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ABCs of farming put to the test
By Wing Tan |
July 15, 2013, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
WHAT'S the best time to plant rice seeds? How can rice stripe disease be prevented?
Zhang Yuliang from Yexie Town, who has been a farmer for more than 30 years, said he felt a bit like a school boy.
He was among 100 residents of Xuyao Village taking a test on farming to qualify for a limited number of quotas under the district's new family farm system.
"It's my first time to take a test," Zhang said. "It makes me kind of nervous."
New farm system
The new farm system is aimed at encouraging farmers to stay on the land by aggregating small, scattered farm plots and making land allocations and quotas large enough to provide for sustainable farms and higher incomes.
The panel of judges included three staff from the town's agricultural station. Each examination room was monitored by two inspectors. Test-takers randomly picked one set of questions from four. Illiterate farmers were allowed to take the test orally.
"We can tell right off the bat whether an applicant is a good farmer," said Lao He, one of examiners.
The questions ranged from seed sowing times, fertilizer use, diseases prevention and weeds eradication, among others.
Villager Deputy Director Gu Qingfeng said the six questions on the test, each worth 10 points, included two that had to be answered correctly.
"They involved the most basic farming knowledge," he said of the mandatory questions. "If they were answered incorrectly, we would know immediately that we are dealing with someone who knows nothing about farming."
After the test, the papers were graded without examiners seeing the names of the applicants.
"In recent years, more villagers have attended agricultural training classes and have become aware of scientific methods of farming," Gu said. "For them, this test is a piece of cake."
Test results
After the test results are posted, unsuccessful candidates may file objections if they believe they have been treated unfairly, he said.
"Our land resource is very precious, and we want to ensure that it's entrusted to those with rich farm experience, good agriculture knowledge and strong sense of responsibility," Gu added.
Other villages in the town are following suit and adopting the testing procedures.
Zhang Yuliang from Yexie Town, who has been a farmer for more than 30 years, said he felt a bit like a school boy.
He was among 100 residents of Xuyao Village taking a test on farming to qualify for a limited number of quotas under the district's new family farm system.
"It's my first time to take a test," Zhang said. "It makes me kind of nervous."
New farm system
The new farm system is aimed at encouraging farmers to stay on the land by aggregating small, scattered farm plots and making land allocations and quotas large enough to provide for sustainable farms and higher incomes.
The panel of judges included three staff from the town's agricultural station. Each examination room was monitored by two inspectors. Test-takers randomly picked one set of questions from four. Illiterate farmers were allowed to take the test orally.
"We can tell right off the bat whether an applicant is a good farmer," said Lao He, one of examiners.
The questions ranged from seed sowing times, fertilizer use, diseases prevention and weeds eradication, among others.
Villager Deputy Director Gu Qingfeng said the six questions on the test, each worth 10 points, included two that had to be answered correctly.
"They involved the most basic farming knowledge," he said of the mandatory questions. "If they were answered incorrectly, we would know immediately that we are dealing with someone who knows nothing about farming."
After the test, the papers were graded without examiners seeing the names of the applicants.
"In recent years, more villagers have attended agricultural training classes and have become aware of scientific methods of farming," Gu said. "For them, this test is a piece of cake."
Test results
After the test results are posted, unsuccessful candidates may file objections if they believe they have been treated unfairly, he said.
"Our land resource is very precious, and we want to ensure that it's entrusted to those with rich farm experience, good agriculture knowledge and strong sense of responsibility," Gu added.
Other villages in the town are following suit and adopting the testing procedures.
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