Ten years ago, Jiang Gaoming, a botanist and researcher at Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, organized Hongyi Ecological Farm in his rural hometown in Shandong, and began a long-lasting experiment of rural reform.
His farm strictly implements the principle of "six no’s": no fertilizer, no pesticide, no plastic film, no additive, no herbicide and no transgenic. Let the villagers quite puzzled: "Isn’t it obvious that it is necessary to stop production?"
In the past 10 years, the sales scale of Taobao shop opened by the farm has steadily increased, and the market-oriented attempt has been initially successful.
Behind this experiment is the increasingly severe rural environmental situation and food safety problems in China.
In Jiang Gaoming’s article Investigation: China’s riddled countryside, which was widely circulated through social media, he described the environmental changes in his hometown for decades with affectionate brushstrokes, as Rachel Carson wrote in Silent Spring:
"There is a small river in the east of Jiangjiazhuang Village, Bianqiao Town, Pingyi County, Shandong Province, called Golden Line River. The villagers have many memories of this small river: there are many fish in the river. When there is a flood in summer, you can catch dozens of pounds of big carp in the shallows. The fish ran out of the upstream reservoir, and some fish can be seen quietly under the shallow water when the current is gentle. There is a kind of fish, which we call "Shalipa" (the scientific name is Sarcophagidae), and we can catch it with our hands. As for crabs, shrimps, frogs and loaches in deep water, there are even more. Children can catch shrimp with a hedge, and they can weave fishing nets skillfully, weave them into the shape of a dustpan, and tie them to a long pole to catch more fish. "
“Today, this small river has become so smelly that it can’t swim, let alone drink. There are no fish and shrimp in the water and no reeds along the river. Many villagers died of illness, and more diseases were cancer found in hospitals. More than 90% of farmers’ deaths are caused by various diseases, among which cancer is the main cause. In the last 10 years, except for taking poison, hanging death and accidents, most of the deaths of farmers in this village are cancer, and the proportion of natural deaths is very small.. "
Jiangjiazhuang is just a microcosm of rural pollution in China. So Jiang Gaoming threw himself into it and explored a "vicious circle" to change agricultural production. In this vicious circle, everyone, including government officials and farmers, participates in it unconsciously because of the lagging concept and cognitive deviation. "Fertilizer is getting cheaper and cheaper, and the local government has subsidies. But this has a negative impact, polluting the environment and not being absorbed by crops. "
Jiang Gaoming "has different opinions on the Westernization of agriculture", "We can do what the United States does", and he thinks that "agriculture can’t increase production regardless of cost, and must be reformed", and "force of nature must be used to restore nature", "Don’t attract so many people to the cities. If the vitality of rural areas is restored, farmers can find jobs, live with dignity and earn money. In fact, rural areas are very supportive"
He believes that the main way is to "wake up urban consumers, because they don’t know where their food comes from at all. Even if they make a fake, they don’t know who produced it for you. If you have a problem, you can’t find anyone and give all the money to the hospital."
Jiang Gaoming’s experiment has just begun. It is by no means possible to change the rural environment and food safety situation in China.
"How such a production technology can be learned by more farmers may not be the problem of the Hongyi model itself. As a scientist, Mr. Jiang tries his best to do experiments, but when it comes to agricultural policies and agricultural technology promotion, it requires policy changes." Shi Yan, who established the first "community supported agriculture" farm in China, commented on this.
In mid-September, 2015, a reporter from The Paper (www.thepaper.cn) went to Jiang Gaoming’s hometown to talk with the 51-year-old scientist in the field.
Jiang Gaoming, botanist and chief researcher of Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
"The local government subsidizes chemical fertilizers, but it does bad things and pollutes the environment."
The PaperWhen did Hongyi Farm begin to be established?
Jiang GaomingActually, after I was elected as a Taishan scholar, I started (preparing) and started construction in 2006.
The PaperAt that time, "six don’t need" was put forward?
Jiang GaomingThe concept at that time was not so complete. At that time, I started to raise cattle, because I used to do grassland ecological restoration. As long as I managed the animals well, the grassland ecological restoration was very good after the spring, and now we still do the best grassland restoration. You have to find food for the animals. We were growing corn for the cattle in Inner Mongolia. Because I am from Shandong, I also ran back and forth in Shandong at that time, and all the corn stalks were burned in our Shandong. It’s all animal feed. Why burn it here and reclaim it there? The country spends more than 100 billion yuan a year to control sandstorms. This straw is burned and polluted, and it is not allowed to burn. I wonder if there is a way to kill two birds with one stone, not only to control sandstorms, but also to solve the problem of straw burning and promote animal husbandry.
