On August 19, two drones were buzzingabove the mountain paddies, spraying biological agents across the lush rice in the terraced fields of Changchun Village, Shazhenxi Town, Zigui County. In just four hours, more than 13 hectares of high-altitude cold-tolerant rice were treated.

　　The high-altitude cold-tolerant rice in Zigui County is featured by its long growth cycle and premium quality, however, the steep terrain and high labor costs make traditional field management difficult. To tackle this challenge, the county organized agricultural service providers to use drones for pest and disease control, easing the bottlenecks of labor shortages and high management costs in mountain farming.(Reporter/Zheng Jiayu)