Recently, during a business trip to Zigui, Yichang, Hubei province, I encountered a young innovator who was among the first to utilize drones for transporting orangesAlongside his peers, he was ingeniously applying agricultural drones, initially designed for pesticide spraying, to haul goods, inadvertently prompting DJI to introduce advanced lifting capabilities to their drone models.

Curious, I asked this ambitious young man what inspired him to consider using drones for transporting orangesHis response revealed a logical yet creative thought process: "Drones are capable of spraying pesticides using relatively heavy water tanksIf these tanks can be towed, then why not oranges?" With this spark of an idea, he began conducting experimentsHe discovered that short ropes often struck the mountainous terrain, while longer ropes led to considerable swayingAfter much trial and error, he finally identified a suitable rope length that minimized these issues and found an optimal weight for transportation.

After sharing videos of his experiments on social media, he soon gathered a community of like-minded youths eager to learn the technical skills required for drone operation

This collaboration quickly evolved into a local drone team dedicated to transporting oranges for fruit farmers in the region.

Visiting Zigui allowed me to truly appreciate the challenging work faced by fruit farmersAs a renowned hub for navel oranges, the area is rich with citrus crops year-round, making orange cultivation a vital industryDuring the harvest season, farmers must hire laborers to pick and transport the orangesGiven the mountainous local geography, workers carry over a hundred kilograms in baskets—a feat that demands both strength and staminaThe grueling task of climbing hills day after day limits the number of individuals willing and able to perform such physically demanding work.

In light of these challenges, the young entrepreneur's solution to harness drone technology transformed labor dynamicsUtilizing drones enabled a single operator with a remote control to replace the work of ten or more laborers and ultimately cut costs by around fifty percent

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The impressive videos of drones in action—transporting oranges, grains, and essential supplies across rugged landscapes—demonstrate how these aerial machines not only meet the logistical needs of farmers but also became a catalyst for wealth generation for local youthsThis innovation represents a burgeoning sector known as the low-altitude economy.

Interestingly, DJI, the leading manufacturer of agricultural drones, has cautioned against the use of their pesticide spraying drones for cargo transportThe inherent angle and design of these drones are tailored specifically for spraying, posing potential risks during lifting operations—such as loose ropes and loss of control—which can lead to dangerous incidentsHowever, the widespread public adoption and misuse prompted DJI to redesign their drones, merging the functionalities of transport drones with agricultural models

They focus on enhancing payload capacities, integrating laser radar, and increasing battery efficiency, which collectively improves performance and safety.

Similar innovative inspirations have emerged in the pastInitially, DJI started by developing flight controllers, but in 2008 and 2009, feedback from users revealed that many were purchasing DJI products to create their own multirotor dronesIn 2012, the release of DJI's first Phantom series drone marked a new era in the global civilian drone industry, asserting that the company could produce better, more reliable drones than those made by enthusiasts through DIY methods.

Users have proven to be resourceful experimentersFor instance, DJI personnel in Heilongjiang and Jiangsu provinces discovered in 2019 that users were deploying drones for fertilizer applicationThis even prompted DJI to expand their offerings to include drones explicitly designed for this purpose

Additionally, they learned that users were employing drones for basal fertilization—an activity typically performed before crops are planted, which could feasibly be carried out by existing agricultural machineryHowever, farmers developed this method independently, leading DJI to adapt their drones to improve dispersal speed and efficiency.

The use of drone technology among farmers continues to expandIn Heilongjiang, for instance, rice growers increasingly deploy drones for everything from planting to basal and top dressing fertilization, as well as pesticide applicationSimilarly, wheat farmers in Jiangsu have started employing drones not only for spraying but also for fertilization, demonstrating the versatility of drone use in agricultural practices.

Multirotor drones have a great deal of potential within agricultural domainsSuccessful drone operation relies on balanced considerations of flight time and payload capacity