Natural farming brings considerable profits from growing high-quality rice in Dehua

Original headline: Fushan Village in Dehua adopts natural farming and organic growing methods to produce high-quality rice

Relying on its environmental advantages, Fushan Village in Dehua County has adopted natural farming and organic growing methods to produce high-quality rice

Digging gold from abandoned soil

Rice harvest (photo)

In mid-to-late October, at the ecological planting base in Fushan Village, Tangtou Township, Dehua County, the golden rice fields stood out strikingly in the mountain hollow surrounded by hills on all sides. Plump rice ears bent the stalks low, and farmers seized the fine weather to rush in the harvest, cutting, threshing and carrying the rice, a busy scene of abundance.

Abandoned mountain valley fields used for ecological planting trials

"The natural resource advantages of my hometown are unmatched; it would truly be a pity not to make good use of them," said Lai Shidi, village director of Fushan Village.

Fushan Village sits at an altitude of nearly 1,000 m, surrounded by mountains on all sides, with abundant water resources and far from pollution sources. Yet as Dehua's strategy of focusing on the main urban area was carried out in depth and urbanisation accelerated, many farmers went to the cities to work, leaving much mountain land, especially mountain valley fields, abandoned.

In March last year, Lai Shidi happened to learn of a company, Fujian Miracle Biotechnology Co., Ltd., that could provide technical support for ecological farming, organic planting, environmental purification and ecological circular agriculture.

"The opportunity has come; it is time to bring this land back to life," Lai Shidi said.

So, with him taking the lead in bringing it in, the company completed tests of the local soil and water samples, and the results all reached the national first-class standard. Afterwards, 202 mu of abandoned mountain valley fields were transferred in Fushan Village, Dehua Fushan Oriental Miracle Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. was established, and that same year high-quality rice trials were carried out.

The planting base selected "Fengyou" 22 and adopted a growing method combining natural farming with biotechnology, advocating that "rice follows nature", using microbial soil improvement technology, applying self-developed soil enzymes and natural liquid organic fertiliser, refusing chemical fertilisers, chemical pesticides and herbicides, and not damaging the surrounding grasses, trees and vegetation, effectively achieving a virtuous cycle and ecological complementarity.

Thanks to the scientific growing method, no pests or diseases appeared. Last year the yield reached 350 kg per mu, and the rice produced was plump and round, translucent in colour and delicately fragrant, and it passed testing for domestic COFCC organic certification products.

Before this year's harvest, although the rice was affected by adverse factors such as heavy rain and typhoons, each mu still yielded nearly 100 kg more than last year, reaching 450 kg per mu, and a single ear had up to 320 grains, about 50 more than ordinary rice, with both yield and quality improved.

Good prospects for farmers; growing rice also earns money

"The goods are good, so there is no need to worry about sales at all." Hu Lirong, executive director of Fujian Miracle Biotechnology Co., Ltd., told this writer that the company has set up a specialty store in the Dehua county town, and relies on internet e-commerce platforms to broaden sales, and also provides product services through Weidian and Weiding systems. Last year, the more than 15,000 kg of rice from the trial harvest that was bumper was sold out in just two months.

"I learned about them on WeChat, made a special trip to see the farm on site, and also tasted the cooked rice; the texture was very good, so I decided to buy more to take back," praised Mr. Lin, a customer from Xiamen who came attracted by their reputation on 15 October.

"I have finally seen that growing rice can also earn money." Lai Shirang, a grower and manager at the company, said that after decades as a farmer, he finally had something to look forward to.

This year, on the basis of last year's trials, Dehua Fushan Oriental Miracle Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. expanded the planting area and entered the demonstration stage, letting villagers take part in the management and production of high-quality rice. At present, the planting area has expanded to 500 mu, with more than 20 cooperating farming households.

Farmers transfer their land to the company, and the company hires farmers to cultivate it, providing seeds, enzymes, organic fertiliser and technical support and services free of charge. The farming households are only responsible for production and management, becoming the company's professional cultivators. Lai Shirang said he transferred 5 mu of land to the company, earning three to four thousand yuan more per mu, and this year his net income was nearly 20,000 yuan.

What was unexpected was that some young people in the village who had started businesses elsewhere saw the development prospects of their hometown and also returned one after another to take up agriculture, establishing the Fushan Village Returning Entrepreneur Cooperative in August this year. At present, in conjunction with the beautiful countryside initiative, plans have been made focusing on Defu rice, spring-and-autumn spiny wine grapes and cherry blossoms, striving to build a distinctive village of leisure and sightseeing ecological agriculture.

"By adopting ecological growing methods, the income of the farmers who stayed behind has increased, the ecological environment has been protected, and there are more small fish and shrimp in the fields." Village director Lai Shidi could not contain his joy. "The ecological grain-growing model has found a way for farmers to get rich, and it has also sparked young people's enthusiasm to return home and start businesses, achieving a qualitative transformation into digging gold from abandoned soil."