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Urban farmers in Malaysia, particularly those operating hydroponic systems on vertical farms in Penang, Johor, and Sabah, face several challenges despite various government support measures such as subsidies, price regulations, and other protective policies

These farmers are grappling with issues stemming from government policies and legislative controls, volatile market dynamics, financial constraints, operational limits, and environmental factors. As one farmer notes, "We are facing several challenges, even with the existing subsidies and price regulations. The market is unpredictable, and there are many operational and financial barriers that prevent us from growing our businesses." These issues remain prevalent despite the efforts aimed at supporting local farming. The need for more efficient and accessible capital-raising methods is a key concern. Urban farmers are finding it increasingly difficult to secure the financial resources necessary to sustain operations, expand their ventures, and address ongoing challenges.

One of the primary hurdles is securing funding. To overcome this, there is a growing call for more streamlined and innovative financing options. Traditional financing methods are often not suited to the specific needs of urban farmers, who require capital to grow their operations quickly and effectively. As a result, there is increasing interest in leveraging global financial blockchain networks, agro-tokens, and expanding agro-lending options to support these farmers.

Blockchain technology, in particular, has garnered attention for its potential to facilitate secure and transparent financial transactions, helping to ease the process of obtaining funds. The use of agro-tokens is another emerging solution, offering urban farmers a new avenue for raising capital in a decentralised and efficient manner. These methods are gaining prominence in light of Malaysia's increasing focus on urban farming as a strategy to boost crop yields, stabilise food prices, and reduce the risks associated with food security.

As Malaysia seeks to enhance its urban farming sector, it is clear that innovative financial tools and expanded lending opportunities will be crucial in overcoming the barriers faced by urban farmers. By adopting these forward-thinking solutions, urban agriculture can flourish, contributing to the nation’s food security while offering sustainable growth for local farmers.

Quhuo Limited, a leading tech-enabled service platform, has announced a strategic partnership with NIU World, a local Chinese food group, to launch a new chain brand incubation platform focused on fresh beef.

The platform is based on a fully localised supply chain and aims to meet rising consumer demand for high-quality fresh beef in China.

This collaboration will create a vertically integrated ecosystem that connects slaughterhouses directly to dining and retail outlets, helping to upgrade product quality and enable large-scale expansion in the fresh beef sector. The joint initiative combines NIU World’s strong industry presence—from cattle farming and slaughtering to deep processing—with Quhuo’s nationwide, on-demand food delivery network. Together, they will improve supply chain efficiency and enhance the consumer experience in this rapidly growing market.

The partnership features a unique business model that supports high-potential brands through a newly formed joint venture company. This company will provide end-to-end services in supply chain management, digital operations, financing, and strategic investment to accelerate brand growth and expansion.

The project is led by Du Xin, a veteran with extensive experience in brand development. It has already achieved sales of over RMB 20 million within its first month, showing strong demand and effective execution. The platform uses both direct-to-store and platform-based delivery models, integrating online and offline sales channels. A co-managed model will also help standardise store operations and promote asset-light growth nationwide.

Several successful brand partnerships are already in place, including with Zhuang Popo Chinese Fresh Claypot and Qingshan Ingredient Store. These collaborations offer differentiated fresh beef products tailored to local markets. The platform’s long-term goal is to build a national network of fresh beef chain brands.

Supply chain financing will play a key role, helping NIU World expand its procurement and slaughtering capabilities while reducing costs and improving efficiency.

Leslie Yu, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Quhuo, said, “This strategic collaboration with NIU World marks a significant milestone in Quhuo's expansion into the 'Fresh Beef + New Chain Brands' sector. With our combined strengths in supply chain integration and multi-channel operations, we are confident in driving widespread adoption and upgrading of fresh beef consumption in China, delivering sustained value to our shareholders while meeting the increasing demand from Chinese consumers for high-quality, healthy food choices.”

DJI, the global leader in drone and camera technology, has officially launched its latest agricultural drones - the Agras T100, T70P, and T25P — for worldwide use.

These new models represent the next step in DJI agriculture’s development, offering more power, smarter features, and greater efficiency for farming operations of all sizes.

With over 12 years of research and development behind them, the new Agras drones are designed to handle bigger jobs and suit a range of farming tasks, from spraying and spreading to lifting. Each drone is built with advanced safety features and automated systems to support smarter, safer, and more efficient farming.

Agras T100: for large-scale farming

The Agras T100 is built for commercial farming, with a maximum payload of 100 litres for spraying, 150 litres for spreading, or 100 kilograms for lifting. It has a top operating speed of 20 m/s, making it twice as efficient as the previous model. Its powerful safety system includes LiDAR, millimetre-wave radar, and a Penta-Vision system, helping it navigate safely and operate with high accuracy.

Agras T70P: balanced power and efficiency

Designed for a wide range of uses, the Agras T70P can spray with 70 litres, spread with 100 litres, or lift up to 65 kilograms. Like the T100, it reaches speeds of up to 20 m/s and includes a fine mist spraying system. It features the Safety System 3.0 with improved obstacle detection using radar and a Tri-Vision system.

Agras T25P: compact and ideal for solo use

The T25P keeps its compact, foldable frame, making it ideal for single-person use. It includes the new 25 kg high-precision screw feeder system for spreading and the Safety System 3.0. It is well-suited for smaller farms or precision tasks, with full automation for mapping and plant protection.

New training for drone pilots

DJI is also rolling out new pilot training courses under the DJI Academy, starting in 15 countries across the Americas and Asia. These courses will teach safe flying, efficient spraying and spreading, and how to get the most out of DJI’s agricultural drones.The new Agras drones will first be available in Southeast Asia.

Yuan Zhang, head of global sales at DJI Agriculture, said, “We are proud to launch these advanced drones to support global farming. They help growers feed communities while reducing the environmental impact on our planet.”

Unitree Robotics, known for creating user-friendly and affordable robots, is now bringing its technology to farming.

As rural areas face a shortage of younger workers and an ageing labour force, many tech companies are turning to robotics and digital solutions to modernise agriculture. In line with this, Unitree has teamed up with a top agricultural research institution to explore how robots can support smarter, more efficient farming practices.

Traditionally, farmers have relied on their experience to judge the health and condition of crops. But modern robotics, powered by AI vision and edge computing, can now carry out these tasks more accurately and efficiently. These technologies also make farming more accessible for younger generations, who can become "robot managers" and take on farming roles without needing years of experience.

Unitree’s consumer-grade quadruped robot, Go2, is leading this change. Priced from just US$1,600, Go2 is affordable and well-suited to agriculture, thanks to its strong performance, adaptability, and ability to work in tough conditions. Farming environments pose unique challenges, such as varying lighting and ever-changing crop shapes, which demand advanced sensing and recognition abilities.

To meet these needs, Go2 has been equipped with a specialised camera and agricultural sensors that track the growth of seedlings in real time. It uses a custom AI vision model tailored for farming. This AI, supported by edge computing, allows the robot to analyse and identify plant conditions on the spot. The data collected is then sent to a central system, which uses agricultural big data to suggest specific farming strategies based on the crop’s growth stage.

This integrated setup, from the robot in the field to the cloud-based platform, helps reduce the physical burden on farmers. At the same time, it offers researchers detailed and frequent field data, helping to speed up scientific progress in agriculture.

As one industry observer noted, “civilian-grade robots, through deeper integration into agricultural environments, are opening up broader application prospects for advanced legged robotics.”

Unitree continues to develop high-quality legged and humanoid robots for the public. With practical tools like Go2, the company is helping to replace hard, repetitive, and risky work with smart automation-making farming more efficient and improving the overall quality of life.