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"Science and technology backyards" propel rural revitalization in NE China's Jilin(People's Daily Online) 11:09, June 28, 2024
"This is the first rice-fishing farming science and technology backyard (STB) in China," said Wang Qiuju, a supervisor of a master's degree program at Jilin Agricultural University in northeast China's Jilin Province.
Wang is also the chief expert of the Gongzhuling rice-fishing farming STB in Nanwaizi village, Gongzhuling city, Jilin Province. In 2022, the STB was honored by the China Rural Special Technology Association.
Photo shows the Gongzhuling rice-fishing farming science and technology backyard in Gongzhuling city, northeast China's Jilin Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Yang)
The province boasts of 105 nationally recognized STBs, ranking first in the country, said Chen Yaohui, vice chairman of the Jilin provincial science and technology association.
These STBs are contributing to all-round rural revitalization in the province.
"Under harsh conditions, our university's teachers and students addressed agricultural 'bottleneck' issues faced by farmers," said Zhang Dianfeng, Party head of Jilin Agricultural University, in front of the former site of the Gongzhuling rice-fishing farming STB.
In the summer of 2023, Wang, her husband Wu Min, who is also a teacher from the university, and their postgraduates moved to the new site of the STB with better conditions about 100 meters away from the former site.
The new STB boasts improved research conditions, Wang said, adding that an experimental field, which is the "main battlefield" of her team, is just at the doorstep of the STB.
In 2018, Wang and her team arrived in Nanwaizi village to develop techniques for cultivating crayfish and crabs in rice fields. Farming crayfish or crabs in rice fields helps farmers boost their income and can be economically beneficial, according to Wang.
Wang Qiuju gives a lesson at the Gongzhuling rice-fishing farming science and technology backyard in Gongzhuling city, northeast China's Jilin Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Yang)
Every year, just before the start of the rice planting season, Wang and her husband would lead their students to the village and stay for more than half a year.
Zhao Chunyu, a farmer in the village, provided land for Wang and other researchers from Jilin Agricultural University for experiments, becoming the first to "take the plunge" in the village.
At first, local residents were skeptical of Wang's team, as they hadn't seen any tangible benefits. Zhao was initially apprehensive, too. "After all, we've been farming for so many years, but no one had ever tried raising crabs in rice fields before," Zhao recalled.
Wu Min (right), Wang Qiuju's husband, checks on the growth of crayfish together with students. (People's Daily Online/Li Yang)
In 2020, Zhao and other members of an aquaculture farmers' cooperative volunteered to feed the crabs, as Wang was pregnant. That year, their collective efforts paid off, resulting in a bumper harvest of both rice and crabs for the cooperative.
One year later, the Jilin provincial science and technology association and Jilin Agricultural University took the lead in establishing the Gongzhuling rice-fishing farming STB in Nanwaizi village. It became one of the first eight STBs recognized by the province, and Wang served as the chief expert of the STB.
The success didn't come easily. After years of experimentation, Wang and her team successfully developed a model for rice cultivation combined with crayfish and crab farming. They devised a technique that significantly improved the survival rate of baby crayfish in Jilin Province and developed special feed for crabs in paddy fields. Thanks to the tailored feed, a crab in paddy fields can now grow to around 100 grams, a significant increase from about 50 grams in the past.
A staff member of the Gongzhuling rice-fishing farming science and technology backyard works in a rice field. (People's Daily Online/Li Yang)
The new model also increases the yield of rice. In 2023, the rice yield of experimental fields exceeded 550 kilograms per mu (667 square meters).
According to Zhao, rice would sell for 5.2 yuan ($0.72) to 5.4 yuan per kilogram previously, but now it can be sold for 10 yuan per kilogram, as rice-crab farming reduces the use of pesticides and fertilizers and leads to better rice quality. Meanwhile, the yield of crabs in each mu of rice field reaches about 15 kilograms. The mixed rice-crab farming increases profits by 300 yuan to 500 yuan per mu.
