Reclaiming farmland starts from the heart, focusing on the agricultural scene
▲Photo caption: After Typhoon Soudelor in August 2015, the plastic sheeting on farmer Wang Zongyi's greenhouse was severely damaged. It took 3 months to repair, and in mid-November some greenhouses began to resume production. In the unrepaired areas, rainwater washing was used to adjust soil fertility and reduce nitrate accumulation, partly because of worry that another typhoon would strike and destroy the structures again.
On the question of how to produce with peace of mind amid extreme climate, maintain relationships with consumers, and even find ways to work together, most farmers share the same hope. Farmer Chen Qinghui said that repairing the farm after the 2015 typhoon cost about 1.7 million yuan, and the cooperative provided advance payment for goods (only a partial proportion) to ease the farmers' financial pressure. But which parts of the farm were repaired - do cooperative members know? Wang Zongyi mentioned that if members and staff could visit the fields to comfort and care about the farmers, seeing the actual field conditions, the losses of vegetables and fruits, and the destruction of facilities, only then would empathy bring hearts closer. Understanding farmers' concerns and having more interaction may make it possible to find ways to help right away. A cooperative has never been just a buyer-seller relationship. Facing the challenge of global climate anomalies, it is hoped that members will bring their concern for producers to the farms and understand the disaster losses, while also letting more people continuously understand the progress of replanting, so that hardworking farmers can feel at ease and keep producing. Only by strengthening close connections with one another can the path of cooperation last long.
Originally published in Green Proposition monthly, September 2016, issue 156
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