In Dangyang City, central China’s Hubei Province, small-scale farmers are embracing a new era of convenience with “click-to-fly” drone services. Accessible through a government-backed mini-program on Weixin, the domestic version of WeChat, farmers can now have pesticides and fertilisers applied to their rapeseed fields with just a few taps on their phones.

Wei Minshan, who has planted over 13 hectares of rapeseed, said, “This mini-program works really well. If I book a service today, I can use it on the same day.” Previously, arranging drone spraying required a week’s notice, and buying a drone was too costly for smallholders.

The system also benefits operators. Zhu Zhenhua, head of a local agricultural machinery cooperative, explained that it allows him to accept jobs efficiently without travel delays. Currently, 10 organisations, 156 pilots, and 162 drones are connected through the platform, which also delivers news and information to farmers.

Source: China Central Television