How much can a remote little village change in six years? What can an ordinary village party secretary accomplish in six years of service?文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11320/
In Shunli Village, Xingshan Town, Shuangcheng City, the per capita net income has increased from just over 2,000 yuan to more than 10,000 yuan, the muddy dirt roads of spring, summer and autumn have been replaced by concrete roads, and 70 or 80 adobe houses have been replaced by brick-and-tile houses. Still this same Shunli Village, more than 10,000 mu of arable land has gone from random cultivation to organic farming, becoming the province's very first organic farm.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11320/
All these changes stem from the hard work of one man: Zhang Xiaojun, the head of Shunli Village and Secretary of the village Party branch.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11320/
The organic farm turns from a vision into reality文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11320/
In 2005, Zhang Xiaojun took on the role of Party branch secretary of Shunli Village and proposed the idea of developing a circular economy. Specifically, this involved developing biogas, using waste biogas residue and slurry as organic fertiliser so that the harvested rice, millet, soybeans and other grains became organic food, and then using organic maize by-products as feed for cattle, pigs and chickens to produce organic beef, pork and poultry. This approach turned Shunli Village's livestock and poultry manure into energy and fertiliser, allowing organic products to be sold at high prices. Wouldn't this cycle bring prosperity? The villagers were sceptical; surely Zhang Xiaojun was just talking the talk without backing it up?文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11320/
Soon afterwards, the village formed a joint-stock “Baokang Agricultural Products Co., Ltd.” organised by the dairy farming association, crop association, pig farming association and others, and the company signed grain purchase agreements with the villagers. The village party branch and village committee mobilised and supported villagers in building methane digesters, using biogas residue, biogas slurry and other organic fertilisers to grow organic grain.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11320/
After three years of hard work, farmers in Shunli Village (40%) are now using biogas, and most of the arable land is fertilised with organic fertilisers such as biogas slurry, biogas liquid and farmyard manure. Zhang Xiaojun invited experts from Northeast Agricultural University to draw up a master plan for the development of an organic farm, and has begun the transition towards organic farming, starting with crop cultivation.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11320/
Main driving force behind increasing income from organic agricultural products文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11320/
Following three years of conversion, in 2008 the Nanjing Guohuan Organic Certification Centre certified 2,800 mu of arable land in Shunli Village, making it the first village in the province to have its arable land organically certified. In 2009, the area of organically certified arable land in Shunli Village reached 4,600 mu, and last year this figure rose to 9,200 mu, accounting for approximately 60% of the total arable land area. Shunli Village became the first organic farm in the province.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11320/
Simply selling organic raw grain certainly does not increase the value significantly. Using the “Baokang Company” as a platform, Zhang Xiaojun registered the “Shuangchengbao” brand trademark and processed the organic grain produced by the cooperative into specialty grain products. Then, by-products such as bran from grain production were turned into raw materials for brewing, producing and processing organic Baijiu. Furthermore, the organic distiller's grains and organic crop straw were used as livestock feed to raise organic pigs and cattle, which in turn yielded organic milk.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11320/
Packaged and marketed by the Baokang Company, “Shuangchengbao” brand rice, millet, and kidney beans all sell for over 10 yuan per catty. After organic crop stalks pass through the bellies of more than 3,000 cattle, over 10,000 pigs, and upwards of 100,000 chickens, they are converted into organic beef and pork, which likewise fetch much higher prices than ordinary livestock. It is the same land as before, yet grain prices have doubled accordingly, and the per capita income of the entire village is rising steadily like sesame flowers on a growing stalk.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11320/
One commune member earns three “wages”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11320/
Wang Shufeng, a farmer from Chijiatun, Shunli Village, told reporters that last year he received three kinds of “salary”. The first was 60,000 yuan in income from investing 120 mu of land into the cooperative; the second was over 10,000 yuan earned from working for Baokang Agricultural Products Co., Ltd. for a year; and the third was over 5,000 yuan in annual dividends from the company. Wang Shufeng proudly said that with an annual income of 70,000 to 80,000 yuan, he is no worse off than white-collar workers in the city. In Shunli Village, farmers like Wang Shufeng are by no means few in number.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11320/
Organic grain products from Shunli Village have gradually gained fame both within and outside the province. Zhang Xiaojun and Shunli Village did not stop there; with organic cultivation, organic livestock farming, and organic processing, Shunli Village has achieved comprehensive value addition through “cultivation, farming, and processing”.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11320/
There is a saying that “good wine needs no bush”. Yang Zhuoshu, president of Hebei Zhuoda Group, came to Shunli Village twice to discuss cooperation, planning to build a large-scale organic food production and processing base here. Relying on the Shunli Organic Cooperative, he intends to recruit farmers across regions, expand the planting area of organic crops to 150,000 mu within 5 years, and turn the “Shuangchengbao” brand of organic food into a nationally renowned brand.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11320/