Personal stories and production narratives of smallholders, individual farmers, and family farms.
Two summers ago, I graduated with a Master’s in Sociology and joined a leading real estate company to work in agriculture, feeling a mix of anticipation and anxiety. Three seemingly unrelated paths converged in this way; my decision to veer away from the mainstream career trajectory left my family and…
In this episode of Food Talk, we are joined by our old friend, Sun Shan. Having previously worked for several non-profit organisations, including the Shan Shui Conservation Center, she now runs her own farm in Canada. Contrary to the idyllic image of spending one’s days in harmony with nature, ecological…
I. Dried produce can be sold again The *Administrative Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Quality and Safety of Edible Agricultural Products in Market Sales* (hereinafter referred to as the “Measures”), a matter of great concern to farmers across the country, have finally been released. Compared to the previously…
At the end of last year, Foodthink published an article titled “Bringing an Influencer Home to Sell Navel Oranges: Only Then Did I Realise How Hard Life Is for Fruit Farmers”. In the piece, Fengche, who works in Guangzhou, shares the story of her return home to help her family…
Which are the premium lychee-growing regions of Guangdong? Zhong-ge and Guo Rui, residents of Yinlin Village in Conghua, answer in unison: Conghua is certainly among the best. In their view, the quality of a lychee depends not only on latitude but also on the local microclimate. Conghua’s lychees have long…
At the start of this year, four years after moving to the Netherlands, my partner and I finally rented a hectare of land in the province of Utrecht to begin cultivating my own farm. Before deciding to commit to farming, I had interned at several small organic farms across the…
Industrial revitalisation is the top priority of rural revitalisation, as well as the starting point for practical work. Without industry, rural areas struggle to attract people, let alone retain talent; the avenues for farmers to increase their income remain narrow, and cultural activities are difficult to initiate. In promoting industrial…
I. Growing Up with the Flavours of the Loess Plateau I was born in the 1980s and grew up in the mountains of the Loess Plateau. I loved the mountains, the plateau, and the freedom of roaming through hills blanketed in wildflowers. My hometown lies where Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Inner…
In this episode, the Food Talk host travels to Tongxiang, Zhejiang, accompanying Yu Jiangang—a young man who returned to his roots—to visit the village where he was born, raised, and has now returned. They explore the village’s final acre of Hangbai chrysanthemums and the biodiversity and Jiangnan culture that surround…
“I have an idea—though I don’t know if it will be of any use?” Her mother-in-law and the former housekeeper both stared at her. She said, “We are at our busiest in spring, but the autumn is quiet. Why not take this time to trade in Hangbai chrysanthemums? They are…
