“the 100 acres of cold and cold cabbage planted in the village last year were 15,000 pounds. Based on an average of 8 cents, an acre of income is easy to earn. Once the cabbage is finished, you can grow winter wheat." a few days ago, journalists came to the yong dynasty farmer school in yijun county, where the head of the office was proud to present the benefits of planting cold and cold cabbage。
Founded in february 2022, the young peasant field school of yijun county uses the “theory + practice + tracking guide” three-pronged teaching model to train highly qualified professional farmers for rural renewal. To date, schools have organized training for 2,350 farmers, which has led to a 40 per cent increase in the area under watermelon and vegetable cultivation in the region as a powerful engine for rural renewal。
Specialty growing technology provides farmers with more access
Access to 670 acres of hands-on training base at the farmer's field school in the bung dynasty resulted only in a clear division of the watermelon planting area, the demonstration area for high cold vegetables and the maize wheat growing area。
The participants studied and discussed in the field and among experts, working by doing. “we have a team system of `one expert with five students' that allows you to truly learn technology through `eyes, ears, hands'.” zhang yong said。
Since the beginning of the school year, the school has been conducting more than 100 training sessions, with a skills transition rate of over 90 per cent, which has truly achieved the goal of “one-person learning and family income”。
Peng town student liu baqiang is a typical representative. Through hands-on training courses on watermelon cultivation and vegetables, he has acquired practical techniques such as water fertilizer integration and green pest control. “experts teach us how to trap aphids with cedars, which is much more environmentally friendly and effective than a pesticide.” he had grown cabbage in strict compliance with the criteria of “60 cm range and 30 cm range” and replaced it with 30 per cent by organic fertilizer, which had significantly improved its quality. In 2024, he had grown 50 acres of cabbage totalling 15,000 pounds, an increase of 150,000 yuan a season and an increase of more than 500,000 yuan a year for 50 sheds of watermelon。
The farmers ' field schools focused on the introduction of cold and cold vegetable varieties, filling a gap in the scalding of cold and cold vegetables in the north-west. More than 10 farmers have been growing on a scale and the average acre earnings have stabilized at over $10,000, expanding new revenue channels for farmers and increasing the “money bag”。
Smart farming machine unlocks new paths of wealth
“at one acre, it had to be a half-day long, and it's been done in 20 minutes, using drones, not only to improve efficiency, but to save between $5 and $10 per acre.” peng-town student zhang wenbin spoke about the convenience of smart farm machines and was excited。
In response to farmers' difficulties of “difficult and inefficient” the school has focused its hands-on training on protection drones, the use of modern agricultural machinery, and the overhauling of smart equipment. Fifteen agricultural drones have been equipped to equip the student system with smart agro-machine technology. Through flight-control training, the problem of high-intensity and inefficient traditional drug-pumping has been addressed, and farmers have been freed from heavy physical labour, resulting in a shift in “cost savings and savings from time to time”。
Zhang wenbin, who had been troubled by the problem of “low income from land plantations and difficulties in finding a home”, signed up for training upon return in 2022. At the hands-on training base, he was systematically taught techniques such as the assembly of drones, route planning, drug rationing, etc., and the expert taught him to adjust flight parameters. After hard work, he not only learned about drone maintenance, but also took the operator's certification. Following completion of the operation, zhang wenbin formed an inter-district operations service and acquired four drones to provide air defence services. In 2023, the service team accumulated 3,000 acres, and his personal income also increased significantly, absorbing 10 villagers. "now everyone calls me "captain chang," and it feels like he's doing something。
A one-stop service keeps farmers rich
Zhang yong, the head of the school, has always given priority to “service farmers” as an honorary recipient of the “most beautiful natives” of yijun county in 2022。
Farmer field schools, which not only impart technology, but also provide one-stop social-plant protection, land trust, pest control counselling and so on, have led to the employment of more than 100 people。
“the fields were previously scattered, with no questions asked; now that school services are well served, we will soon be able to solve our problems, and we will all be well and happy.” the participants spoke with joy。
Turning to the future, zhang is eagerly looking forward to: “we are fully engaged in planning the construction of a training centre on the subject of digital agriculture, further deepening our cooperation with the north-west agroforestry university of technology, bringing forward agricultural technologies into the field and building a high standard eco-cycle agricultural demonstration base. Over the next three years, we will aim to achieve the goal of `provincial farmer education poles', which will bring the annual scale of training down 1,000 times.” his words were so loud that he said the beginning of the start of the school: “it is to give farmers the skills, skills and money to learn in `the classroom at the door of the house', so that every crop will be rewarded, and the road to rural renewal will widen”
