In southwestern my country, where mountains and hills predominate, the complex terrain once made large agricultural machinery difficult to operate, forcing agricultural production to rely heavily on manual labor. Now, tractors adapted for mountain operations are gradually becoming part of farmers' lives, addressing the challenges of mechanized agricultural development in mountainous areas.
In Zhouxi Town, Kaili City, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, farmer Wu Xiulan sees a small tractor operating in her tea garden. Its compact and flexible design allows it to maneuver freely between the narrow rows of tea leaves. Its onboard weeding device quickly removes weeds without damaging the tea tree roots. "Weeding used to be entirely manual, with one person weeding at most one mu (approximately one acre) a day. Now, with a tractor, we can weed over five mu (approximately one acre) a day, and without having to bend over. It's incredibly labor-saving," said Wu Xiulan, explaining that her family cultivates 12 mu (approximately one acre) of tea garden. In previous years, she would have hired several people just to weed, costing tens of thousands of yuan. This year, with the tractor, she's cut that cost in half. Yang Zhengwei, director of the Agricultural Machinery Promotion Station of the Kaili Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, explained that in recent years, the local area has introduced a number of small tractors suitable for mountain operations, addressing the region's numerous mountainous terrain, small plots of land, and steep slopes. These tractors are not only compact and lightweight, but also equipped with anti-skid tires and flexible steering systems, making them adaptable to the complex mountainous terrain. "Currently, over 150 mountain tractors have been introduced throughout the city, primarily used in tea plantations, orchards, and Chinese medicinal herb cultivation, serving over 800 farmers."
To help farmers better utilize tractors, the local area has organized several mountain tractor operation training sessions. At the training sessions, agricultural technicians provide hands-on instruction in tractor operation, explaining equipment maintenance and troubleshooting. They also guide farmers in adjusting tractor operating parameters based on the needs of different crops. "I was worried I wouldn't be able to learn, but after the training, I quickly mastered the techniques. Now, I can not only operate the tractors but also troubleshoot simple problems myself," said farmer Wang Qifu.
The promotion of mountain tractors has not only improved agricultural production efficiency in mountainous areas but also promoted the development of local specialty agriculture. In Zhouxi Town, relying on tractors and other agricultural machinery, the local government has built over 20 standardized tea and orchards, significantly improving the yield and quality of agricultural products. "Before, due to low planting efficiency, many young people left for work.
Now that agricultural machinery is widely available, many young people have returned to farming," said Yang Zhengwei. The local government will continue to introduce more agricultural machinery suitable for mountain operations, further promoting the mechanization of mountain agriculture and contributing to rural revitalization.
