Six Tenths of Qihe County's Land in Shandong Achieves Ecological Cultivation
Six Tenths of Qihe County's Land in Shandong Achieves "Ecological Cultivation"
(Agricultural Wealth Network) "Our town's Atago pears, because they are 'ecologically cultivated', use organic fertilizer, no chemical pesticides, and have also passed the pollution-free certification, so each kilogram is 1 yuan more expensive than elsewhere, and each mu brings in 5,000 yuan more in income." Recently, Zhang Daxin of the Fruit and Vegetable Planting Cooperative in Jiaomiao Town, Qihe County, talked about this year's fruit production with guests who came to learn from their experience, his excitement evident in his words.
The Atago pears of Jiaomiao Town are a microcosm of the county's development of "ecological cultivation". Since last year, Qihe County has established the approach of developing "quality agriculture", clearly aiming to make a breakthrough in crop farming, targeting the comprehensive goals of "safety, quality, and efficiency", and promoting "ecological cultivation".
They started with the construction of demonstration zones, expanding from points to broader areas. Based on the soil quality, irrigation conditions, industrial advantages, and local planting habits of each township, they planned the Zhua Town ten-thousand-mu fruit and vegetable and the 100,000-mu pollution-free vegetable demonstration zone south of the city, issued over 50 million yuan in special loans, and allocated 1 million yuan in special funds as subsidies in lieu of awards. At the same time, they transferred land through various methods and developed 10 major contiguous demonstration fields including celery, virus-free potatoes, virus-free garlic, and arched-shed Chinese chives. At present, the county's various demonstration zones and demonstration fields have grown to 131,000 mu, driving 600,000 mu of land to achieve "ecological cultivation", accounting for more than 60% of the county's land.
The county's development of "ecological cultivation" focuses on establishing and implementing standards. The county has formulated 25 agricultural product production standards, promoted 23 national and industry standards, established the largest county-level agricultural product testing center in northwestern Shandong integrating laboratory testing, detection, and diagnosis, and regularly carries out testing of production area environments, agricultural inputs, and outputs, while also establishing "field archives" to promptly record soil, water quality, and the use of pesticides and fertilizers. Since the beginning of this year, the county has had 17 agricultural products certified as green food, pollution-free agricultural products, or organic food, accounting for more than 50% of Dezhou City's total certifications during the same period. With the improvement in quality, Qihe's agricultural products have first won over the Jinan market, with 60% of the county's vegetables, 70% of its edible fungi, and 80% of its fruits directly sold to the provincial capital.
Through practice, the county has come to understand that to produce safe, high-quality agricultural products and improve the efficiency of crop farming, it is necessary to raise farmers' farming skills, develop large-scale production, and take the path of industrialization. They used party-building channels, distance education sites, and expert "hundred lectures" and other formats to provide technical training to 300,000 farmers; organized more than 100 county and township agricultural technicians to bring technology to the countryside, providing guidance at the fields, and the county has cumulatively promoted more than 100 improved varieties and methods. The county optimized its layout, establishing 8 major quality agriculture specialty industry bases for vegetables, grain, oil crops, fruits, and edible fungi, developing 74 crop farming cooperative economic organizations involving 100,000 farmers, and cultivating 15 leading agricultural product processing enterprises at or above the municipal level.
The Atago pears of Jiaomiao Town are a microcosm of the county's development of "ecological cultivation". Since last year, Qihe County has established the approach of developing "quality agriculture", clearly aiming to make a breakthrough in crop farming, targeting the comprehensive goals of "safety, quality, and efficiency", and promoting "ecological cultivation".
They started with the construction of demonstration zones, expanding from points to broader areas. Based on the soil quality, irrigation conditions, industrial advantages, and local planting habits of each township, they planned the Zhua Town ten-thousand-mu fruit and vegetable and the 100,000-mu pollution-free vegetable demonstration zone south of the city, issued over 50 million yuan in special loans, and allocated 1 million yuan in special funds as subsidies in lieu of awards. At the same time, they transferred land through various methods and developed 10 major contiguous demonstration fields including celery, virus-free potatoes, virus-free garlic, and arched-shed Chinese chives. At present, the county's various demonstration zones and demonstration fields have grown to 131,000 mu, driving 600,000 mu of land to achieve "ecological cultivation", accounting for more than 60% of the county's land.
The county's development of "ecological cultivation" focuses on establishing and implementing standards. The county has formulated 25 agricultural product production standards, promoted 23 national and industry standards, established the largest county-level agricultural product testing center in northwestern Shandong integrating laboratory testing, detection, and diagnosis, and regularly carries out testing of production area environments, agricultural inputs, and outputs, while also establishing "field archives" to promptly record soil, water quality, and the use of pesticides and fertilizers. Since the beginning of this year, the county has had 17 agricultural products certified as green food, pollution-free agricultural products, or organic food, accounting for more than 50% of Dezhou City's total certifications during the same period. With the improvement in quality, Qihe's agricultural products have first won over the Jinan market, with 60% of the county's vegetables, 70% of its edible fungi, and 80% of its fruits directly sold to the provincial capital.
Through practice, the county has come to understand that to produce safe, high-quality agricultural products and improve the efficiency of crop farming, it is necessary to raise farmers' farming skills, develop large-scale production, and take the path of industrialization. They used party-building channels, distance education sites, and expert "hundred lectures" and other formats to provide technical training to 300,000 farmers; organized more than 100 county and township agricultural technicians to bring technology to the countryside, providing guidance at the fields, and the county has cumulatively promoted more than 100 improved varieties and methods. The county optimized its layout, establishing 8 major quality agriculture specialty industry bases for vegetables, grain, oil crops, fruits, and edible fungi, developing 74 crop farming cooperative economic organizations involving 100,000 farmers, and cultivating 15 leading agricultural product processing enterprises at or above the municipal level.