Alternative strategies find fertile ground

Farmers in Gansu discover the benefits of orchard “green manure”

Following a collaboration between our Foundation and The Nature Conservancy’s China office to study the effectiveness of agricultural subsidies and incentives on soil health and “green” agricultural development in China, stakeholders find opportunities to put ideas into practice. 

The province of Gansu enjoys a sunny climate with temperatures varying significantly between day and night – ideal conditions for growing apples. Consequently, Gansu is one of the largest producers in China of this versatile fruit, with many farmers in the region either involved in fruit-growing or associated industries.

Over the past ten years, government subsidies and other incentives have been available to farmers in China to encourage better soil health and “green” agricultural strategies. Because of Gansu Province’s strong association with apple production, it was identified as a region which could benefit from a focus on promotion of the use of organic fertilizers. Encouragement to reduce dependency on chemical options is motivated by a desire to improve farmers’ economic returns while protecting the reputation of geographical indication brands. 

Now, having evaluated the effectiveness of these measures, the Foundation and the Nature Conservancy’s China office have together come up with several recommendations to improve farmers’ use of organic fertilizers in agriculture. These include regularization of production standards, strengthening market supervision, supporting agricultural science and technology, and promoting large-scale and cooperative farming.  

As a response to requests for more training in the use of organic fertilizers, the orchard “green manure” program was set up in 2022. In a partnership with the Institute of Soil Fertilizer and Water-Saving Agriculture of the Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences (SFWSAI), local stakeholders learn about the benefits of intercropping and green manure in apple orchards, along with sessions on how to improve soil fertility, reduce dependency on fertilizers, increase production efficiency, and enhance orchard biodiversity. 

Online training on “using green manure in orchard production” was launched in early November of that year. This program brought together over 170 farmers and technicians of rural cooperatives from Huining County and Jingning County to interact and troubleshoot with experts on topics such as the ecological benefits of green manure in orchards, simplified pest control, and increasing efficiency in arid areas. 

In June of 2023, the Foundation collaborated with the SFWSAI to organize field days promoting green manure in the Jingning county towns of Chengchuan and Weishu, and in Hepan (in the county of Huining). A wide range of talks were given by experts including Che Zongxian, Researcher at the Gansu Institute, Qi Xianghui, Senior Agronomist at Huinong County Agricultural Techniques Extension Center, Wen Youfu, Senior Agronomist at the office of Jingning County Forestry, Pasture and Fruit, and Li Ying, Agricultural Director at The Nature Conservancy. 

Through a combination of field days, face-to-face, and online events, over 550 farmers and technicians in Huining and Jingning counties now have a better understanding of how put into action an effective green manure strategy – and this could have implications for helping devise and better implement the next round of subsidies related to organic fertilizers.

甘肃苹果产区果园绿肥培训

为了推动甘肃省苹果产区实施间作套种绿肥模式，提高土地肥力、减肥增效，提高果园生物多样性。先正达农业可持续发展基金会与甘肃省农业科学院土壤肥料与节水农业研究所开展了果园绿肥培训项目。

2022年11月3日，双方开展了线上“绿肥生产技术模式培训”。会议邀请专家作了“果园绿肥生态环境效益研究及其模式构建”、“绿肥对果园的生态调控及苹果园病虫害轻简化防控”、“绿肥对西北旱区化肥减施增效的贡献”等绿肥相关知识方面的专题报告。会宁县和静宁县广大农民、企业合作社和相关专业人员170多人参加了此次会议，并对实际生产过程中遇到的问题和专家们进行了互动交流。

2023年6月10日-11日，先正达农业可持续发展基金会和甘肃省农业科学院土壤肥料与节水农业研究所，在静宁县城川镇、威戎镇、会宁县河畔镇进行了果园绿肥田间培训。土肥所车宗贤研究员、会宁县农业技术推广中心齐向辉高级农艺师、静宁县林草果业办温有福高级农艺师、大自然保护协会可持续农业李颖总监、分别就果园绿肥品种的选择、水肥管理，病虫害防治及果园绿肥健康土壤管理等技术模式与果农进行了详细的讲解和技术交流，解答了果农的问题。发放了果园绿肥宣传资料，通过此次培训和交流，提升了果农对果园绿肥的深入理解，掌握了果园绿肥种植模式。

果园绿肥培训总共进行了5场次，其中线上集中讲课培训1次，线下集中讲课培训1次，田间现场指导培训3次，累计培训会宁县和静宁县广大农民、企业合作社和相关专业人员550人次。