OrganicfarmerWuLuluan(right)andherassistantpackfreshvegetablestobeexpress-deliveredtocustomersSittingdowntolunchonacoldwinter’sdayatChunnixiangEcologicalFarm,morethananhour’sdriveoutofBeijingurbanarea,wasasimpleaffair.Thesparselyfurnishedbutwarmkitchenwastuckedawayinasmallsectionofahothouse,vegetabledishessteamingonawell-worndiningtable.Theoptionsincludedkale,brusselssprouts,horseradishandhome-madebreadwithfermentedsoyapaste.Thefreshtastewasobvious-moresobecausethevegetableshadbeenpickedanhourbeforeandthefarmgrowsitsproduceorganically.
WuLuluan,whoownsthefarmwithherhusband,isawomanwithamission.Shewantstogetpeopleeatingmorehealthilyandthecountryfarmingorganically.Thetermorganicisgenerallyusedforanythingproducedorinvolvingproductiononafarmwithnouseofchemicalfertilizers,artificialchemicalsorpesticides.
Theformerteachergotintofarmingin2006aftersheandherhusbandexperiencedrecurringhealthproblemsandspentmuchoftheirsalariesonhospitalbills.
“Afterinvestigationandmedicalconsultation,wefoundthatthepoornutritionweweregettingfromlocalfoodwasattherootofourdeterioratinghealth,”shetoldChinAfrica.
Inaquandaryoverwheretosourcehealthyfoods,shetooktheplungeanddecidedtotryherhandatgrowingherownvegetablesandfollowingahealthierlifestyle.
Governmentassistance
Today,afteralotofstudy,trialanderror,andhelpfromotherfarmers,Wuisasuccessfulorganicfarmerwith4hectaresofrichnaturally-fertilizedland.
“Icanharvestinseveralthousandkgofvegetablesannuallyfromjusttwohothouses,”shesays,addingthatcropscanbegrownyearround.Bedsofthrivingfennel,chives,peppers,beetrootandshallotsgivethesweatinghothouseaninvitingaroma,alloblivioustothefreezingtemperaturesoutside.
Wusaidthegovernmentalsoencouragesfarmerstogroworganicvegetables,givinghera$1,000annualsubsidyaswellascontractinghertomanageseveralofthehot-housesregisteredtothecollectiveofGuangjitunVillageinYanqingDistrictofBeijing,whereWu’sfarmlocates.Sheresiststhelureofinvestorssayingsomefarmersoftenwanttoproducemorebyusingchemicals,somethingshewon’taccept.
Heroperationmadeinexcessof$58,000profitin2015andprovidesemploymentforupto20skilledfarmersinpeakseason,whocomefromacrossthecountry.
“LocalfarmersinBeijingarewealthyfromleasingtheirlanduserighttofarmerscomingfromdifferentplacesnationwideanddon’twanttoworkonthisfarm,”shesaid.
LiuFulihailsfromnortheastChina’sJilinProvincewhereshehasherownfarm.ShecametoBeijingtoworkwithWuthreeyearsago,afterherownfarmwasflooded.Herbrothernowrunsthefamilypeanutfarm.
“OrganicvegetablefarmingismuchbetterthanthecropsIplantedathomeandIthinkthishealthymethodisthefutureoffarming,”saidLiu.Sheisalsoencouragedbytrendinherprovinceofyoungerpeoplegoingtoruralareastotakeuporganicfarming.
WangYongyanwhohailsfromnortheastChina’sHeilongjiangProvincewasinvitedtoworkonWu’sfarmafterbeingemployedbyaChinesefarmerinRussiafortwoyears.
ShesaysfarmersinChinaliveagoodlifeandorganicfarmingisthefuture.“AroundmyfarminHeilongjiang,mostfarmersgrowtheirownorganicveggiesforthemselves,”shesaid.BothherandLiubelievethehighercostoforganicvegetablestoconsumersarenotafactorwhencomparedtothehealthbenefits.
Wusellshervegetablesviaa200-plussocialmediacustomerbase,andconsumersreceivetheirordersbyexpressdelivery.Citydwellerscanalsoleaseaspaceinthehothouseandgrowtheirowncrops,aservicewhichisprovingpopularwithherhealth-consciouscustomers.
Oneofherinnovativemethodsofremainingsustainableistoselllivefish.Wuhasacontractwithanearbystate-ownedreservoirwherethefisharefarmedorganically.Thelivefishareplacedinthicksealedplasticfoldersalongwithoxygenatedwaterandexpress-deliveredalongwithvegetableorders.
