Xinhua News Agency, Changchun, July 9th. Title: Protecting the Black Soil and Keeping the Granary——New Field Observations from the “Golden Corn Belt” in Northeast China
Xinhua News Agency reporter
Entering July, the Songnen Plain in the northeast of the world‘s “Golden Corn Belt” is full of green eyes. In the green gauze tent, corn is growing in joints and is full of vitality.
This is the core demonstration area of the national million mu of green food raw material (corn) standardized production base in Lishu County, Jilin Province (photo by drone, taken on July 7, 2022).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Nan
In the past two years, Jilin has created a new environment, developed new technologies to promote the protection of black soil, and accelerated the application of conservation farming. A large number of young researchers have taken root in the rural front lines. Farmers have new pursuits in agricultural production, and the concept of green development is gradually gaining popularity. Protecting the black soil, guarding the granary, and developing green, the Chinese rice bowl will be more secure and stable.
New environment: policies and laws empower protection and promotion to accelerate
These days, the rainy weather has continued in many parts of Jilin Province, and many farmlands have accumulated water. Walking into the conservation farming demonstration field in Gaojia Village, Lishu County, there is no stagnant water and the soil is soft and soft. “This is due to conservation farming.” Yang Qingkui, a major local grain grower, said that the soil is highly permeable, the corn is resistant to drought and waterlogging, and the yield is more stable.
This is a corn field taken in the core demonstration area of the national million mu of green food raw material (corn) standardized production base in Lishu County, Jilin Province (photo taken on July 7, 2022).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Nan
This year, nearly 3 million mu of suitable arable land in Lishu County has adopted conservation tillage, accounting for nearly 90% of the corn sown area. In the past, farmers were affected by the awareness of traditional farming, and the promotion of conservation tillage in Lishu County was slow. However, in the past two years, the application of conservation farming has been accelerated, and nearly 1,000 demonstration bases have been established in more than 300 villages in the county to achieve full coverage of cultivated land protection.
Large-scale promotion has benefited from various policy support. Lishu County has issued more than ten relevant documents to promote the protection of black land, and has invested nearly 1.5 billion yuan in total. From policy advocacy to fund use and technology demonstration, various policies are tilted towards the protection of black land.
In protecting the soil according to the law, Jilin attacked hard. In 2021, investigate and deal with 18 criminal cases of destroying black soil resources. Since the implementation of the “Regulations on the Protection of Black Land in Jilin Province”, Jilin has continued to crack down on illegal and criminal acts involving black land.
Organizational construction is also synchronised. Since last year, a leading group for the protection of black soil has been established, a management agency for the protection of black soil has been established, and a “field chief system” has been established.
Gao Zhiguo, a farmer in Tiedong District, Siping City, who has been planting land for more than 20 years, said that in the past, he only thought about raising more grain and didn’t think about anything else, but now he understands that it is everyone’s responsibility to protect the land.
Policy promotion, regulatory constraints, public opinion supervision… The whole society is forming an atmosphere of participating in the protection of black land. Especially in the countryside, farmers bought no-till planters and applied conservation tillage… The “Golden Corn Belt” set off a “defense battle” for the black land.
This year, Jilin Province allocated 1.2 billion yuan of conservation farming subsidies to various places in advance. Nong’an County raised the subsidy standard from 55 yuan per mu to 70 yuan last year, greatly improving farmers’ enthusiasm. Many places in Northeast China have also made no-tillage seeders and other protective tillage tools as the focus of subsidies for the purchase of agricultural machinery, and increased their promotion and application.
Protection measures have been taken for most of the land in Chenjiadian Village, Helong Town, Nong’an County. Years of protection have allowed villagers to see the effect of grain crops in disaster resistance and stable yield. Chenjiadian Village has successively added several no-till planters. Dong Guiwen, a 65-year-old agricultural machine operator in the village, said that although he is old, everyone is very motivated to protect the black soil and raise more grain.
