How'ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm? Easy!
By Tan Weiyun |
March 15, 2013, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
SONGJIANG District is counting the benefits of its family farm initiative, begun in 2007 to encourage people to stay on the land and to coax those who have left to return.
The initiative has helped save farmland in the district from development, eased the migration of people to inner cities and provided a supply of fresh local food.
To date, more than 1,200 family farms are sowing almost 91 hectares of land in Songjiang under the program, which offers incentives such as tax breaks.
One of the participants is the family of Shen Zhongliang, who has a 10-hectare site ready for spring plowing.
Shen, 50, was among the first to participate in the family farm program.
"Farm blood runs in my veins," he said. "I won't be leaving my land and tractors anytime soon. I feel happy and assured here."
Shen and his family resisted the flood of fellow villagers who flocked to urban centers in the early 2000s.
"I was really heartbroken to see large swathes of farmland abandoned," he said.
His holding has increased from an initial two hectares. His family earns about 155,000 yuan (US$24,900) a year from rice growing and a small business leasing farm tools.
Liao Yongsong, a deputy researcher at the Rural Development Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said preservation of the family farm can protect agricultural lands from commercial development.
"The concept ensures and improves farmers' incomes, and also addresses the issue of who will be left to farm when big cities get saturated with rural migrants," he said.
Another big advantage of the family farm, according to a document published by the central government in January, is improvement in farm yields and best agricultural practices. Shen agreed.
"Because the land, to some degree, is ours, we won't use too many chemical fertilizers and destroy the soil quality," he said.
Qian Huahui, 33, of Maogang Town, is one of the youngest of the family farmers. He quit a job as a downtown car salesman last year and returned to his village to grow vegetables.
"I did farm work with my parents as a child," Qian said. "So I feel an attachment to the land. When I heard about the family farm initiative, I knew it was a good opportunity for me."
He took several agricultural courses and followed older farmers around their fields to gain first-hand experience.
"At first, it was a lot harder than I thought," he admitted. "But when I saw my vegetables growing well, it all became worth it."
Zhu Lianfang, director of the Pujing Fruits and Vegetables Association, hailed the success of the family farm initiative.
"In recent years, suburban young people have been flocking to the inner cities," he said.
"I sincerely believe the family farm can offer them modern, even technologically advanced work that will keep them on the land. After all, the future belongs to them."
The initiative has helped save farmland in the district from development, eased the migration of people to inner cities and provided a supply of fresh local food.
To date, more than 1,200 family farms are sowing almost 91 hectares of land in Songjiang under the program, which offers incentives such as tax breaks.
One of the participants is the family of Shen Zhongliang, who has a 10-hectare site ready for spring plowing.
Shen, 50, was among the first to participate in the family farm program.
"Farm blood runs in my veins," he said. "I won't be leaving my land and tractors anytime soon. I feel happy and assured here."
Shen and his family resisted the flood of fellow villagers who flocked to urban centers in the early 2000s.
"I was really heartbroken to see large swathes of farmland abandoned," he said.
His holding has increased from an initial two hectares. His family earns about 155,000 yuan (US$24,900) a year from rice growing and a small business leasing farm tools.
Liao Yongsong, a deputy researcher at the Rural Development Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said preservation of the family farm can protect agricultural lands from commercial development.
"The concept ensures and improves farmers' incomes, and also addresses the issue of who will be left to farm when big cities get saturated with rural migrants," he said.
Another big advantage of the family farm, according to a document published by the central government in January, is improvement in farm yields and best agricultural practices. Shen agreed.
"Because the land, to some degree, is ours, we won't use too many chemical fertilizers and destroy the soil quality," he said.
Qian Huahui, 33, of Maogang Town, is one of the youngest of the family farmers. He quit a job as a downtown car salesman last year and returned to his village to grow vegetables.
"I did farm work with my parents as a child," Qian said. "So I feel an attachment to the land. When I heard about the family farm initiative, I knew it was a good opportunity for me."
He took several agricultural courses and followed older farmers around their fields to gain first-hand experience.
"At first, it was a lot harder than I thought," he admitted. "But when I saw my vegetables growing well, it all became worth it."
Zhu Lianfang, director of the Pujing Fruits and Vegetables Association, hailed the success of the family farm initiative.
"In recent years, suburban young people have been flocking to the inner cities," he said.
"I sincerely believe the family farm can offer them modern, even technologically advanced work that will keep them on the land. After all, the future belongs to them."
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