Shanxi moves ahead with plans to innovate

By Yuan Shenggao (China Daily)

Updated: 2021-01-15

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Farmers work at a modernized greenhouse for crop seedling cultivation. [Photo by Li Zhaomin for China Daily]

Modernizing agriculture

The communique of the Fifth Plenary Session says China will prioritize the development of agriculture and rural areas to fully advance rural vitalization. So Shanxi is exploring new ways to modernize its agriculture and promote the high-quality development in its rural areas.

Xinzhuang village is currently a major grain producer in Yuxian county in the east of Shanxi province.

But it won this status only a few years ago after efforts were made to modernize its agriculture.

Guo Yongfeng, a farmer in the village, recalled a challenging past.

"The farmlands were small pieces scattered in the valleys, which didn't allow farming with large machines," Guo said. "There were no proper roads for the machines to approach the farmlands and the situation became even worse when it rained."

He added that the soil condition was also harmful to farming. "The soil thickness was between 15 and 20 centimeters, meaning it could not retain water or nutrients."

A farmland improvement project started three years ago. By the end of 2019, more than 70 hectares of farmland had been improved, with soil thickness increased to 60 cm. A water-saving irrigation system had been added and 15.5-kilometer roads were built to cover all the farmlands in the village. The scattered farmlands have been integrated into larger ones.

Guo Husheng, a village official, said the village is among the many rural communities to benefit from the local government's financial support.

The county government invested 45.75 million yuan in 2019 to improve more than 2,000 hectares of farmland in 16 villages across eight townships, according to the Yuxian bureau of agriculture.

"The communique of the Fifth Plenary Session said agricultural modernization will be basically realized in China by 2035," Guo Husheng said. "With the strong support from the central and local authorities, I believe the objective can be realized in Xinzhuang village and Yuxian county ahead of schedule."

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