From more than 40 million mu in 2020 to more than 80 million mu this year, the area of protected cultivation in Northeast China has increased by more than 30 million mu. According to the Action Plan for Conservative Tillage of Black Land in Northeast China (2020-2025), by 2025, 70% of the suitable arable land in Northeast China will adopt protective tillage measures.
New technology: “Go to the ground”, efficient and accurate
In the core demonstration area of the national million-mu standardized production base of green food raw materials (corn) in Lishu County, Jilin Province, farmers drive agricultural machinery for autumn harvest operations (photo by drone, taken on October 23, 2021).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Nan
The drone flies around the farm field with a small device attached. After a while, a soil fertility data map with a radius of several square kilometers appeared on the ground display terminal. This airborne device is called the Black Land Information UAV Airborne Hyperspectral Perception Device.
“These technologies in the field of aerospace and aviation detection are now used in the protection of black soil.” said Tan Xin, the scientific research leader of the Precision Agriculture and Forestry Innovation Room of the Changchun Institute of Optics and Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. With the help of instruments with high-precision detection function, information such as soil fertility and crop nutritional status can be grasped in real time, and the monitoring efficiency is greatly improved.
After using the new equipment, farmers in Helong Town, Nong’an County said that the high-tech equipment is very helpful for production by accurately grasping the data of land fertility.
In recent years, the soaring “Jilin-1” satellite has been active in the field of agricultural production. It always pays attention to the entire growth period of crops, and the processed satellite images can analyze the growth of crops, analyze the moisture content and judge the disaster situation. Today, Changguang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd., which is responsible for operating the “Jilin-1” satellite constellation, cooperates with Lishu County and other places to apply satellite remote sensing technology to help the high-quality development of agriculture.
In Dongliao County, Jilin Province, Li Xiangnan, a researcher at the Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, observes cover crops in an experimental field (photo taken on July 5, 2022).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xue Qinfeng
With the help of high-tech equipment, the protection of black soil is more efficient. On the ground, researchers are also constantly developing new technologies to more precisely meet the needs of agricultural production and land protection.
In Dongliao County, Jilin Province, Li Xiangnan, a researcher at the Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and more than 10 colleagues have been observing the growth of corn and other crops in the field recently.
Li Xiangnan introduced that the new cultivation technology of corn interplantation with cover crops such as thorn in the ridges has been applied to this land. With these crops being covered between the ridges, soil erosion can be reduced, and the precious black soil can be left in the ground.
There are many hills and woodlands in Dongliao County, and soil loss is serious every rainy season. “In the past, the soil layer of some plots was often washed away by rain, and the plough layer became thinner and thinner, which affected grain production.” Qiu Guogang, a large grain grower, said.
The situation improved after Li Xiangnan and others arrived. Researchers have established an ecological agriculture research and demonstration base of nearly 1,000 mu here. The corn interplanting plan of various cover crops has been put into application, and the effect of soil conservation and fertilizer conservation on farmland is obvious.
Last year, more than 500 large grain growers were organized locally to visit and study at the demonstration base. Qiu Guogang was quickly impressed by these new technologies. This year, most of the farmland he manages has been renovated.
Sha Ye (left) and Guo Wenqing, students of China Agricultural University, observe corn samples at the “Science and Technology Courtyard” in Sikeshu Village, Sikeshu Township, Lishu County, Jilin Province (photo taken on August 2, 2021).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Nan
This is one of the demonstration areas established by the Chinese Academy of Sciences to carry out the “Black Soil Granary” scientific and technological battle in Northeast China. At present, thousands of young researchers in the institute have formed a “Youth Commando” to take root in the frontline of the countryside and carry out research on black soil protection technology.
The key to agricultural modernization lies in the modernization of science and technology, strengthening the cooperation between agricultural bases and scientific research institutes, and enabling farmers to master advanced agricultural technologies.
