Shanghai builds world-class large greenhouse with annual output of over 7,000 tons of high-quality crops

In the Chongming Modern Agricultural Park in Shanghai, a world-class greenhouse—the Youyou China-Netherlands Agricultural Innovation Park—is becoming a new benchmark for urban agriculture in Shanghai.

The Sino-Dutch Agricultural Innovation Park is a high-tech green "plant factory" integrating seedling cultivation, planting, production, and processing, invested and built by Shanghai Youyou Group, and officially launched in July 2019. Covering an area of 1,979 mu, the Youyou Sino-Dutch Agricultural Innovation Park has introduced a complete set of Dutch greenhouse equipment and technology to construct 206,600 m² of semi-closed intelligent glass greenhouses. The entire greenhouse layout is divided into four planting areas, one automated sowing and seedling area, and one intelligent technical service area.

This greenhouse is claimed to be the largest single-span greenhouse in China. In terms of both scale and technological sophistication, it sets a new benchmark for Chinese agriculture and ranks among the top globally. After commissioning, its annual vegetable output is approximately 7,000 tons, providing Shanghai residents with an average of 30–40 tons of high-quality green vegetables per day. Currently, it focuses on four main categories: tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, and lettuce, with plans to cultivate high-value premium fruits in the future.

Greenhouses not only resist climate change and stabilize production, but also precisely control every stage of agricultural product production:

Advanced water treatment system. A rainwater collection pond with a maximum storage capacity of 100,000 cubic meters is built next to the greenhouse to provide natural irrigation water for crops. After treatment processes such as filtration and UV disinfection, the water quality meets drinking water standards.

Intelligent control system. The Priva central control system, introduced from the Netherlands and representing the world's highest technological level, enables 100% intelligent three-dimensional control of water, fertilizer, temperature, light, and air, creating an ideal microclimate for plant growth.

Automated production system. The lettuce area has introduced the world's most advanced automated lettuce production line, achieving automation from sowing and irrigation to harvesting; furthermore, the irrigation and electrical systems are also highly automated.

The light transmittance of the roof-scattering tempered glass reaches 91%.

A digitalized agricultural system. The China-Netherlands Agricultural Innovation Park will cooperate with Huawei to build a smart agriculture brain in accordance with the overall requirements of "intelligent production, networked marketing, data-driven management, and online services," thereby establishing a modern digital agricultural industry system, production system, and operation system.

Adhere to the concept of green and sustainable development. Use integrated water and fertilizer recycling technology to provide precise fertilization throughout the entire growth cycle according to plant growth needs. Waste treatment employs fermentation technology to directly produce organic fertilizer for field application.

Shanghai is making every effort to promote the modernization of agriculture and rural areas. Shanghai's 14th Five-Year Plan proposes that Shanghai should strive to become a leader in high-tech agriculture and an important carrier for the development of high-quality industries, and accelerate the formation of a pattern of integrated urban-rural development.

As attention to and calls for modern agriculture and new agricultural concepts grow, coupled with continuous improvements in planting techniques, modern agricultural parks similar to the China-Netherlands Agricultural Innovation Park will become increasingly common, representing a future direction for the industry. The "Key Points of Rural Industry Work in 2020" issued by the Rural Industry Development Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs also pointed out that in 2021, a batch of national modern agricultural industrial parks will be established and certified, pilot projects for digital agriculture construction will be launched, and the development of rural industries will be integrated with green, circular, high-quality, and efficient growth.

Source: Xinmin Video, Youyou Agriculture; compiled by China Light Network.