Shanghai unveils plan to transform suburbs through unmanned farms with drone-grown crops

Shanghai has proposed turning a portion of its suburbs into unmanned farms, part of China’s efforts to increase agricultural efficiency. — SCMP

Shanghai – China’s largest city and its financial capital – has unveiled an ambitious plan to leverage new technologies to transform large swathes of its suburbs into unmanned grain-producing farms, a local experiment in line with the country’s push to modernise agriculture as it pursues greater food security.

The metropolis will attempt to establish 20,000 mu (1,333 hectares or 13.33 sq km) of fully automated farmland – roughly four times the size of New York City’s Central Park – by the end of next year, according to a plan released on Monday by the government of the city's Pudong district.