Raising native chickens under kiwifruit trees: good returns from ecological farming

Shi Chunjun, a demobilized soldier in Shaohua Village, Lianhuasi Town, Huazhou District, Shaanxi Province, free-ranges native chickens in a kiwifruit orchard of more than 60 mu. This not only reduces pests and diseases on the fruit trees but also provides them with organic fertilizer, while improving the meat quality of the native chickens and the quality of the kiwifruit, achieving multiple benefits at once. His successful experience has led the villagers to develop "orchard + farming" ecological agriculture together.

Recently, in Shi Chunjun's kiwifruit orchard, the reporter saw kiwifruit hanging all over the branches, while the free-range native chickens under the trees leisurely ate weeds.

After Shi Chunjun was demobilized and returned to his hometown, thanks to his diligence, his life gradually became more prosperous. In 2008, when the Party branch was re-elected, he was elected village Party secretary. Being rich himself did not count as being rich; how to lead the villagers to wealth together became the first major issue Shi Chunjun considered after taking office.

In 2012, after making inquiries in many places, he found that growing kiwifruit had good prospects. He seized the market opportunity and acted at once, transferring 60 mu of land to plant kiwifruit. But when deep-plowing the land, the weeds in the field gave Shi Chunjun a hard time. So he hired dozens of workers to clear the weeds, but the high labor cost was more than he could bear. By chance, Shi Chunjun saw online that broiler chickens could be raised in a kiwifruit orchard, which could reduce pests and diseases and add new economic returns. His "headache" was cured at once.

The broiler chickens free-ranged by Shi Chunjun are all fed on corn and wheat, with firm meat and a tender taste. Each can grow to 3 kg, and each sells for about 100 yuan. Even so, in 2015 the 1,500 native chickens he free-ranged sold out as soon as they hit the market. In March 2016, Shi Chunjun free-ranged another 2,000 broiler chickens in the kiwifruit orchard, expected to go on the market in October. At the same time, the kiwifruit began to bear fruit this year, with an expected yield of more than 20,000 jin.

Seeing that the kiwifruit Shi Chunjun planted had just begun to bear fruit this year yet was growing impressively and was of top quality, and had all been ordered; and that the free-range broiler chickens not only provided organic fertilizer for the fruit trees and reduced pests, but also made reasonable use of land resources and lowered planting costs, with very considerable economic returns, the villagers also came one after another to ask for advice. Seeing that the time was ripe and that the market prospects for kiwifruit were also very stable, Shi Chunjun spared no effort to help and guide the villagers in vigorously developing "orchard + farming" ecological agriculture.

With his own diligent hands and a wise mind, Shi Chunjun has walked out a road to prosperity through ecological agriculture. Moreover, under his leadership, Shaohua Village's road to prosperity and a moderately prosperous life through "orchard + farming" ecological agriculture is being built in full swing.