From the alpine black soil area in Heilongjiang to the core area of black soil in the central part of Jilin, these places are becoming the main technical research positions for many scientific researchers such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences and China Agricultural University. They precisely zoned and implemented strategies, displayed eighteen kinds of martial arts, and made various black soil protection technologies and equipment show their magical powers.
New pursuit: more and more farmers fall in love with “green planting”
In Quanyangou Village, Lishu County, Jilin Province, Zhang Wendi, chairman of the Hongwang Agricultural Machinery Farmers Professional Cooperative, checks the growth of crops in different planting methods in the field (photo taken on July 5, 2022).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xue Qinfeng
In Quanyangou Village, Lishu County, Zhang Wendi, chairman of Hongwang Agricultural Machinery Farmers Professional Cooperative, is checking the growth of crops in different planting methods in the field.
Zhang Wendi has adopted conservation tillage for many years, and the corn yield has remained stable. This year, he has carried out rice-bean intercropping and other planting methods on the plots where the protection measures have been implemented to test high-yield and efficient planting schemes.
In recent years, with the in-depth implementation of black land protection, more and more farmers are no longer satisfied with just protecting cultivated land. “The protection of black land is not only to prevent land degradation, but also to increase production and income through ‘green planting’,” said Zhang Wenzhao.
In Lishu County, more and more new farmers like Zhang Wendi are adopting “green planting”. The grain output is more stable and the quality is higher, which also makes grain processing enterprises and other upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain more willing to cooperate with new farmers like Zhang Wendi.
Since last year, Lishu County has used 300 hectares of concentrated contiguous land as a production unit to explore modern production and operation methods. Large grain growers adopt conservation tillage, carry out standardized production, and cooperate with agricultural material enterprises and grain processing enterprises to connect the industrial chain and develop modern agriculture.
“Large-scale ‘green planting’ saves costs and increases efficiency, reducing the cost of agricultural machinery operations on 300 hectares of land by more than 10,000 yuan, reducing the cost of agricultural materials by 180,000 yuan, and reducing food loss by more than 100,000 catties.” Zhang Wendi said.
This is a rice field in Xiwangjia Village, Xiaochengzi Township, Nong’an County, Jilin Province (photographed on July 6, 2022).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xue Qinfeng
In recent years, Nong’an County has established a standardized production base of 55,000 mu of green food raw materials (rice), and the popularization of green planting technology has allowed local farmers to taste the sweetness.
In the rice fields of Xiwangjia Village, Xiaochengzi Township, Nong’an County, the fragrance of rice is coming. In the past, the traditional farming methods of farmers made rice unsalable. “Now we start to pay attention to protecting the land and carry out green production.” Wang Zaixin, a big grain grower, said.
Every spring preparation period, Wang Zaixin returns the rice straw and chicken manure from the cooperative farm to the field. Organic fertilizers, biological pest control, and pesticide residues are getting lower and lower. “The land is ready, and green rice is planted.” Wang Zaixin said.
Today, Xiwangjia Village has built a rice processing factory and registered a brand name, and the income per mu of rice field has increased by more than 1,000 yuan compared with the past. Wang Zaixin said that green planting has brought tangible benefits.
Now Nong’an County has established an environmental monitoring system for green food production areas covering 200,000 mu of land, tracking soil pesticide residues, heavy metal content, water pollution and other indicators, promoting the reduction of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and guiding farmers to protect their land and produce green.
Jilin Province also focuses on the demonstration and promotion of technologies such as green prevention and control and unified prevention and control of food crops. The certified area of green, organic and geographically indicated rice in the province exceeds 5 million mu.
With the continuous deepening of black soil protection, a variety of black soil protection technologies are widely used in today’s black soil, and new agricultural business entities rely on the concept of green development to brand and process, and a high-yield and efficient modern agricultural blueprint is being formed. (Reporters Chen Jun, Zong Wei, Xue Qinfeng, Meng Hanqi)
[Editor in charge: Xu Dan]