to develop solutions that have real-world application and economic value.

"Then they would know how to use what they have learned to make some contribution to help solve problems for farmers," Xu said. 

For Xu, the competition also provided him with a valuable opportunity to test how the use of AI and automation can help to support decision making and reduce the amount of human involvement in repetitive work. 

Currently, the work of opening and closing windows for ventilation and adjusting humidity levels at Hortipolaris, his greenhouse venture, is carried out by human technicians.

"With a smart greenhouse, you can lie on the sofa and still be on top of what's happening in the greenhouse," Xu said. "When you have enough sensors to send the information you need, you can adjust the facilities and equipment remotely and manage a larger scale of production."

Initial results have proved promising, according to Xu, which gives him confidence in integrating AI when building new production facilities in other provinces in the future. 

Photo: Team TomaGrow and Xu Dan (first from right)

Source: HortiBiz