One finger, one toe: Quadriplegic runs high-tech farm in China

Dubai: Confined to a medicalised prefabricated cabin in rural China, 36-year-old Li Xia can move only one finger and one toe — yet he runs a high-tech celery farm using sensors, cameras and computer programmes he created himself.

Li suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), an incurable genetic condition that gradually weakens muscles and can eventually affect heart function and breathing. Permanently connected to a ventilator through a tube in his windpipe, he operates four greenhouses located just 10 metres from his bed in Shiping village, near the southwestern city of Chongqing.

Using a microcomputer, a mobile app and a screen mounted above him on an adjustable arm, Li monitors key data including temperature, humidity, nutrient solution concentration and pH levels. Cameras help him confirm whether systems like pumps and fans are working. He controls the on-screen cursor with a trackball using his finger, and clicks using a flex sensor attached to his toe.

Once able to use a wheelchair, Li’s condition worsened dramatically in 2020 when he suffered a crisis that left him in a coma, incontinent and quadriplegic. “I was devastated,” he said. But months later, he searched for something meaningful to do and found hydroponics — soil-free farming using nutrient-rich water. Partly automated and labour-light, hydroponics offered a way forward.

Li, who grew up close to farming but also loved technology, taught himself programming and circuit board design to merge both passions. For hands-on tasks, he relies on his 62-year-old mother, Wu Dimei. “She is my arms and legs, and I am her brain,” Li said, guiding her work via video link while she manages fertiliser, tools and equipment.

Wu also cares for him around the clock — cooking, cleaning his ventilation tube, and managing daily needs. “I don’t have time to rest,” she said, sleeping only three to five hours a night even with help from Li’s sister, who supports the household alongside Wu’s pension.

They moved into their portable home in 2022, the same year Li began the venture. His celery is now sold to a local supermarket chain, though he says they are not profitable yet. Still, Li hopes to expand the farm into a sustainable business. “My motivation is to see our vegetables grow, be harvested, sold and end up on people’s plates,” he said.

Video and inputs from AFP