The transformation from traditional farming to modern agriculture
Yu Jianbin, who is over fifty years old and has visited the provincial capital only once or twice, would never have expected that after moving out of the mountains of Shanyang County, not only would his life improve, but his own homemade dried noodles could also be sold thousands of miles away. This year, through the county's e-commerce platform for agricultural products, "Guangjiwang," Yu Jianbin sold his dried noodles to the Zhejiang and Shanghai areas.
Southern Shaanxi leans against the Qinling Mountains to the north and the Ba Mountains to the south, with the Han River flowing through from west to east. Due to the influence of the natural environment, Southern Shaanxi's agriculture has a small per capita arable land area and small plots, with little use of agricultural machinery and a trend toward miniaturization. Agricultural operations are mainly smallholder farmers, and the level of industrialization and scale is relatively low. Meteorological disasters such as spring and summer hail, summer rainstorms, and autumn continuous rain, as well as geological disasters such as landslides and mudslides, have severely restricted the development of modern agriculture in Southern Shaanxi. Among the 28 counties (districts) in the three cities of Southern Shaanxi, 21 are national- and provincial-level poverty-stricken counties.
The relocation of residents in Southern Shaanxi, which began in 2011, became a turning point in the fate of people living in landslide-prone areas and deep in the mountains, and also a turning point for the large-scale, strong advancement of characteristic modern agriculture in Southern Shaanxi.
Over the past 4 years and more, the relocation of residents has directly injected 50.714 billion yuan in investment into the development of Southern Shaanxi, leveraged 58 billion yuan in related investment, enabled a considerable number of people to leave rural areas and enter cities and towns, accelerated rural land transfer and large-scale operation, and spurred the vigorous rise of modern agricultural parks, family farms, large-scale industrial operators, and professional farmers, speeding up the modernization of agriculture in Southern Shaanxi. The economic growth rate of Southern Shaanxi has been higher than the provincial average for 4 consecutive years, and the income gap between urban and rural residents and the provincial level has further narrowed.
Wherever residents are relocated, supporting industries follow
Shanyang Shizishan Ecological Agriculture Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd. is adjacent to the Goukou relocation community in Shanyang County. The 629 households and 2,469 people in Goukou Community come from 9 village groups that were formerly scattered in the mountain hollows.
"Tonight, the fully automatic mixing and bagging production line, which cost 248,000 yuan, will be installed." On July 8, Zhang Jianjun, head of Shizishan Ecological Agriculture Science and Technology Company and village party secretary, told reporters that in order to develop the shiitake mushroom industry and increase the income of relocated households, the county agricultural bureau has invested more than 4 million yuan to build mushroom spawn production and cultivation greenhouses. Eighteen villagers jointly raised 2 million yuan to become shareholders of the company and directly participate in shiitake mushroom production and operation, and it is expected that the entire investment can be recovered this year. Those who do not have their own shiitake mushroom greenhouses and work in others' greenhouses also earn an average annual income of 15,000 yuan per person.
Wherever residents are relocated, supporting industries arrive there. It is reported that Shanyang County has already built 43 fruit and forest parks, 21 Chinese medicinal herb planting parks, 59 breeding parks, and 19 high-mountain agricultural product production and processing parks around relocation settlement communities. A total of 6,886 relocated people have achieved local and nearby employment, driving an increase of 2,900 yuan in the annual per capita net income of farmers.
Similarly, Xixiang County has introduced 50 large and medium-sized enterprises, including Henan Yongkang, Xi'an Xinxiandai, Xinshida, and Hanzhong Mingxian, to settle in agricultural parks, driving the development of tea, pig breeding, and edible fungus cultivation. Led by leading enterprises, Xixiang County has cumulatively developed 270,000 mu of high-standard ecological tea gardens, 1.35 million pigs for breeding, and 20 million bags of edible fungi, built 31 modern agricultural parks, provided employment for 10,000 person-times of relocated people, and increased the income of relocated households by more than 25 million yuan.
The development of modern agricultural parks has also driven large-scale and intensive land management. At present, the relocation of residents in the three cities of Southern Shaanxi has brought about more than 100,000 mu of land transfer and more than 300,000 mu of forest land.
