“Only good soil and water can produce good agricultural products. On this point, some government departments and even agricultural experts have not paid enough attention, or rather, they cannot bring themselves to face it. After all, soil pollution has become an intractable problem in the process of industrialization and urbanization.” As soon as Liu Weichao spoke, people looked at him with new eyes.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11333/
Liu Weichao comes from Hong Kong and holds a doctorate in biology. Perhaps because of his professional background, he has an innate sensitivity to food. Having lived in the mainland for many years, he was perplexed by the repeatedly exposed food safety issues and conceived the idea of engaging in organic agriculture. On one hand, it would solve the eating problem for his own family and friends around him; on the other hand, it would allow him to conduct beneficial attempts and explorations combining his own expertise, finding joy in it. Several years ago, he accidentally became acquainted with some large-scale growers and also took a fancy to these several hundred mu of “feng shui treasure land” in the Doumen Lianzhou Ecological Park. After more than a year of effort, Liu Weichao's vegetable base has already formed a certain production scale, supplying over 3,000 kilograms to the urban area daily, and the base has already possessed a certain production capacity. “Food safety has attracted much attention, and quite a few work units have established long-term ties with us, ordering organic vegetables,” Liu Weichao said.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11333/
The reporter saw on site that the 300 mu of vegetable fields rented by Liu Weichao were divided into strips and plots, neat and orderly. In the fields, cucumbers, tomatoes, and green beans—the seasonal crops of this time of year—were the most abundant. “Most of the time, my workers and I eat breakfast right in the fields. Cucumbers and tomatoes picked at hand, washed with canal water, become a healthy breakfast.” On a fine day, flocks of sparrows, like tiny airplanes, skimmed low overhead, startling a group of partridge chickens frolicking in the wild fields. “They're after the tomatoes and peck and ruin quite a few every day. But it doesn't matter. I quite like them. Tomatoes, cucumbers, and so on—I let them eat freely. The pecked ones can be fed to the chickens, so nothing is wasted.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11333/
In recent years, while continuing his environmental protection business, Liu Weichao has devoted much time and energy to cultivating his organic vegetable “experimental field.” “Actually, what takes the most effort is not the planting stage, but the soil improvement,” Liu Weichao said. This piece of farmland, designated as the Doumen Lianzhou Ecological Park, is located within a water source protection zone, and its ecological foundation is already quite good. It was once also used as a supporting base for the city's vegetable basket project, growing various vegetables on a large scale. Liu Weichao's entry once again improved the water and soil from the source. “There are many methods available for maintaining and improving water and soil. In order to maintain good soil and fertility, we mainly carry out planned crop rotation and also adopt some physical methods, such as raising earthworms, applying probiotics, and so on, to protect this good farmland and let it play a greater role.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11333/
During the interview, the reporter learned that Liu Weichao recently built a “mushroom cultivation shed” at the base and introduced several varieties of mushrooms for experimental cultivation. He told the reporter that mushroom cultivation is also the simplest and most effective method for testing soil. For example, the cultivation of termite mushrooms—contaminated areas will not produce growth. Therefore, during the experimental stage in the cultivation shed, we continuously adjust and improve the culture medium, using microbial technology to effectively degrade and improve the soil.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11333/
Liu Weichao's ideal is to practice ecological agriculture in the true sense, produce organic agricultural products, form a scale, promote cultivation among surrounding farmers, and ultimately develop agritourism. In addition to planting, Liu Weichao has built a rabbit farm and a chicken coop at the base, with an initial stock of 800 partridge chickens. At the same time, he has also tried raising several dozen geese and ducks. “My entire base uses no chemical fertilizers or pesticides, so there are especially many insects. Pest control mainly relies on physical methods, using natural enemies to maintain ecological balance. Letting these poultry roam freely is to let them catch insects,” Liu Weichao said.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11333/