Rural-urban linkage
Since 2003, PCD has been promoting the concept of Community Supported Agriculture as a platform for urban based groups or individuals to reflect on the relationship between rural and urban life, urban lifestyles, the environment and consumer models and sustainable community development in an era of modernisation and globalised commercialisation.
As there are more groups and individuals showing interest and taking action in this direction, PCD initiated the Healthy Agriculture Volunteers Internship Programme in 2006 to encourage young volunteers with the courage to realise their dreams. Not only will these young people learn and reflect on practising innovative activities, it is also an opportunity for hosting organisations and concerned communities to nurture facilitators and team members. These initiatives take place in Beijing, Guangdong, Guangxi and Sichuan.
PCD provides small grants to these young interns to work on activities related to the concept of healthy agriculture, which in the end touches the issues of urban-rural interaction, ecological degradation, and rural livelihoods. Significant efforts have been put into the building and promotion of the Healthy Agriculture Network, a platform where participating interns and organisations share their experiences. Learning opportunities are organised for these young interns and their hosts. Since 2005, PCD has been cooperating with the Kadoorie Farm and Botanical Garden to provide technical support to members of the network. In 2006 and 2007, trainings on sustainable agriculture were held in Liuzhou, Guangxi Province and Beijing. Ainong Hui in Liuzhou, The Ecological Agriculture Workshop, The Rural Reconstruction Centre of Renmin University in Beijing and the Waldorf School in Chengdu, among others have been very supportive of this internship programme.
Nature- and farmer-friendly consumption
Established at the end of 2005, Ainong Hui has been enthusiastic in promoting organic farming and exchanges between urban consumers and rural farmers. This organisation, working with two staff, serves to build trust and develop a mutually supportive urban-rural relationship, and to foster a harmonious relationship between farmers and nature.
The Waldorf School puts the relationship between people and Nature at the heart of its education curriculum. Aside from community-based agriculture, the Waldorf School is very active in forging trust and supporting producer-consumer linkages. Among other activities, the interns assigned to Waldorf have helped build a Healthy Agriculture corner in the school library dedicated to healthy lifestyles and ecological consumption.
It has been encouraging to read experiences and reflections of interns, documented in publications that go out to a wider public. Examples of published testimonials can be found in the “Third Anniversary Publication” of Waldorf School, and the “New Rural Construction Newsletter” from Liang Shuming Rural Reconstruction Centre.