"I have observed that the grass that grows among the crops functions as a regulating factor of the microclimate by keeping the soil humid," he said.
Then there are the whiteflies, hard to detect due to their miniscule size, they are usually controlled by insecticide. Here, the pest is kept in check by a native breed of spider that nests among the vegetables.
"Perhaps the wisdom based on thousands of years of working in harmony with nature could be the answer to the problems born in mass-scale modern agriculture," he suggested.
The market of trust
Over 200 small farmers and scholars attended a Farmers' Assembly held in China Agricultural University's College of Humanities and Development.
Participants came from all across the country, with the majority being highly educated with stable finances, who have returned to rural areas from city life, according to the organizers of the event - Beijing Organic Farmers' Market and Know Your Food, a self-publishing community focused on food sustainability.
Beijing Organic Farmers' Market is a local platform for individuals or small-sized collectives who adhere to the principle of organic, eco-friendly and sustainable farming, food processing and art crafting.
Since its launch in September 2010, it has become a regular event in the capital city and has taken place on more than 500 occasions.
"The Farmers' Market hopes to consolidate the mutual confidence between the small-holder peasants and consumers by establishing a participation guarantee system," said Chang Tianle, founder of the platform and also founding editor of Know Your Food.
Through the system, the farmers, artisan bakers, jewelers and other craftspeople who wish to have a booth at the fair must respect and commit to the established criteria of organic production, under the inspection and approval of the market administrators and a committee of existing members, scholars and related NGOs.
For the small-holder peasants and artisans, the Participation Guarantee System works where a third-party certification would be too heavy a burden to afford, while the consumers can rest assured of the organic nature of the products they purchase at the fair, said Chang.
"Going grocery shopping at the farmers' market, cooking at home and eating well, is a lifestyle of growing popularity," she said.
"Organic or ecological farming is an important measure to improve the quality and safety of agricultural products," said Meng Fanqiao, professor at CAU's College of Resources and Environmental Sciences.
"Organic or ecological farming is of vital significance for economic development as well as environmental protection in rural areas, for which it should play an imperative role in China's rural revitalization and the building of an ecological civilization," he noted.
The green development of the countryside is a strategy that goes hand-in-hand with food supply security and income level improvement, said Jin Shuqin with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs' Research Center for Rural Economy.
"Revivifying the ecosystem is a crucial aspect of overall rural revitalization," he said at the Peasants Assembly.
"It is our hope to promote healthy eating to become the mainstream choice, as well as the organic way to produce healthy foods," said Ma Xiaochao, project officer with Know Your Food.
"In the future, a healthy food-centered community will be built together by our small peasant friends, consumers, trade platforms, environmental NGOs and R &D institutes," she predicted.
(Xinhua)