Keepingitnatural
OntheothersideofBeijing,farmerSunRongzewhoownstheJintianmaoFarm,growshercrops“naturally.”
“Iwantmychildren,familyandfriendstohaveabetter,healthierlifestyle.Thismotivatedmetogetintofarmingandgrowingmyownfood.Ineedtotrusthowthefoodweconsumeisgrown,”shetoldChinAfrica,addingthatshehasseenmoreandmorefarmersgettinginvolvedinfarmingbothnaturallyandorganically,whilehelpingtochangeconsumers’mindsetsaboutnutritionandwhattheyeat.
Sun,aformerhumanresourcesmanager,saysnaturalfarmingisonestepupfromorganicfarmingasthemethodofgrowingcropsattemptstokeepconditionsasnaturalaspossible,employnomechanizationandreliesondiversity.Shebelievesthisisthedirectionfarmingneedstotakeforsustainabilityofagriculturalsector.
“Iusestrawberries,milkandbrownsugarasfertilizer,beehivesinthehothousestopollinatetheplantsandwardoffpestsbyusingladybirdbeetlesandgrowingshallots,”shesaid.
Sheoperates69hothousesonjustover14hectareseachproducing100kgofvegetableseverysixmonths.Thislonggrowthcyclemeansconsumerspayalotmoreforthevegetables.
SunhasbeenawardedacertificatefromtheMinistryofAgriculturetoverifythathercropsaregrownnaturally.Thisinvolvesteamsofagriculturalexpertsregularlycheckingfactorssuchasthefarm’ssoil,waterandtypesoffertilizers.
Shesaidthegovernmenthasbeenveryhelpfulinassistingherwiththisprocessandencouragingnaturalfarming.Sun’sfarmproducesanimpressive60kindsoffruitandvegetablesayearandprovidesjobsforatleast20farmers,allofwhomnowfavornaturalfarmingmethods.
LikeWu,Sun’ssalesaremainlyfromsupplyingthelifestylefarmers’marketsinBeijingalongwithathrivingsocialmediacustomerhomedeliverybase.Bothfarmsproduceavarietyofcropsthatincludecauliflower,brusselssprouts,andfennelwhichareverypopularwithforeignclients.
Goodstomarket
OneofthebusiestlifestylemarketsinBeijingisFarmtoNeighbors(FTN),whichoperateseveryweekendintheLiangmaqiaoareaofthecity.Itwaslaunchedin2014byEricaHuang,whosoughttoprovideavenueforfarmsaroundBeijingthatpracticedorganicagricultureinherquestforcleaneatinginChina.
BothSunandWusupplyFTNwithproducewhichisdrivenbyamoreawarepublicwhoaredemandinghealthieroptions,muchinlinewiththecountry’scurrentsupply-sidereformthatseekstoremoveredtapeandallowthemarkettohaveabiggervoiceinwhereresourcesshouldbeallocated.
Fromsmallbeginnings,FTNhasgrowntomorethan50vendorseachweekend,whichismadeupoffarmers,foodartisansandcraftspeople,withvisitorsexceeding2,000eachday.ManyofthevegetablesandfoodstuffsfoundatFTNarenewtoChineseconsumersandhavebeenrequestedbyforeignvisitorswhowantatasteofhome,fromasafesourcetheycantrust.
FTNandsimilaroutletsacrossChinaareprovidingavitalresourceforthesefarmersandsuppliers.“Mostofthemdonotsupplytoconventionalmarketsbecauseoftheirhighcostoforganic-standardproductionandthismakestheirsellingpricetoohighforconventionalmarkets,”saidHuang,addingthatorganicallygrownfoodsareatleast50percentpricierthanconventionallygrownfoods,shesaid.
AccordingtoHuang,similarmarketshavesprungupinChina’sbigcitiessuchasGuangzhou,Dalian,Kunming,Hefei,ChengduandShanghai.
ShesaidthatwhilemostofFTN’sfarmersarenot“organicfarms”bylegaldefinition,duetothembeingofasmall-scalewithoutthemeanstogetorganicgovernmentcertification,allthefarmssupplyingproducehavebeeninspectedbyherteamandhavetheirfarmingmethodsregisteredforthesakeoftransparency.
“IthinkFTNisimportantbecauseitbuildsasenseofcommunityandbondinginanageofrapiddevelopment.Itprovidesaface-to-faceplatformwherepeoplecanlearnwheretheirfoodcomesfromandwhoproducesit.Theycanevenvisitthefarmstoseehowfoodisgrown,Ithinkthisisveryspecial,”shesaid.
Commentsto
HothouseslikethisgroworganicvegetablesallyearroundPhotosbyFranciscoLittle