Pioneering group swapping spreadsheets for soil

Food safety

While the pressure of city life seems to be the major reason this new generation turned to farming, the motivation was different for those who came before. Nearly a decade ago, food security was a big issue in China and there was widespread concern about food safety, which led to people like Qi Jing becoming interested.

"At the time, a new movement started in China," said Qi, a 40-something who works in the interior design industry while also managing a farm. "Then, a lot of small and independent farms and farmers' markets started appearing, so I decided to try to do it, too."

Eight years ago, Guo Shengnan, who lives in an urban area in Hebei province, started a farm with two friends.

"We decided to start our own farm so our children and families could eat safe vegetables and eggs, and to have a piece of land with clean soil to embrace nature and have a happy life," said Guo, who gives lessons about agriculture to city families who have registered with her farm's membership program. Occasionally, she visits the capital to participate in activities organized by the Beijing Farmers' Market.

Even before food security became a nationwide concern, Zhang Zhimin had been a farmer for more than 10 years. Before she made her life-changing decision, she had worked in international trade for a long time. Her deep knowledge of the import sector and understanding of the difficulties farmers face were among the many reasons that led her to become a farmer.

"At that crucial point in time, my specialized knowledge of imports helped break a roadblock (regarding the World Trade Organization)," she said. "After the breakthrough, China was able to smoothly join the WTO. However, there were also some people who believed that opening up the market would lead farmers to suffer, so I felt quite guilty.

"I have always helped farmers to sell their produce, and they are a vulnerable group in society. They are poor and lead hard lives. So, if China joined the WTO and their lives became even harder, then I would have some responsibility for that, too."

Her job was not the only thing she left behind in Beijing, as her husband and then-12-year-old son remained in the city. Fortunately, they both fully supported her decision.

Her conviction is so strong that even when she ran into difficulties in 2005 and had to go back to full-time employment for three years, she returned to farming once she had earned enough to keep the farm afloat.

"Farming is a kind of art. It needs talent," she said. "It doesn't matter where you were born or the type of family you were born into to farm well. As long as it is an art, you will need talent, affection and dedication; then can you do this art well."