Novel farming in Chongming draws fans

Shen Hong shows visitors and local farmers his Mooyuu Farm, an eco-farm on Shanghai's Chongming Island. The farm is both a food source for the megacity as well as an experiment in green agriculture. Shen has been practicing sustainable agriculture on the island for two decades. CHINA DAILY

"Because crayfish are sensitive to chemicals, the fact that this creature can survive in our farms is evidence that our farming is organic. This allows us to sell the rice at a higher price."

The scale of the farm and its partnership with local farmers grew gradually as more people started to accept Shen's organic farming over the years. He has since diversified his products by introducing other animals into the food chain, with the most successful being the soft-shell turtle, which is sold at around 400 yuan per kilogram.

Ding Weidong, a former fisherman on Chongming Island, joined Shen's farm six years ago and later started his own family farm in partnership with him. Ding's current annual income amounts to more than 100,000 yuan per year, significantly more than when he was a fisherman.

"The environment can be better protected when we do farming without pesticides. This is good for both people and nature,"Ding said in a previous interview with local newspaper Wen Hui Bao.

There are now around 100 farmers like Ding who are a part of Shen's initiative, and they have a client base of 5,000 people that is made up mostly of young parents, white-collar workers and university professors.

"The majority of Chinese customers care about the taste of a product, but our customers care more about buying organic food that has been grown without using chemicals," says Shen."Good taste speaks little of the safety of the food."

Besides farming, Shen and his fellow farmers also run education programs aimed at changing the perception of their practice. This initiative draws more than 20,000 people to the farm every year.

As part of these programs, Mooyuu Farm has been working with some schools, offering its premises as an outdoor classroom for students to learn about ecology. The venue has even been designated as a model farm for farmer practicum by the Shanghai Municipal Radio and Television School of Agriculture.

Shen is also a part of the environmental organization Good Earth Project, which was launched by professors and environmentalists in Shanghai.

"To change people's mindset about consumption is our ultimate goal. After all, a healthy cycle of production and consumption is important for green agriculture as well," Shen says.