Guangxi farmers grow a "green bank" of prosperity from tiny strips of turf
"This land was once planted with sugarcane, cassava and rice, but the income was never good; later we tried growing turf and it sold very well. A tiny piece of turf has become us farmers' 'green bank'." In Xinlong Village, Lingma Town, Wuming County, Guangxi, villager Huang Hengliang pointed happily at a stretch of lush green turf fields and told the reporter that land that once grew only grass and no grain has now become a "service station" for villagers' prosperity.
Many fields in Xinlong Village, Lingma Town, are "rain-fed fields", where harvests are heavily affected by drought and flooding; in addition, in recent years many young and middle-aged people have gone out to work, leaving some land idle. Huang Hengliang told the reporter that land is a farmer's "lifeline", and how to make land that grows only grass and no grain also increase farmers' income became a question many villagers pondered.
Several years ago, while attending a distance-learning training course in Nanning, Huang Hengliang, then deputy director of the village committee, learned an important piece of information: as people's demands for their living environment keep rising, and with increasing urban construction, factory building in development zones, and street renovation projects in various places, the demand for landscaping is strong, and the demand for turf will be very large. Quick-witted, he had a flash of inspiration: could this be a new path to prosperity? But was the village's land suitable for growing it? Lingma Town is more than 90 km from Nanning, so how would it be sold once grown? Could it make money? Huang Hengliang did not act rashly.
After returning to the village, Huang Hengliang made inquiries through various channels and confirmed that the village's soil was suitable for turf cultivation, and a boss he had newly met also said he was willing to help sell the turf on his behalf. Determined to be "the first to eat the crab", in 2009 Huang Hengliang introduced Manila grass seed from elsewhere and trial-planted more than 80 mu in the village at one go. Four months later, the first batch of turf he planted came to market, not only selling for a good price of 4 yuan per sq m, but the boss who came attracted by its reputation also helped him solve a very important sales problem. That year, his family's net income from turf cultivation alone exceeded 60,000 yuan.
The villagers, who had always made a living by growing grain, were shaken: the inconspicuous turf in these "rain-fed fields" could actually sell for such a good price! Even more amazing was that turf hardly needs irrigation, fertilizer, or much manual management, saving time and effort. So some villagers came to learn from him and took action. The next year, villagers Huang Hengjun, Huang Henghe and others began growing turf alongside Huang Hengliang, and every household gained good economic returns.
In one of Huang Hengliang's turf fields, the reporter saw Manila grass growing well, a stretch of emerald green. Counting on his fingers, Huang Hengliang calculated the costs for the reporter: "One mu of land can harvest 1,200 bundles of turf, and this year each bundle sells for 2.5 yuan; with 2.5 harvests per year, one mu of land can bring in about 7,500 yuan a year." Seeing that turf cultivation could also bring prosperity, more and more villagers joined the ranks of turf growers.
As a village official, Huang Hengliang, now better off, did not forget his fellow villagers. He unreservedly and patiently passed on the experience he had gained through practice to his neighbors, and actively organized the village's residents to go to the distance-learning site set up in the village, click and watch educational films, and promptly update their turf-growing knowledge.
In another turf field in Xinlong Village, the reporter saw dozens of women busy "harvesting" turf. Sister Zeng, busy using a shovel to lift the turf and tie it into bundles, said with a smile: "In just over an hour this afternoon I harvested 110 bundles, earning close to 60 yuan." Huang Hengliang told the reporter that some women staying behind or elderly people relied on harvesting turf to earn 100 to 200 yuan a day in labor pay, and turf harvesting has become an important source of income for villagers.
As for sales, a villager pointed to a truck by the roadside and told the reporter that after loading, the turf would be transported to the Nanning-ASEAN Economic Zone in the county seat. "Now many schools, factories and residential communities are doing landscaping, and everyone has higher demands for the quality of their work and living environment, so we don't worry about selling our turf." Another villager busy counting the bundles of turf said cheerfully.
The reporter learned that turf cultivation has spread from Xinlong Village to nearby Wangqiao Village, Yilong Village, Lingma Community and others, with the planted area in Lingma Town exceeding 2,000 mu. The turf they produce is in short supply; nearby it is sold to Nanning, Chongzuo, Pingguo and other places, while farther afield it goes to Yunnan and Guizhou. Tiny turf has become a "green bank" for farmers' prosperity, helping more and more villagers' wallets grow fuller.