Farmers in Lancang County, southwest China's Yunnan Province have embraced an innovative way of cultivate rice paddies, which experts say is significant in promoting food security.

The new cultivation method has seen the farmers realize a bumper harvest. Earlier this week, in the village of Haozhiba, the highest yield reached 788.9 kilograms per mu, equal to some 11,833.5 kilograms per hectare. Meanwhile, the average yield is about 10,417.5 kilograms per hectare, much higher than that cultivated the traditional way.

The program aims to grow rice on non-irrigated dry land and is led by renowned plant pathologist Zhu Youyong, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE).

This year, some 33,000 hectares of rice were grown this way across Yunnan, with 1,800 hectares in Lancang, which shares a border with Myanmar. Rice was even planted on some hillsides.

"In the beginning, I was skeptical about the feasibility of the practice and didn't expect much. But it surprisingly turned out to be a bumper harvest. Besides self-sufficiency, we can probably sell some of it. I'm really happy," said local villager Liu Shibao.

Liu said that, before this, they would grow some upland rice, but the yield was low, and they needed to buy rice from the market almost every year.

Zhu told CGTN that the method has made rice cultivation a lot easier, as some procedures including seedling raising and transplanting are not needed.

He added that it makes mechanized farming more convenient and efficient, as all work – from sowing, fertilization to harvesting – is conducted on non-irrigated farmland.

"Another advantage is that it's conducive for the development of water-efficient agriculture," said Zhu, who took the experiment in Haozhiba as an example.

"We didn't irrigate the farmland at all and just relied on rainfall. This type of farming is very suitable in areas with insufficient water."

According to Zhu and his team from Yunnan Agricultural University, two key issues were addressed before their trials finally saw breakthroughs.

First, they took advantage of hybridization to make tillering in dry land as good as in paddy fields.

Another challenge for the team is that there are a lot more weeds in dry land than in paddies, which also grow faster. Zhu said through years of experiments, they have developed a new technology that can eliminate the weeds at the initial stage while not harming the rice seedlings.

In late September, dozens of experts from CAE visited the county and evaluated the program. Many said the innovative cultivation method would play an important role in ensuring food security when implemented on a larger scale. And this is also what Zhu has strived for.

Since 2015, the scientist has been dedicated to helping Lancang, which is mainly inhabited by people of the Lahu ethnic group, to shake off poverty by cultivating special products suitable for local natural conditions. And he has been dubbed a "farmer academician".

"I'll try my best to do more for them. I'll research what the farmers need so that they can live a better life," Zhu told CGTN, stressing that technological innovation will be the biggest driving force for rural development.

As for the rice program, he hopes that local governments can encourage more people to engage in it by providing them with related training and subsidies.