Background

PCD believes that eco-agriculture promotes food security and rural livelihood. Eco-agriculture effectively conserves natural resources and reduces contamination by agricultural fertiliser, it is therefore the only sustainable alternative for the future of our country’s agriculture. Working with our partners, we have launched a number of eco-agricultural programmes at various sites in Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan and Guangxi. Using participatory methods, we have encouraged and provided training to farmers and partners in practicing eco-agriculture. Training “setters” in rural villages to become facilitators is also one way to further promote eco-farming in the community. In the meantime, efforts have been made to preserve traditional farming culture and knowledge as precious foundation for the development of eco-agriculture.

Journal on Guizhou Eco-Agriculture
Guizhou After the Winter Snow Storm

Learning that winter snow was finally over, I immediately began to prepare for my trip to Guizhou. The purpose of the trip was to complete the plans of the two programmes at Baiyi and Wayao. This year, the snow storm was very severe. Some experts said it was due to climate warming.

Unfortunately, Guizhou was particularly hard hit. However, when I arrived in Guizhou, I was met with sceneries of warmth.

At 9 am sharp, colleagues from Baiyi were already waiting. A small road of about 6 or 7 kilometres ran behind Luobei Town. At the end of the road is Luoguang Village, a Miao ethnic village which has been able to preserve its beauty due to its geographical isolation. Master Zeng told me that they planned to extend the programme to this village.

As we entered the home of Uncle Li, we were immediately invited to sit next to the fire to keep warm. As the fire lighted up his face, Uncle Li quickly told us about the situation of the village and conditions of farming. “We are located very high above sea level. The government attempted to introduce hybrid rice here but the result was far from satisfactory. Very soon villagers returned to planting conventional varieties of rice.” Uncle Lee said that over a hundred local varieties of crops were preserved in the villages, most of which were corn, rice and wheat. “My family still has a very unique variety of chili,” he said in excitement. For Uncle Lee and people in the village, so long as they have seeds, they have a choice.

On our way back, Master Zeng talked about his ideal about an “agricultural revolution” in Guizhou. “How do you compare you work now at the programme sites and your earlier work in the laboratory?” I asked him. “Now there is need for love and patience and the work is more strenuous, but in exchange I gain more satisfaction emotionally,” He replied and we laughed for a while before quietness returned to our car.

Colleagues from Wayao came very early the next morning. This was also the first time for them to go to the village after the snow storm, so they were rather anxious. On our way we talked about Luo of Wayao Village. “It was not easy to have someone like Luo. Last year he and his wife gave up working in the city in order to take part in experimenting eco-agriculture. They have also been going around in the village to instruct others what should be done,” Master Yan said.

When we reached the village, Luo was already there. He heard that we were coming and was eagerly waiting for us. He told us that the technique of mulching (note 1) which he learnt last year in the training at Sichuan was very useful. The snow storm had nearly destroyed all the crops in the village. Only the garlic and the old variety of cabbage which he had covered with mulch survived. Luo was as happy as a primary school student who got full mark for his work. We took pictures immediately to keep records. Together with the core members of the eco-agriculture group, we observed and analyzed what had happened as we walked around. It was a learning process similar to that of the Farmer Field School.

Eco-agriculture might be an alternative to protect farmers under conditions of extreme climate: the garlic and the cabbage of Luo, the pigs in the home of the old secretary of the village party branch that have survived as a result of eco-husbandry that promotes the use of “mattress”(note 2), methane lighting that kept the Spring Festival of Wayao bright when electricity supply was cut off…

In the village, every family was busy repairing electric poles. The culture of villagers coming together to discuss how to resolve problems is still very much alive. In comparison, city life appears to be very vulnerable. When I looked at the hills behind the village, I noticed that half of the trees had fallen as a result of the snow. Wang Min looked at me and said quietly, “That’s better, isn’t it? A natural pruning!” This was probably the philosophy of life in villages, I thought.

The evening I returned to Guiyang, it was the 15th day of the Chinese New Year and there was firework celebration. It seemed that people wanted to make use of the colourful light of the firework to drive out the gloominess that had frozen life for too long. The rain was still falling. The rain and the smoke that arose with it created a grey curtain on the horizon of the city.

Note 1: Mulching is a method to conserve water, keep warmth and to prevent growth of weeds by covering soil between the crops with organic materials available locally. The thickness of the mulch depends on specific conditions but usually it is less than 15 cm thick.

Note 2: “Mattress” eco-husbandry is to use organic materials (such as corn stalk and straw) that could be found locally and soil as mattress in the pigsty. Some kind of fungus is used to create the condition for faster decomposition of pig dung to reduce contamination and bad smell. In winter it helps to preserve warmth and the materials for mattress could be recycled and used as organic fertilizer.