With mushrooms sprouting randomly on fields after the rain, you’d think that they grow easily. In fact a specific combination of factors is required to grow edible mushrooms.

As technology improves, farmers don’t have to worry about low yields anymore. CCTV’s Shi Wenjing visits one mushroom factory in Shanghai where this is happening.

What you’re looking at is a factory which produces thirty percent of all the mushrooms in Shanghai. Chen Lingen is the man behind these mushrooms. And his factory sees a staggeringly high annual output. In fact, it’s 20 times higher compared with traditional ones.

"We built this new factory two years ago, which was also the same time we first worked mainly with machines. With an automatic system that can control the temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide levels, we are able to grow six batches of mushrooms in a year. Through conventional methods, we can only harvest one batch each year," said Chen Lingen of Shanghai Lianzhong mushroom cooperative.

Traditionally the growth of mushrooms is affected by a series of factors. Now that farmers are in control of the environment, these problems will no longer be an issue.

The climate control system also shortens the time needed to harvest a good batch of mushrooms. And instead of burning straws on the fields as fertilizer like traditional farmers used to do in the past, Chen Lingen uses a superior grade one that also helps solve environmental problems at the same time.

Chen said, “Farmers used to burn straw which caused air pollution. Now, the kind of fertilizer we use consists of straw, chicken droppings and other plants. And after we’ve harvested the mushrooms, we’ll give the used fertilizer to other farmers to grow vegetables and fruits. The quality is better than common ones."

In China, mechanization in the mushroom industry has just started. And Chen Lingen is one of the few who have embraced the tech side of things.

The transition from traditional to high-tech methods is never easy. And no doubt, these mushroom farmers will come to face new challenges as they move to upgrade and improve their farming methods.