The wisdom of Jiaopu Satoyama in using water resources through diverse channels

Such "fish ponds" have many other important functions, including collecting excess rainwater during the rainy season, preventing water from quickly concentrating downstream and causing floods, and after the rainy season, the pond water slowly seeps down through the soil, replenishing groundwater so that the "water ponds" do not quickly run dry. The large body of water in the fish ponds also plays a role in stabilizing the local microclimate. It is quite curious whether the ancestors of Jiaopu clearly understood the interrelationship between the "water pond" and "fish pond" systems and the diverse functions they served, but from a modern perspective, such a system is in fact quite important for Jiaopu's landscape, production system and quality of life.

However, with the outflow of the community's young and able-bodied population and the fallowing of land, such a system has fallen into disuse: the "fish ponds" have silted up with soil and stone and are no longer used, and the cobblestone walls of the "water ponds" have collapsed. Yet today, as water shortages grow increasingly severe, and even under climate change, in a future imagined to alternate between drought and flooding, such a water resource system may perhaps play an important role in agricultural survival and environmental safety.

Back in the tiny one-fen paddy field we cultivate, relying solely on the water from the "water pond" is clearly not enough. With this year's practical experience, we have also been constantly discussing the possibility of building other water source options. As for the burnt-out motor, after three or four days of continuous contact with plumbers, electricians and manufacturers, discussing the protection mechanism for the pump motor and reinstalling the motor, the rice ears have temporarily been relieved of the crisis of drying up.