UN@80: How tech is revolutionizing Xinjiang's cotton industry

China is actively advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. One key goal is to build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation, objectives reflected in China's actions even in its far-western region of Xinjiang.

Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China accounts for over 90 percent of China's total cotton production. Having achieved a high level of mechanization in cotton farming, Xinjiang is utilizing technology to revolutionize the industry.

At a cotton experimental field of the Western Agricultural Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, researchers are using a phonemics robot to gather data for cotton breeding.

Beyond that, a drone launched from the top of an autonomous car, is being used to patrol nearby fields.

Elsewhere, a Chinese company called Xinjiang Xuze Biotechnology Co., Ltd. uses steam explosion technology to turn cotton stalks into fluffy, porous fiber that can be used to fight desertification.