Shared farms flourish as tranquil retreats

Adapt and grow

Despite their growing popularity, shared gardens face a major problem: low renewal rates.

"The biggest issue is that most people do not renew their contracts," Han, the manager, said. "Many renters are just trying it out for fun. Once the novelty wears off, they do not come back."

That is why the Longgushan garden deliberately kept the number of plots manageable. "We want to keep them fully rented year-round while giving as many people as possible a chance to try it," said Han.

Liu noted that many small-scale shared farming projects still rely too heavily on land rental income, which has little added value. "Revenue gaps between peak and off-seasons are huge. The payback period is long, and risk resistance is weak," he said.

He suggested building a diversified revenue system that includes leasing, managed services, produce sales, and educational tourism.

Longgushan is already adapting. The cultural and creative center, which the garden is part of, is being developed into a full-fledged lifestyle destination. Plans include a parking lot, a convenience market, a coffee shop, flower beds planted on a nearby slag heap, a creative bazaar, and even charging stations for electric vehicles.

"When parents bring their children here, they need a place to park, somewhere to buy groceries, a nice view, and then they can tend the garden and have fun," Han said.

Yugeng natural farm is taking a different path.