Later, we put forward the plan "livestock go south, birds go north": cattle and sheep in Inner Mongolia eat straw from the mainland, turn straw into treasure, give it to animals as feed, and the organic fertilizer produced will return to the fields, which can also increase production; Putting caged chickens on the grassland, because there is space here, the problem of dead chickens will be less, solving the income problem of herders is also conducive to ecological restoration. Since then, the whole concept of "six don’t need" has been improved step by step.
The PaperWere there many farms that put forward the concept of "ecological agriculture" in 2005?
Jiang Gaoming: Not much. In fact, the word eco-agriculture came into being in the 1980s, but there has always been no practice in theory, and no one has done it specifically. In the end, will the output of ecological agriculture be low, and can pests and diseases be prevented? Everyone is very concerned. Our experiment here is quite harsh and extreme, and we have to increase production after "six don’t need it". People engaged in agriculture don’t believe it, thinking that we are bragging. But the power of nature is really great, and human beings cannot imagine it. We also plant trees on the grassland, but it is naturally restored grass, which grows better than ever. The return of natural forces is considerable, and now many mistakes have been made to interfere in natural affairs.
The PaperWhat problems have you found in the practice in Shandong?
Jiang GaomingFor example, excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. When I made it in 2006, the national consumption of chemical fertilizer was about 40 million tons, and now it has reached more than 50 million tons. Formulated fertilization wants to control this amount, but it is applied more and more. This result is because the idea of fertilization is wrong. According to this ratio, nearly 40 million tons are not absorbed by crops at all, which pollutes the environment. The same is true of pesticides.
The Paper: So is Pingyi?
Jiang Gaoming: the same. becauseFertilizer is getting cheaper and cheaper, and the local government subsidizes it. But it did something bad instead, polluting the environment and not being absorbed by crops.. The amount of pesticides used is also quite large. I estimate that 90% of them are not insecticidal, but absorbed by the environment. There has been pollution in the production chain. What is the most critical question? Food prices are too cheap. If you do this, no one will do it, because it tastes bad, can’t sell at the price, and no one will sell it, which is a vicious circle. We often see the news that Chinese cabbage and peaches are rotten in the ground, because the fertility of the land has declined and the taste is not good. Coupled with a large number of imports, this is also a great impact, coupled with the problem of genetic modification. soThe matter of agriculture is very complicated. It doesn’t necessarily refer to output alone, nor can it be counted as increasing local output. Therefore, we think it is necessary to reform..
The PaperYou have been doing agricultural experiments, but the survey articles published are about rural pollution.
Jiang GaomingYes, the two are closely related. We are doing ecological agriculture, and all pesticides and fertilizers have stopped, but people around us are still using traditional methods, which leads to pollution. In fact, pollution investigation is a by-product, and we also do environmental protection, but mainly from agriculture, how to use a reasonable way to increase production, achieve results, and stop pollution, that is, to break through. Now it’s done at the same time. I didn’t expect the broken work to be publicized. Everyone still doesn’t know about the establishment, because WeChat spreads quickly. That investigation report is certainly not as rigorous as our experiment, which needs data support.
Ecological agriculture can solve food safety problems in a package.
The PaperAs far as you know, do the residents around the farm accept your point of view now?
Jiang GaomingIt has a great influence. It is up to us for them to adopt it. If our turnover develops greatly and our products are not sold enough, we will definitely drive them. The farmer also knows that our method is good. He also admits that the physical method is better than the chemical method, that the yield is high, and that the taste is good. He also wants to eat it himself, but it is expensive, and he is reluctant to eat it. Some may buy it for children and the elderly, such as eggs and apples …
soIf eco-agriculture is successful and the food safety problem is solved, no matter the government, farmers or urban consumers, it will make great contributions, because this can be solved in a package, with zero pollution, zero pesticide residue, good taste and direct relationship with health..
The Paper: Your farmHow to be independent from the generally polluted environment?
