Post-80s farmer tests the waters of new agriculture, exploring a new model for modern agricultural development
It is spring, a good season for spring plowing and sowing. This year, Shuanggou Town in Xiangzhou District is making a concerted effort to build a modern agriculture demonstration zone, introducing new modern crops to help farmers get rich.
The Fuminmeng Modern Agriculture Demonstration Park in Shuanggou Town, Xiangzhou District, is a leisure and sightseeing agriculture project integrating tourism, leisure experiences and eco-friendly dining. On March 2, a reporter saw at the Fuminmeng agriculture base farmers busy applying farmyard manure in the lotus pond foundation pits on one side, and farming households busy raising seedlings and sowing seeds in greenhouses on the other.
Surprisingly, the owner of this agriculture base is a "post-80s" farmer - Shang Yubo, a villager from Xiangzhou District. Starting in 2008, Shang Yubo grew Qilin watermelons in the Shuanggou Town and Zhangjiaji Town area, helping a large number of local villagers escape poverty and become prosperous.
To help more villagers get rich, in 2014 Shang Yubo went to Hainan to specifically learn how to grow okra. At the end of last year, he returned to his hometown, encouraged everyone to grow okra, and later introduced moringa. "The whole moringa plant is a treasure. The branches, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds all have value. They can be eaten fresh and can also be used in health products, medical drugs, feed, edible oil and more." Talking about the development prospects and uses of moringa, Shang Yubo was full of confidence.
According to Shang Yubo, moringa brings a gross income of at least 12,000 yuan per mu per year, 12 times that of wheat per mu, with considerable economic benefits. He plans to plant 30 mu this year.
Growing okra, moringa and Qilin watermelons is not only Shang Yubo's livelihood, but has also become a new path to help local farmers get rich. "My family's 5 mu of land was transferred last year, with rent of more than 800 yuan per mu. Now I earn 60 yuan a day working at the base, much better than farming." Tian Huirong, 56, from Group 5 of Songgang Village, told the reporter that he has no special skills and it is hard to find work away from home, so being able to work at the agriculture base makes him feel very satisfied.
Wang Shunjiang, Party branch secretary of Songgang Village, told the reporter that there are many villagers like Tian Huirong. Last year, the whole village transferred 300 mu of farmland, involving 135 farming households. Although the farmers no longer have land, they can find work in the modern agriculture comprehensive demonstration zone and increase their income.