The following story is set in the district of Yuexi within the Anhui Province of China, historically considered a region of national poverty. Through conversion to organic farming, local producers have been able to both increase capacity and protect their environment thus improving their family’s security.
Organic rationale
Within impoverished marginal regions, the need to increase food production and boost poor farmers’ incomes must be balanced with the need to protect a fragile and often deteriorating resource base. Attempts to overcome this contradiction and avoid the pitfalls of further deterioration have been discovered by experimenting with local forms of ecological agriculture.
Organic agriculture has become the most widespread form of sustainable agriculture. It differs from other forms of ecological agriculture because it has a set of production standards that must be adheared to. Discussions on the link between organic farming and poverty alleviation generally focus on the contribution that organic farming will bring to agricultural productivity and farmer incomes.
The organic farming project in Yuexi, Dabie mountains Anhui
Conversion to organic farming in Yuexi is supported by a Sino-German Project “Development of Organic Farming in Poverty Areas” (Yuexi is a national poverty county in the Dabie Mountains.) Implemented by the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the Organic Food Development Centre (OFDC) in Nanjing between 1997 and 2002, the project has worked with two organic farmers’ associations in Yuexi (Yufan Organic Kiwi Association and Shifo Organic Tea Association) to convert small farms
The local mountainous environment is hard to farm. Only tea and kiwi fruit, which constitute the major income for local farmers, can be grown effectively. Profits for local farmers are low due to declining market prices for food. Hence, farmers are very keen to improve the quality of their produce in order to raise their income.
Organic conversion: A step towards sustainability
Farmers in Yuexi heavily resisted the idea of implementing a conversion period. They felt that their system was perfect right from the beginning. They also argued that their farms are much more “organic” than had already been certified elsewhere in China. Only gradually did they come to understand that the adoption of organic principles requires a number of adjustments in their farming practices which inevitably lead to changes they had not fully anticipated from the start. For these farmers, conversion was an extended period of trial and error which only led to stabilisation of the system after several years. Today, now that their farms have been certified organic, they feel that this extended period was necessary to fully understand how to make their organic farms work.
Local farmer knowledge
The initial challenge for the Yuexi project was that at that time no practical experience with organic farming had been made available in China and no professional staff had been trained. Therefore, the project had to gather local staff with a basic understanding of organic farming and engage them in a discussion process with farmers determined to convert but concerned about risks. None of the project stakeholders knew in advance what the process of conversion would entail or what the outcomes would be. The project developed an approach of both gradually strengthening communication between farmers and technical staff and supporting a process of innovation.
A first assessment of the potentials and problems for development of organic farming was conducted in 1998. Though this did not provide farmers with a ready-made solution it did propose a number of options for conversion. External advisors worked out a general framework which left space for a farmer-led process of gradually modelling the organic farming system by testing various options and possibilities. In 1998, the first organic farming training was organized. Only a small number of applied techniques were available at that time and the local trainers could only refer to what they have read in their organic farming books.
They therefore encouraged farmers to try out various techniques like inter-cropping, biological control of common pests, green manure varieties etc. Then, a second training was held in 1999 to reflect on the process and exchange experiences. By this time farmers had a practical understanding of organic farming through their application of various organic practices. They agreed on several technical innovations to try during the coming season. A third workshop, which evaluated the experiences during conversion, was held in early 2000.
Workshops served as focal points for summarizing and exchanging experiences and for documenting joint decision making in the communities. Aside from these formal workshops, the advisors regularly visited pilot areas where they discussed ongoing experiments and proposed additional alternatives. Through this process, methods were developed to systemise information on local farming systems and develop feasible options during conversion.
Developing local organic standards in Yuexi
The project supported the development of organic food standards at the national level through a cooperation with the Organic Food Centre (OFDC) in Nanjing. But farmers in Yufan have been frustrated by the vagueness of these general standards. They wanted an explicit understanding of what organic farming means for their specific cultures (kiwi) and they wanted to set clear requirements for those who belong to their association. Therefore, they drafted their own production standards based on the general framework provided by the OFDC-standards. These local standards are more detailed and reflect the local farming conditions. They are now binding for all members of the Organic Kiwi Association.
Revival of green manure in Yuexi
Green manure was part of the traditional multi-cropping systems in China, but was replaced by chemical fertiliser during the “green revolution.” As a result, traditional manure techniques have been forgotten and green manure seeds have disappeared. Initially some varieties which had been preserved by a research institute were made available by the project. But then farmers started searching for traditional seeds within their region and discovered that they were still being used on remote farms. Farmers experienced the advantages and disadvantages of different varieties and finally selected those most suitable within their cropping systems. Farmers also rediscovered and improved methods for applying organic manure and composting.
The Yuexi model
An important lesson from the project is that these networks reach out to both developed and poor areas. The project has supported the exchange of experiences between organic farmers in the remote Dabie-Mountains and also across other areas of China. During their excursions, the Yuexi farmers have explored kiwi varieties and began to introduce new varieties which are of good taste and quality. On the other hand, farmers in the industrialised regions have learnt a lot from the poor areas which have preserved a rich knowledge about traditional farming methods. Today, Yuexi is a region for farmers and technicians to visit who want to learn more about organic farming and the purchasing of green manure.
Marketing
The development of transparent marketing structures and short and direct marketing channels are crucial to the development of organic farming. To achieve this, the project co-operated with the Shanghai Vegetable Bureau. In Shanghai, the demand for organic vegetables is growing rapidly, and there are already farms that market their products directly or through local supermarkets. Prices for organic vegetables are up to 500 percent higher than for conventional products.
Through the project, farmers in Yuexi have established direct communications with Shanghai vegetable farms and traders, and they are now selling their products directly to this huge market. It was an important step for farmers in Yuexi to abandon their traditional and very passive marketing behaviour, which depended on external traders purchasing products at the farm gate. Now they develop and market the specific qualities of their local products (“healthy – natural – delicious”) and take initiative in discovering and opening up niche markets like Shanghai. Farmers have to develop creative marketing ideas, find the right partners and understand the specific demands of their consumer groups in order to get adequate prices paid for high-quality products.
Being part of this network, the Yuexi farmers have lost the stigma of “poverty” and have entered into a self-confident and determined exchange with the outside world. They have been explicit about their aspirations and objectives, and have clearly communicated their conversion experiences. It is now the “outside world” which is coming to Yuexi to learn.
