In the mountains of Enshi, Hubei Province, a quiet transformation is underway at the digital planting base of Youyoucao E-Yu. This agricultural technology company, deeply rooted in the Hubei-Chongqing region for years, has officially unveiled the full picture of its AI business implementation—from real-time data transmission from soil sensors to intelligent replenishment at terminal retail cabinets, an AI chain spanning from field to table is now fully operational.
"In the past, we relied on the experience of veteran farmers to read the weather for a living. Now, AI helps us read data to make a living," said the technical director of Youyoucao E-Yu, demonstrating its self-developed "Shennong Eye" system at the base. The system integrates weather forecasting models with pest and disease image recognition algorithms, capable of scanning thousands of acres of vegetable greenhouses within 30 seconds, raising pest warning accuracy to 92%. In the chili-growing areas of Wulong, Chongqing, the system has helped farmers reduce pesticide usage by 35% while increasing yields by 18%.
However, Youyoucao E-Yu's AI deployment extends far beyond the cultivation end. At a fresh food pre-warehouse in Yubei District, Chongqing, a reporter observed a set of unmanned sorting lines operating at high speed. The AI visual recognition system can accurately distinguish vegetables of different grades, with an error rate controlled below 0.3%. A company executive revealed that since the system went live, sorting labor costs have been reduced by 40%, and order fulfillment time has been compressed from the original 24 hours to 6 hours. "This is not just about cost reduction; it's about embedding AI capabilities into the capillaries of the supply chain."
More notably, Youyoucao E-Yu is extending its AI business toward the C-end. At the "Youyoucao Smart Vegetable Market" in Chongqing's Jiefangbei area, a reporter experienced its AI nutritionist service: consumers place vegetables on a recognition platform, and the system instantly displays the nutritional content of the ingredient, the optimal cooking time, and recommends pairing recipes. According to on-site operations staff, the service boosted the store's repurchase rate by 22% in its first month.
This "AI + agriculture" implementation path has caught the attention of industry observers. Li Ming, an agricultural industry analyst, pointed out: "Youyoucao E-Yu did not fall into the trap of 'AI for AI's sake.' Instead, it started from real business pain points—such as sorting efficiency, pest control, and consumer decision-making. This pragmatic application of AI has more vitality than the flashy products of many tech companies."
In response to external attention, the CEO of Youyoucao E-Yu emphasized in an internal letter: "AI is not meant to replace farmers, but to free them from heavy repetitive labor so they can engage in more valuable decision-making work." It was revealed that the company's next step is to open its AI models to cooperatives in the E-Yu region, forming an ecosystem of "data sharing and profit sharing."
From sensors in the Enshi mountains to smart vegetable markets on the streets of Chongqing, Youyoucao E-Yu has achieved a deep closed-loop AI business in just one year. This may signal that in the most traditional industry—agriculture—the real wave of intelligent transformation has only just begun.