让数字农业技术惠及每位农民

文/维塔利 译/张佳艺

当今的中国，农业现代化蓬勃发展，智慧农业技术市场广阔。

我来自奥地利，有20多年农业物联网从业经验，曾带领团队研发出全球第一台无线农业气象站、第一套低成本无线农业传感器网络系统。

2019年，我在南京开始创业。即便受到新冠疫情影响企业业绩仍实现逆势增长，年产值每年翻番。我的目标是让中国每一位农户都用上数字农业技术。

结缘北京，创业南京

谈起我和中国的缘分，要先说说我的太太。她叫苏婷凤，来自河南商丘，在农村长大，对农民和农业感情深厚。所以报考大学时，她毫不犹豫地选择了山东农业大学，大学毕业后在北京的一家农业公司工作。在一次农业交流活动中，我们相识了。我们都对农业很感兴趣，又非常看好中国数字农业的发展前景，因此我们走到了一起，喜结连理。

我拥有计算机软件、硬件双硕士学位，精通英语、俄语、德语。2011年，我在奥地利与合伙人共同成立了公司，研发推广低成本无线农业传感器网络系统，曾在全球开展200多个项目。

结婚后，我退出了合伙公司，我妻子也从北京的公司辞职，我们夫妻走上了创业的道路。北京、深圳、合肥等城市都留下了我们创业的身影。最终，我们选择来到南京，在位于浦口区的国家现代农业产业科创园落户创业。2019年3月8日，江苏阿农物联网有限公司（以下简称阿农物联网）注册成立，5月正式运营。我主攻技术，我太太负责市场推广。

Nowadays, in China, the modernization of agriculture is booming, and the market for intelligent agricultural technology is vast.

As an Austrain, I have more than 20 years of experience in agricultural Internet of Things (IoT). I once led a team in Austria to develop the world’s first wireless agricultural weather station and the first lowcost wireless agricultural sensor network system.

In 2019, I settled in Nanjing to start a business. The performance of my enterprise has grown against the trend under the impact of the epidemic, and the annual output value has doubled every year. My goal is to make digital agriculture available to every farmer in China.

Becoming attached to love in Beijing, starting a business in Nanjing

When it comes to my tie with China, I’d like to talk about my wife first. Her name is Su Tingfeng. She comes from Shangqiu, Henan Province. She grew up in the countryside and has a deep affection for farmers and agriculture. Therefore, she chose Shandong Agricultural University without hesitation when applying for the university. After graduating from university, she worked in an agricultural company in Beijing. We met during an agricultural exchange program. Optimistic about the development of China’s digital agriculture and sharing the same interest in agriculture, we tied the knot.

I have a double master’s degree in computer software and hardware and am fluent in English,Russian, and German. In 2011, I set up a company with partners in Austria to develop and promote low-cost wireless agricultural sensor network systems, having carried out more than 200 projects worldwide.

如果问我为什么选择南京？我的回答是现代农业的发展离不开农业物联网技术的变革，创业企业的发展当然也离不开优渥的培育土壤。对我来说，国家农创园就是土壤。国家农创园为我们提供了非常多的帮助，其中包括政策支持、启动资金、办公场地租金减免、人才公寓、发展服务等等，助推我们快速成长，让我们创业无忧。更重要的是，园区吸引了多个院士团队入驻。国家农创园正逐步成为农业科研成果转化的聚集地、农业科技体制机制模式创新的试验田。

我有20多年的国际农业物联网从业经验，在俄罗斯、印度、以色列和欧洲的一些国家做了非常多的智慧农业项目。目前，我研发的智慧农业技术涉及灌溉、温室、渔业自动化控制、农业数据监测、Web云平台搭建等领域。阿农物联网成立后，我们综合利用全球人才资源赋能公司发展，我们在奥地利研发硬件，在印度开发软件系统，在中国进行系统集成和产品生产销售。

After getting married, I quit my partnership in Austria, and my wife resigned from her company in Beijing. We started to embark on the path of entrepreneurship. Beijing, Shenzhen, Hefei, and others have left our entrepreneurial figure. Eventually, we chose Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, and settled to start our business in the National Innovation Park for Modern Agri-technology (Nanjing) in Pukou District. Jiangsu AgrioCom IoT Co. was registered and established on March 8, 2019, and officially operated in May. My main focus is technology, and my wife is responsible for marketing.

Why do we choose Nanjing? The development of modern agriculture can not be separated from the transformation of “agricultural IoT technology”, and the development of entrepreneurial enterprises is indeed inseparable from the excellent cultivation of “soil.” For me, the National Innovation Park for Modern Agritechnology (Nanjing) is the “soil”, which provides us with a lot of help, including policy support, start-up capital, office space rent reduction, talent apartments,development services, etc. These services have become a booster for our rapid growth so that we are worryfree in starting a business. More importantly, the park has attracted several academic teams. It is gradually becoming a “gathering place” for transforming agricultural scientific research achievements and a“test field” for innovating agricultural science and technology systems and mechanism models.

