Exploring the Ecological Path of Agricultural Transformation Strong Policy Guarantees
Exploring the Ecological Path of Agricultural Transformation
——Insights from Beijing's Development of Eco-Friendly Agriculture
The Central Rural Work Conference held recently proposed that we must, in accordance with the requirements of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, unswervingly follow the path of a new type of agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics, accelerate the transformation of agricultural development modes, and continuously raise land output rates, resource utilization rates and labor productivity, so as to achieve intensive and sustainable development. In recent years, ecological agriculture has attracted increasingly widespread attention from society. From the early development of Beijing's urban modern agriculture, we can clearly perceive a new vision for the future development of ecological agriculture.
Exploring the Ecological Path of Agricultural Transformation
Seven Major Priorities for Rural Economic Work in 2014
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Firmly Establishing the Development Principle of “Ecology First”
In the early winter season, the reporter came to the Beijing Shunyan Special Vegetable Base in Xishuhang Village, Liqiao Town, Shunyi District, Beijing. As soon as one approached the outer door of the vegetable greenhouse, a fan equipped with an automatic sensing device started immediately, blowing air toward the outside of the door to prevent pests from entering. Insect-proof nets outside the vegetable greenhouse and yellow and blue insect-attracting boards inside the greenhouse were evenly and densely distributed, and special pest-killing lamps hung from the roof of the shed.
As the reporter observed, in some of the greenhouses at this agricultural base, through the scientific application of organic fertilizer, the use of integrated water and fertilizer engineering with drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation, biological natural enemies and physical prevention and control of pests and diseases, and the comprehensive utilization of agricultural waste such as straw, while ensuring the quality and yield of agricultural products, the use of water, fertilizer and pesticides was greatly reduced.
Yan Xiaojun, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Agriculture, told the reporter: “Ecology first is an important principle followed in Beijing's agricultural development. This year Beijing launched a new round of ecological agriculture construction, striving to build a group of standardized ecological agriculture demonstration parks within 3 years, and through strict, safe and precise management of water, fertilizer and pesticides, to radiate and drive the development of ecological agriculture across the city, so that while meeting agricultural ecological needs, it can provide citizens with safe, high-quality agricultural products and a clean leisure environment.”
Experts pointed out that the construction of ecological agriculture requires top-level design and policy support. To become a demonstration park, one must pass a high “threshold.”
Yan Xiaojun introduced that in order to advance ecological agriculture construction, Beijing has made detailed policy provisions on park evaluation standards, guiding green ecological agriculture toward standardized and regulated development. This year, Beijing issued the “Evaluation Specifications for Ecological Agriculture Parks in the Planting Industry,” which regulated aspects such as production methods, application of pesticides and fertilizers, water-saving measures and circular utilization of agricultural waste in ecological agriculture parks in the planting industry. Parks that pass assessment will be awarded a “Core Ecological Demonstration Park” sign to make them easy for citizens to identify. For core ecological demonstration parks, priority will be given to policy preference, funding guarantees and technological focus.
Experts introduced that at present, in the field of ecological agriculture, developed countries have two development models. One is the precision agriculture model developed with emphasis by developed countries represented by the United States, Canada and others, focusing on modern agriculture with highly developed intelligence and a high degree of intensification; the other is the modern agriculture model represented by Japan, Israel and others, focusing on facility agriculture and factory-based modern agriculture.
In recent years, China's agricultural production capacity has improved significantly, and grain output has achieved “eleven consecutive increases” for the first time, meeting the demand for agricultural products from rapid economic and social development. At the same time, excessive development of agricultural resources has made rural ecology and the environment pay a heavy price. Behind the rapid development of ecological agriculture, what considerations does Beijing have?
“At present, China's society and economy are both in a period of transition, and agricultural development is likewise facing a series of new opportunities and challenges. How to adjust structure, transform modes and develop efficient water-saving ecological agriculture is a major measure for deepening rural reform and innovating systems and mechanisms, and a major opportunity for developing urban modern agriculture and enhancing agriculture's core competitiveness.” Yan Xiaojun pointed out that with the rapid economic and social development of the capital, the pressure on population, resources and the environment has further increased. To achieve sustainable use of natural resources such as arable land, it is necessary to take the path of sustainable development, and developing ecological agriculture can not only provide citizens with safe, high-quality fresh agricultural products, but also provide citizens with a clean and comfortable leisure environment, allow them to experience the farming culture of spring planting, summer cultivation, autumn harvest and winter storage, and also serve as a green ecological defense line blocking urban pollution.
With the acceleration of China's urbanization process and the urgent need to deepen rural reform, developing modern ecological agriculture has become an important component of China's economic transformation and upgrading.
To advance the development of ecological agriculture, this year the Beijing Municipal Committee established a special group for ecological civilization system reform, and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Agriculture also formulated a three-year action plan for ecological agriculture, taking clean air, purified water sources and improved soil as the three core goals of future ecological agriculture development in the capital. It strives, while improving the agricultural ecological environment and ensuring the safety and quality of agricultural products, to contribute to improving the capital's air, water and soil quality through specific measures such as biological cover in winter and spring to reduce dust from bare land, promoting comprehensive utilization of straw and banning burning, and resource utilization of manure from livestock and poultry farms.