Farmers deploy innovative measures to secure harvest

As summer harvests are collected and the main harvest season approaches, farmers and authorities are deploying a range of innovative measures to protect the autumn grain harvest, which accounts for roughly three-quarters of the country's annual grain output.

The efforts come as China braces for a period of heightened extreme weather, with forecasts pointing to above-average rainfall, heat waves and typhoons across much of the country in August.

In Chuzhou, Anhui province, large-scale farmer Lu Weijun was seen draining water from his 24 hectares of rice paddies days before Typhoon Dolphin made landfall in neighboring Zhejiang province over the weekend.

"Forecasts showed a typhoon was approaching, so we drained the water in advance to prevent the rice from lodging," Lu told Xinhua News Agency, noting that some of his rice had already entered the critical jointing stage.

Meanwhile, in Dezhou, Shandong province, local authorities issued a red alert for high temperatures on Aug 4, the highest-level advisory in China's four-tier warning system, as daytime temperatures were forecast to exceed 40 C.

Sun Hongqi, head of a local farming cooperative, responded with a targeted irrigation strategy.

"We adopted light, high-frequency irrigation before 10 am and after 3 pm using drip irrigation systems," he said, adding that the method can lower field temperatures by up to 5 C.

Dezhou has received 283.5 millimeters of rainfall since June 1, 24 percent more than a year earlier, while also experiencing persistent heat.

To manage the dual threats, the city has activated a multi-department early-warning system that sends disaster alerts to farmers through text messages, WeChat and village broadcasts, enabling rapid detection and response.

The urgency has intensified following a warning from the China Meteorological Administration last week that a strong or super El Nino event will contribute to more extreme weather across the country in August, with above-average rainfall, heat waves and typhoons expected.

Earlier this month, Jia Xiaolong, deputy director of the National Climate Centre, told a news conference that temperatures across most of China are expected to remain above average, with heat waves forecast for Aug 11-14, 22-25 and 29-31.

In response, agricultural technicians have been deployed to the front lines to help farmers manage weather-related risks and protect crop growth.

In Xiushui county, Jiangxi province, senior agronomist Fan Yaoqing has been dubbed the "field steward" by local farmers for his hands-on guidance on pest and disease management.

The county has also promoted a fertilization technique using rice transplanters, which has increased fertilizer efficiency by 30 percent while reducing fertilizer use, according to large-scale grower Wang Xinzan.

In Dezhou, authorities have launched an agricultural service campaign, dispatching technicians at the county, township and village levels to provide tailored guidance on growth regulation, water and fertilizer management and pest control.

Liu Houzhi, head of a local cooperative, said his team used drones for plant protection on soybean-corn strip-intercropping plots in late July. "Drone operations are efficient and provide even coverage — they can prevent diseases and pests while also increasing field humidity and lowering canopy temperatures," he said.

Farmers are also strengthening defenses through improvements to agricultural infrastructure.

At the policy level, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced a 100-day campaign on July 17 to strengthen field management and disaster response.

Last week, the Ministry of Finance, together with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Water Resources, allocated 2.15 billion yuan ($319 million) for disaster relief and autumn grain protection.

The funds will be used to repair water conservancy projects, restore agricultural production in areas affected by floods, earthquakes and hailstorms, and support crop protection operations in major grain-producing provinces to improve crop resilience.

Nationwide, China has developed more than 66.7 million hectares of high-standard farmland, which officials say has helped maintain stable grain production even in the face of natural disasters.