中国智慧农业是一片蓝海

我特别注意到，中国连续19年出台的中央一号文件都聚焦“三农”工作，农业现代化正在中国蓬勃发展。《中国农业产业技术发展报告2019》显示，绿色化、标准化、智慧化成为中国农业发展趋势，新零售、农业产业化联合体、精准农业等新业态多元发展，为中国农业生产提供新动能。

当前，众多中国高科技企业看好智慧农业这一市场蓝海。物联网与人工智能技术被广泛应用于农业领域，尤其是在产中环节，物联网传感器得到了大量应用，互联网企业也由此开始布局自己的农业版图。

在中国现代农业发展的大潮中，我切身感受到了前所未有的激烈的市场竞争，其中隐藏的机遇和需求也令我兴奋。在中国对中小企业的大力扶持下，在高速发展的市场推动下，我希望贡献出自己全部的智慧与技术，服务于中国智慧农业的发展，并且吸引更多年轻人加入这个行业。

阿农物联网主要研发农业物联网设备。与市面上同类产品相比，我们的产品性能独特、技术参数高，用户可一键式操作。我们的设备包括农业数据监测系统、温室及灌溉自动化控制系统等。我们的目标是让每一位农民受惠于数字农业。

来南京创业以后，我们根据中国的市场需求，将农业物联网相关技术从2.0升级到3.0，即基于智能云平台管理操控的无线数据检测设备、无线阀控器、智能施肥机、温室自动化控制系统等。同时，我们采用了最新的无线通信技术，可以实现在距离10—15公里内无线通信。用户只需拿着手机，就可以实现远程灌溉，随时随地查看农场里的各项数据情况。

I have over 20 years of experience in international agricultural IoT and have done many innovative agriculture projects in Europe, Russia, India, and Israel. The intelligent agriculture technology I developed currently involves irrigation, greenhouse,fishery automation control and agricultural data monitoring, Web cloud platform building, etc. After starting the business in Nanjing in 2019, the company comprehensively utilizes the advantages of global talents. For example, we research and develop the hardware in Austria, the software system in India, and the system integration and the production and sales in China.

China’s smart agriculture, a blue ocean

I note that the Chinese government has issued Document No.1 for 19 consecutive years, focusing on the work concerning agriculture, rural areas, and farmers. The modernization of agriculture is booming in China. According to the2019 China Agricultural Industry Development Report, greening, standardization,and intelligence have become the development trend of China’s agriculture in China, and the diversified development of new business models such as new retail, agricultural industrialization consortiums, and precision agriculture has provided a new impetus for China’s agricultural production.

Many high-tech enterprises in China are generally optimistic about intelligent agriculture as a “blue ocean market”. IoT and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are widely used in agriculture. Especially in the production process, IoT sensors have been used in large quantities,and Internet companies have begun to lay out their agricultural map.

I am honored to participate in the development of China’s modern agriculture. I feel the unprecedented fierce competition in the market, but I am also excited by the hidden opportunities and needs. With China’s strong support for small-sized and medium-sized enterprises and driven by the rapid development of the market, I hope to devote all my wisdom and technology to serve the development of China’s smart agriculture and attract more young people to join this industry.

借助这套系统，农户劳作极大程度实现了“减负”。本来浇水要花起码两个工人的劳动力，现在只需一个人通过手机APP操控设备，就可以随时完成浇水。另外，农户还能精确掌握土壤的温、湿度情况，以便降低损失、提高收入。

目前，我们已经为全国80多个项目提供了服务，其中包含江苏的10余个项目。现在，我们正在做的最大项目来自百事（中国）有限公司。2021年，他们在5000亩土豆种植基地试点运用我们的技术设备，今年试点运用面积将增加到3万—5万亩。这是一个质的飞跃。接下来，我们会继续开拓新的市场。

在农业人工智能领域快速发展

目前，我们的产品已在中国的江苏、河南、黑龙江、陕西、甘肃、新疆等省（区），以及以色列、德国、乌克兰、白俄罗斯等国家落地应用，受到广泛好评。目前阿农物联网已进入快速化发展阶段。

我认为，真正实现农业智能化需要“十年基础搭建，十年赋能提升”。通过农业人工智能，把农民从田间地头真正解放出来，是我们的梦想。而我们的技术也还在不断迭代升级，相信未来农场里可能真的不需要人来耕作了，或者只需非常少的人就可以完成所有任务。这项技术会搭建一个更加综合的服务管理平台，让大家可以轻松管理自己的农场。

现在的农业还处于比较传统的状态。我认为，未来农业发展主要分为三大阶段：第一阶段，大量安装基础农业物联网设备，采集农业生产基础数据；第二阶段，根据这些数据指导自动化控制及管理农场；第三阶段，实现人工智能化，也就是说人不需要下地了。

Our company mainly researches and develops agricultural IoT equipment. Our products have unique performance and high technical parameters compared to similar products. Farmers can operate them with a single button. At the same time, the operation of identical equipment on the market is more complicated.Our kit includes an agricultural data monitoring system, greenhouse, and irrigation automation control system. Our goal is to make every farmer benefit from digital agriculture.