Develop circular agriculture and enhance agricultural efficiency
Circular ecological agriculture, also known as "three-high" agriculture with high yield, high quality, and high efficiency, is the direction of modern agricultural development. The basic requirement of circular agriculture is resource conservation and ecological friendliness. As an ecological barrier in central China and the water source area of the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, Southern Shaanxi places special emphasis on developing circular ecological agriculture in the supporting industries after relocation.
In the greenhouse of the Wufeng Modern Agricultural Park in Xixiang County, Hu Shengyin, party secretary of Wufeng Village, picked a tomato and handed it to the reporter: "Eat it, it's absolutely healthy and natural! We use biogas residue and biogas slurry from pig farming as fertilizer. The fruits and vegetables are not sprayed with pesticides or chemical fertilizers. They are certified organic products!"
The "livestock—biogas—vegetables" ecological circular model makes Wufeng vegetables, which are reliable in quality and safety, sell well at high prices. The per capita net income of farmers in the park is more than 13,000 yuan, 30% higher than the county's per capita net income of farmers. The ecological circular model of Wufeng Park is increasingly being replicated and applied in the production of other agricultural parks. While increasing farmers' income, it has greatly improved the quality and safety of agricultural products.
At the Shanyang Huling Ecological Poultry Breeding Professional Cooperative, built with relocated households as shareholders and a cumulative investment of more than 10 million yuan, feeding, manure cleaning, egg collecting, washing, and even packaging have all been mechanized. In the chicken house housing more than 50,000 laying hens, there is almost no foul smell. "The chicken house not only has ventilation and cooling facilities, but every 4 hours, the manure scraper automatically cleans the chicken manure once, so there is no foul smell." Liu Depeng, head of the cooperative, said that due to advanced equipment, the daily management of 50,000 chickens requires only two workers, greatly saving labor. All chicken manure is used in the cooperative's planting base, achieving circular utilization.
It is understood that over the past 4 years and more, the relocation of residents in Southern Shaanxi has vacated a total of 34,000 mu of homestead land. An average of 2,400 square kilometers of soil erosion is treated annually, 1.267 million mu of trees are planted, and vegetation coverage has increased by 4.5 percentage points. The water quality of the Han River at the exit point remains above Class II, ensuring the water source security of the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project.
Cultivate new types of business entities and accelerate the development of modern agriculture
⟦NL> New types of business entities are the most active force driving the development of modern agriculture. In 2014, our province established the Southern Shaanxi Relocation Industry Support Fund to support relocated people in developing large-scale agriculture, agricultural and sideline product processing, and green industries. Policies are tailored to each household to ensure that each household has one person mastering 1—2 practical skills. The three cities of Southern Shaanxi, using carriers such as the "Skills for Everyone Project" and the "Sunshine Project," have cultivated a group of large-scale agricultural operators and professional farmers.Wang Daoping is a relocated household in the Taishanmiao relocation settlement community in Laoxian Town, Pingli County. Last year, after training and examination, he obtained a junior professional farmer qualification certificate with a high school education. "I used to grow four or five mu of grain on sloping land, relying on the weather to eat, and could not earn much money in a year. Now, with the government's help, I and 4 other relocated households established the Yueliangwan Vegetable Planting Professional Cooperative, transferred land in the market town to develop 60 mu of greenhouse vegetables and a pig farm with 1,000 head, and used modern planting and breeding knowledge to develop circular agriculture." Wang Daoping said.
His wife opened a comprehensive supermarket of more than 300 square meters in the relocation community, selling not only daily necessities but also vegetables and pork produced by their own family. "Producing and selling our own goods, business has always been good. The remaining vegetables are sold to Ankang. Last year alone, greenhouse vegetables sold for four to five hundred thousand yuan." Wang Daoping said.
Wang Daoping's cooperative has invested more than 2 million yuan cumulatively. In his view, being a modern professional farmer leading fellow villagers to become wealthy together makes life more meaningful. He is still continuing to study production and operation technology at the county agricultural broadcasting school. "After graduating from this term, I will be able to obtain Ankang City's intermediate professional farmer qualification certificate. Not only can I strive for more policy support, but I can also drive more small households to become wealthy together." Wang Daoping said happily.
The relocation of residents in Southern Shaanxi has enabled a large number of mountain people like Wang Daoping to break away from the lifestyle of their ancestors, connect with modern life, modern production, and modern concepts. What is even more far-reaching is that their descendants will no longer have to follow the arduous lives of their predecessors, trapped by the mountains.