ShiChuntai(thirdleft)introducesvegetablegrowingtechnologytoteachersandstudentsinalocalagriculturalschoolJanuariodosRemosBarretoisavegetablefarmerinSãoToméandPríncipe.Hishardworkanddedicationareallgearedtowardtheharvestseason.Althoughhehashighexpectationseveryyear,duetotheimpactofpestsandharshclimaticconditions,productionoftenfallsshort.InSãoToméandPríncipemanyfarmerslikeBarreto,whenstruckbymisfortune,arehelplessinthefaceofcroplosses.
VegetableproductionplaysanimportantroleinthedevelopmentofSãoToméandPríncipe’sagriculturaleconomy.Over1.7percentofthetinyislandcountry’sarableland-about800hectares-isusedforvegetablefarming.Overtheyears,vegetableproductionhasreceivedbroadgovernmentsupport,inadditiontobeingboostedbymarketdemandandinternationalassistance.Asaresult,thecountry’sdependenceonvegetableimportsisdecreasingannually.
However,productivityremainslowandbarelymeetsthecountry’sdomesticdemand.Thepriceofvegetablesishigh,especiallyonPríncipeIsland.Outofseason,asinglepeppercosts20dobras(about$1)and50dobras($2.5)foraheadofcabbage.
Inordertohelpthecountryincreaseagriculturalproductivity,graduallyachieveself-sufficiency,andimprovelocallivingstandards,China’sMinistryofAgricultureandRuralAffairsestablishedahigh-levelexpertgrouponagricultureandlivestocktoSãoToméandPríncipe,attheinvitationofthecountry’sgovernment.
OnApril12,ShiChuntai,a52-year-oldvegetableexpertandamemberoftheexpertgroup,setfootinSãoToméandPríncipe.
ThiswasnothisfirsttimetoworkinAfrica.From2012to2014,hewaspostedinAngolabytheAgricultureandAnimalHusbandryDepartmentofnorthwestChina’sNingxiaHuiAutonomousRegion,wherehecarriedoutagriculturalprojects.“IreallylikethesimplelifestyleoftheAfricanpeople.Atthesametime,IhaveadeepattachmenttoAfrica.Thistime,IcanusemyprofessionalskillstoimprovevegetablegrowinginSãoToméandPríncipe,”ShitoldChinAfrica.“It’sverymeaningfulanditmakesmehappy.”
AspartofhisworkintheYanchiCountyAgriculturalandAnimalHusbandryBureauinNingxia,ShihastakenpartinseveralagriculturalaidprojectsorganizedbyinternationalorganizationssuchastheWorldFoodProgram,theInternationalFundforAgriculturalDevelopment,theGlobalEnvironmentFacilityandtheFoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations.Thisexperiencewastobeveryhandyinhisnewposting.
Gettingthefacts
OnceinSãoToméandPríncipe,Shiconductedathoroughfieldinvestigationoflocalvegetableproduction.Hequicklynoticedseveralissues.First,lackingmodernagriculturaltechnology,localpeoplemainlyusetraditionalcultivationmethods,featuringextensivefarming,inagriculturalproduction,resultinginlowproductionquality.Secondly,pestsanddiseasesarearealproblem,whichseriouslyreducesvegetableyieldandquality.Finally,theheavyrainyseasonseverelyimpactsonthegrowthofvegetables,especiallyleafyones.Inaddition,thelackofirrigationfacilitiesalsobringsproblemsduringthedryseason.
“Greenhousesarethemosteffectivewaytoreducepestsanddiseases,mitigatetheimpactofstorms,increaseyieldandimproveproductionquality,”saidShi.
Afterhisinvestigation,ShidiscoveredthattheUNhadpreviouslybuilteighttop-qualitygreenhousesforvegetableproductionontheisland,coveringabout6,400squaremeters.However,duetoitshighconstructioncosts,thistypeofgreenhousefailedtobecomepopularwithfarmers.
Shihadhisworkcutoutforhim:hehadtofindawaytobuildgreenhousescheapenoughtobeaffordable,butofhighenoughqualitytopreventlossescausedbyinsectsandstorms.
Meetingthechallenge
TheChineseexpertgroupestablisheditsmainpilotvegetablebaseattheSãoToméandPríncipeAcademyofAgriculturalSciences.There,aftermeetingwithBaltarzarVarelafromtheacademy,Shidiscoveredagreenhousemetalframethathadbeenabandonedformanyyearsinthecourtyard.Thiswasanexcitingdiscoveryandhedecidedtousethismetalframetobuildnewgreenhouses.
However,thelackofequipmentwasamongthebiggestchallenges.Normally,buildingagreenhouseisquiteeasy-ifallequipmentandtoolsarereadilyavailable.Butwithoutthese,Shihadtocomeupwithnewwaystoattachtheframetogether,laytheinsectscreensandinstallthegreenhousedoors.LuYangming,chiefoftheagriculturalexpertgroup,XieHuidong,deputychiefandtranslator,andothercolleaguesjoinedShiinhisproject.Withthehelpoflocalworkers,theyfixedthegreenhouseframeusingwire.ChinesecompaniesontheislandalsohelpedwiththeinsectscreenandbytheendofJuly,afteronlyamonthofwork,agreenhouseentirelycoveredbyaninsectscreenfinallysawthelightofday.
Theseedsofhope
“Duetoitssimpleconstruction,thistypeofgreenhousecanhelppreventnaturaldisasters,andincreaseproductivityandyield,”saidShi.Inaddition,theconstructionofsuchgreenhousesisperfectlysuitedtolocalclimaticconditions,aswellastotheeconomicdevelopmentlevelofSãoToméandPríncipe.Itsframecanbebuiltusingwoodorbamboo,materialsthatareeasilyfoundandaffordableontheisland.Thebulkinvestmentliesinthefilmcoveringthegreenhouseandtheinsectscreen.AccordingtoShi,thesetwomaterials,whichcostabout$221,coveranareaofabout8meters×30metersforeachgreenhouseandcanbeusedforthreetofiveyears.Thecostofconstructionisthuswithinthereachofmostfarmers.Inaddition,thesizeofthisgreenhousecanbeadjustedasneeded,makingitsuitabletobothlarge-andsmall-scalefarmers.
WangWei,ChineseAmbassadortoSãoToméandPríncipe,andseverallocalofficialsvisitedthegreenhouseseveraltimes,attestingtoitsbenefits.Satisfiedwiththeresults,thelocalgovernmentinvitedShitohelpspreadtheuseofgreenhousesinthearea.
Barretowasalsoconvinced.Hedecidedtoimprovehisowngreenhousebyfollowingtheadviceoftheexpertgroup.Hesaidheisnowconfidentthathisgreenhousewillhelpincreasefutureyields.
“Iplantoimprovethestructureandbuildtwomoregreenhouses.Atthesametime,Iwillstrivetodevelopnewtechniquesforvegetablefarmingandcropmanagement,”hesaid.
Shi,forhispart,saidhewantedtocontinuetopopularizetechniquesofvegetablefarmingandgreenhouseconstructionwiththesupportofthelocalgovernment.
**Commentsto
ConstructingagreenhouseDuetoitssimpleconstruction,thistypeofgreenhousecanhelppreventnaturaldisasters,andincreaseproductivityandyield.
SHICHUNTAIChineseagriculturalexpert