After starting a business in Nanjing, we upgraded the related technology of agricultural IoT from 2.0 to 3.0 according to the domestic market demand, i.e., wireless data detection equipment, wireless valve controller,intelligent fertilizer applicator, greenhouse automation control system, etc., based on the management and manipulation of an intelligent cloud platform. At the same time, we have adopted the latest wireless communication technology, which can reach a distance of 10 to 15 kilometers wireless communication. Users only need to hold a cell phone to realize remote irrigation and check the data on the farm anytime and anywhere.

With this system, farmers’ work has been dramatically reduced. Initially, watering took at least two workers’ labor; now, one person can control it at home through the cell phone APP, and the watering can be completed instantly. In addition, the temperature and humidity of the soil can also be accurately known so that farmers can reduce losses and increase income.

We have provided services for more than 80 projects across the country, including more than 10 in Jiangsu. The biggest project we are currently working on is PepsiCo China, which is piloting our technology in 5,000 mu of potato farms in 2021 and will expand to 30,000 to 50,000 mu this year. It is a qualitative leap forward. The next step is to explore new markets, which is a more critical task.

Creating the NO.1 global intelligent agricultural IoT

Our products have been applied in Jiangsu,Henan, Heilongjiang, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Xinjiang in China and other regions and countries such as Israel, Germany, Ukraine, Belarus, etc.. They have been widely praised. Although affected by the epidemic, the company has now entered a stage of rapid development.

In my opinion, it takes “ten years to build the foundation and ten years to empower the enhancement” to realize the intelligence of agriculture truly. Our dream is to free farmers from the fields with the help of AI in agriculture. Our technology is still iterating and upgrading. I believe that in the future, there may be no person on the farm, or there will be very few people.This technology will be a more integrated service management platform through which people can easily manage their farms.

维塔利在检查温室里作物生长情况

内有核心技术，外有鼎力支持，我们在南京落地不久，便在行业内崭露头角。我们在“农行杯”第四届全国双创大赛中获得江苏省赛一等奖、国赛三等奖。2021年入选农业农村部“数字农业新产品新技术新模式优秀案例”，同时获得国家级高新技术企业认证。我还是江苏省特聘专家、江苏省外国专家工作室领衔专家、“南京城市国际化紫金友好使者”、北京物联网协会专家、江苏省农业科学院研发课题负责人，并于2020年入选南京市和浦口区的人才计划。

我喜欢美食，也喜欢烹饪，我希望通过智慧农业物联网的推广应用，让越来越多的中国人享受高品质农产品，享受更好的生活。我和我的太太结缘在中国、创业在南京，我们的爱情结晶也在这片热土上出生。这也为我在中国的事业注入了最强动力。未来，我将持续在农业人工智能领域不懈努力，借力国家农创园打造全球知名的“农业硅谷”的目标，将阿农物联网打造成为联通全球的智慧农业物联网。

Agriculture is still in a relatively traditional state.The future agriculture development is divided into three significant steps: the first step is to install a large number of primary agricultural IoT devices to collect basic data on agricultural production; the second step is to guide the automatic control and management of farms based on these data; and the third step is to realize AI, which means that people don’t need to go to the fields anymore.

With core technology inside and strong support from outside, we made a name for ourselves in the industry soon after we landed in Nanjing. We won first prize in Jiangsu Province and third in the 4th China Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition of“Agricultural Bank of China Cup”. Our achievement was selected as one of the “Outstanding Cases of New Products, New Technologies and New Modes of Digital Agriculture” by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in 2021, and we were also certified as a national high-tech enterprise.I am also a specially-appointed expert of Jiangsu Province, a leading expert of the Jiangsu Foreign Expert Workshop, a Zijin Friendship Ambassador of Nanjing Urban Internationalization, an expert of the Beijing Association of IoT, and the person in charge of R&D projects of Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences.I was also admitted by the talent programs of Nanjing City and Pukou District in 2020.

I love food and cooking. I hope that through the promotion and application of intelligent agricultural IoT, more and more people in China enjoy high-quality agricultural products and a better life. My wife and I became attached in China and started a business in Nanjing. Our love child was borned here. This is the strongest motivation for my business in China!In the future, I will continue to make great efforts in agricultural AI, use the National Innovation Park for Modern Agri-technology (Nanjing) to build a globally recognized “Agricultural Silicon Valley”, and build the company into a global intelligent agricultural IoT.