Postgraduate students specializing in agriculture help bring prosperity to farming village in outskirts of Beijing

Three postgraduate students pursuing a master’s degree in agriculture at the China Agricultural University (CAU) have helped bring renewed vitality and prosperity to the agriculture sector of a village located outside Beijing by helping build greenhouses that make use of an integrated water and fertilizer control system, encouraging the farmers in the locality to plant radishes and cherry tomatoes while achieving a high economic value.

Wu Linjing, a postgraduate student at the China Agricultural University who has been working at a “science and technology backyard” in Xihuaizhuang village of Beijing, harvests tomatoes alongside local farmers. (Photo/Dang Weiting)

In the spring of 2021, Wu Linjing and Ning Guofa, two of the three postgraduate students who were all born after 1995, established a “science and technology backyard,” where they remained for a long period of time, serving at the front line of agricultural production while studying and working out solutions to the practical problems faced by farmers, in Xihuaizhuang village, Yongledian town, Tongzhou district of Beijing.

Though the village enjoys a long history of growing white turnips, which was the only traditional crop residents in the village grew in the past, it encountered several obstacles such as a weak collective economy and problems associated with an aging workforce.

With the help of the “science and technology backyard,” villagers have planted radishes on a larger scale and in a more science-based manner. The two postgraduate students have been responsible for the selection of seeds, breeding, production and the online sale of radishes.

 “We mainly promoted the scientific management of the vegetable, introduced facilities for disease and pest prevention and control, and used software to check and analyze relevant data during the planting process, providing villagers with a more efficient planting method for higher yields and higher-quality radishes,” said Ning.

In addition, they have introduced three varieties of cherry tomatoes and a type of large tomato to the village, as well as water and fertilizer all-in-one devices, which can control irrigation and fertilization in 15 greenhouses. They have also developed a set of procedures for using these devices and taught farmers how to use them, which has reduced the labor intensity of tasks for elderly farmers while improving the degree of efficiency in applying water and fertilizers.

Wu and Ning have also helped promote sales of tomatoes through both online and offline channels.

With their help, the collective income of Xihuaizhuang village reached 330,000 yuan (about $49,619) in 2021, which is triple the amount from a year ago.

Wu’s achievements in the village also allowed her team to stand out among 30 teams in the finals of the first national competition on the “science and technology backyard” program held recently, with her team eventually winning the first prize.

The “science and technology backyard” program was initiated by the CAU in 2009. Since then, the program has been implemented in about 500 villages across China, providing a solution to the disjunction between scientific research and production needs.

Now the radish and tomato farming industries are thriving in the village, but both the “backyard” and the village community have been keenly aware that the village still lacks cold-chain storage facilities.

“We will put the construction of agricultural infrastructure onto our agenda. Meanwhile, the town will build a platform and assist our village with trademark registration, certification of products, advertising and cold-chain logistics so as to promote the sustainable development of industries,” said an official from the village.

Photo shows a scene at the finals for the first national competition on the “science and technology backyard” program. (Photo courtesy of organizers of the competition)

This year, the “backyard” continues to focus on strengthening the village’s collective economy and has given priority to the sales of special agricultural products.

“As long as villagers need us, the ‘backyard’ will continue providing services for them to develop special agricultural products,” said Wu, who will leave the “backyard” with Ning this autumn.

But Zhang Xiaotian, a first-year postgraduate student has been working at the “backyard” in the village since March this year. “I hope to help villagers boost the scale and strength of the radish and tomato industries, enabling them to share scientific and technological dividends,” Zhang said.