Growing the Chinese medicinal herb Bupleurum under the forest opens a new path to higher income and prosperity
Recently, a reporter walked into Shanglouqiao Village, Tianjiahui Subdistrict, Lishi District, and found that the village's economic forest land was covered far and wide with lush "green grass," and the farmers were still carefully and meticulously tending these "grasses." Curiosity drove the reporter to find out more.
"This is the Chinese medicinal herb Bupleurum that the village only planted in July. Our government encourages developing the under-forest economy, so based on the village's specific environmental conditions, we chose Bupleurum," said Che Jianwen, the village Party secretary, standing beside the forest land and pointing to a patch of tender green Bupleurum seedlings just emerging. Looking up from the ground, this expanse of verdant green looked like a beautiful landscape painting.
Shanglouqiao Village is located in the southeast of Lishi District, beside National Highway 307, close to the Qingdao-Yinchuan Expressway, only 16 km from the city, with very convenient transportation. However, the village has relatively little basic farmland and only small areas of barren hills and self-reclaimed land, so the development of its agricultural economy has been greatly limited. For many years, village officials put great effort into developing economic forests. Up to now, a total of 1000 mu of economic forest has been planted, including 900 mu of walnut trees and 100 mu of apricot trees. But because the economic forests had long been managed under a model of individual management with collective subsidies, and the villagers' awareness and levels of care varied widely, with management abilities even more uneven, some villagers' wallets became "fat" while others "shrank," and economic development was sluggish.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the Party secretary said he was like an ant on a hot pan and could not sit still. He immediately convened a meeting of the two committees, strictly followed the "four discussions and two disclosures" procedure, signed agreements with the villagers, and took back the abandoned forest land that villagers were unwilling to manage for collective care.
⟧ "When luck comes, nothing can stop it. It just so happened that this year the whole district encouraged developing the under-forest economy, and the new opportunity we had been searching so hard for finally arrived. To save time, we made a special trip to Jiajiazhuang Village in Fenyang to study and inspect Bupleurum planting techniques. The district agriculture bureau also specially invited experts to train the villagers, which greatly increased our confidence in growing Bupleurum," said Zhang Qiansheng, the village director, who had already counted on his fingers and done the accounts: one mu of Bupleurum can yield 100 kg, averaging 2000 yuan per mu, and it can be harvested three times a year. What is even more encouraging is that, unlike mushrooms, it cannot spoil; whatever cannot be sold that year can be stored in a dry place below 30 degrees and continue to be sold the next year, saving a lot of cost. It is a money-making "business."
According to experts, growing medicinal herbs under the forest is a compound management model. It increases the variety of under-forest economic vegetation, reduces soil erosion, enhances ecological stability and stress resistance, can coordinate the development of an ecological agriculture model, and is an effective way to improve the comprehensive efficiency of forestry and increase agricultural income.
"We trust the judgment of the government and the village committee. This Bupleurum is very easy to grow. If we are diligent morning and evening and tend it according to the methods taught by the technical staff, we can harvest three times a year. The cost is low, but the benefits are high." Villager Zhang Qianda actively joined the ranks of those growing the Chinese medicinal herb Bupleurum. "My wife and I have five mu of land. Calculated over a year, it really adds up to quite a lot, enough to live a moderately prosperous life," said 65-year-old Yin Runnian, picking up the conversation and smiling so widely he could not close his mouth.
Today, 47 households in Shanglouqiao Village have already planted 1000 mu of Chinese medicinal herbs in the walnut forest land. The state subsidizes 700 yuan per mu, and the village subsidizes each household with compound fertilizer worth 80 yuan. It also specially established the "Guangtai Planting Professional Cooperative of Lishi District, Luliang City" to organize the planting, management and sales of Chinese medicinal herbs, making Chinese medicinal herb planting the leading industry for the whole village's farmers to prosper once again, and striving to build it into a "one village, one product" initiative. □ Reporter Liu Xiaoli