Jiang GaomingMany people ask this question. Smell is influential, after all, it will smoke. But like pesticides, some people used to worry that if others beat me but didn’t, other people’s bugs would come to my house. But according to our experiments, it won’t. Because others are controlling in a harmful way, we are also controlling in a harmless way, so don’t worry, we have strict data on this.
However, for example, herbicides have definitely spread, and how much they use will be harmful to me, so I also hope that everyone will engage in ecology, because herbicides will float far away. If pesticides are used, they will do great harm to the human body and will not spread. Farmers who use pesticides are in close contact. In America, it’s airplane spraying. Being close will have a great impact on people’s health, which is also mentioned in our investigation report. There are many people suffering from cancer now, so it is fatal to get close contact with toxic pesticides, especially herbicides such as glyphosate.
The PaperThere are many ecological farms now. What is special about Hongyi?
Jiang Gaoming: not quite the same.I am in the real countryside, I am fighting to the end, and I am doing it with farmers. We pay more attention to scientific research, and we are talking with strict facts. In addition, we don’t collect money from consumers in advance, and I don’t publicize it. We just put it in a circle of friends and then expand more and more.. Other urban agriculture is also a new way.
The PaperI can understand that the urban agricultural model is mainly for entrepreneurial profit?
Jiang GaomingHony can also make a profit, yes, can’t farmers make money?Judging from the current experimental results, the benefit of my acre of land is at least higher than that of farmers’ five acres of land. Where did the benefit of those four acres of land come from? It is obvious that some people are willing to pay for our things, and you are not willing to eat polluted things., the same. Especially for children, many mothers are anxious to find safe food for their children. In fact, this thing is not safe. First of all, it can be made by technology, and secondly, it can be measured. Once it is measured that you have faked it, even the organic one is faked, of course it will not be successful.
"I have different opinions on the westernization of agriculture."
The PaperHony’s model is for the countryside.industry restructuringAre all influential?
Jiang GaomingYes, one is to adjust the industrial structure, and the other isDon’t attract so many people to the city. If the vitality of your countryside is restored, farmers can find jobs, live with dignity and earn money. In fact, the countryside is very nurturing..
If we follow the practice of ecological agriculture, the environment will get better first, soAfter this article was written, the local government was very nervous and called me.I said it was useless for you to find me, and the fact was there. He asked me to delete it. I can delete one or two articles, but how can I delete it after it has spread so much?They think that (the environment) can’t be changed, but it can be changed. They just don’t want to change it. In fact, why pollution has always existed, but it has not been condoned. If the money is paid, it will be dry, and the problem of fine tracing will be great.. I have persuaded many leaders and experts from the Ministry of Agriculture. In the past, they thought that I was joking and the output was low. I said, is this the way it is? The output is high, depending on whether farmers are willing to invest in labor. Why (Hony’s products) have high added value? Because they have invested in labor, the labor cost is high now. If everyone does not invest in labor, the output will definitely not be high. It’s too easy to make a fake, but the body will definitely not stand it.
The PaperIn the process of popularizing eco-agriculture model for so many years, where did the biggest obstacle come from?
Jiang GaomingThe biggest difficulty is still some incomprehension. At present, our project funds and scientific research groups are struggling, and they have not received large subsidies from the state. Even colleagues are deliberately marginalizing you.We have also written some reports and internal references, but they often sink into the sea. The Ministry of Agriculture believes that the mainstream should be American-style large-scale agriculture, but we are just the opposite. This is a pressure. But I’m more confident. I think I can convince many people slowly, I thinkThe main thing is to wake up urban consumers, because they don’t know where their food comes from at all. Even if they make a fake, they don’t know who produced it for you. If there is a problem with eating, they can’t find anyone and give all the money to the hospital. There are difficulties to say, but I have survived.Sometimes money is tight, and it costs two or three hundred dollars a day to raise chickens. A lot of money is done out of my own pocket, which is quite difficult. Sometimes I don’t know if this circular chain can be connected, but now it seems to be connected, especially with urban consumers..
It is easy to break, difficult to stand, and polluted, but if it is to stand, it may not stand in ten years. But it’s worth it. In the past ten years, I have trained many graduate students and published more than 50 academic papers. Recently, people in the European Union have seen our achievements, and they are also introducing them. Nineteen thousand policy makers have seen our achievements, and they have written their own manuscripts for us, and developed countries have noticed them. We are basically looking to the outside world, and it is unnecessary for us to do what the United States does.I have different opinions on the westernization of agriculture now..
