Ensconced at the digital control center of an intelligent mushroom farm in Chengdu, Sichuan province, Feng Heng monitors data flashing across a massive screen — data that enables the farm to deliver 50 times the yield of traditional cropland.
"Many people believe farming depends on the weather. Here, it depends on data," said Feng, plant manager of Chengdu Finc Biotechnology Co, one of the world's largest intelligent mushroom farms.
In partnership with multinational technology company Huawei's innovation center, the company has built an intelligent, digital management platform that connects all workshops via the internet of things to enable big-data analysis and intelligent regulation. It allows real-time monitoring and precise control of over 100 parameters, from temperature and humidity to carbon dioxide concentration. This means that regardless of the weather outside — rain, snow, or hail — the delicate mushrooms can thrive undisturbed inside the workshops.
"Digitalization means better quality, higher output and lower costs," Feng said. "Here, a single cultivation room produces about 25 metric tons of mushrooms in a growing cycle of 21 days. The whole farm boasts 90 such rooms operating year-round, with annual output exceeding 35,000 tons at full capacity."
Read more at China Daily
