Source: CCTV.com

05-06-2006 15:49

A small county in East China's Zhejiang province has put itself on the map thanks to a thousand-year old method of raising fish in rice fields. The United Nations has listed the method as a Globally Important Ingenious Agricultural Heritage.

Six o'clock in the morning, and Yang Minkang is already up. The first task of the morning is, going to his rice fields to feed the fish.

The 46-year old farmer from Longxian is known in the village as a master when it comes to fish. So far, he has raised over six hundred kilograms of fish from these fields.

Yang said: "I put in the fry in February each year, and fish them out in July. In normal cases, I can earn about 3,000 yuan for each mu of grain and fish. Add on the earnings from selling the processed dry fish, I can make some 60,000 to 70,000 yuan a year."

That's at least 7,000 US dollars a year, pretty good for an average Chinese farmer.

It all began over 1,000 years ago when the people of Qingtian first began to use this unique method of raising fish in rice fields. It started by accident. Local farmers irrigating the land cut channels into the fields. The fish in the stream swam into the fields and some made them their home. The rice provides shelter and food for the fish. And the fish fight pests and fertilize the rice. Through this natural interaction, the farmers created an ecologically-friendly way of growing rice.

Rice and fish living harmoniously together can be seen in almost every paddy field here in Longxian village. Local villagers told us that raising fish in rice fields not only can save farmland and manpower, but also increase grain output. Moreover, as this method requires less fertilizer and pesticide, it can also help to preserve the environment.

This traditional but practical method has won praise from agriculturists and ecologists worldwide. In June 2005, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization listed the Qingtian method in the first four Globally Important Ingenious Agricultural Heritage Systems. It was a cause of celebration for the whole village.

David Boerma, Food & Agriculture Organization said: "We started a couple of years ago a program to protect the most valuable, traditional ingenious agricultural systems in the world. We want to draw attention and international recognition to the fact that agriculture systems provide much more than just money and income, ... but they have a very large scale of benefits that provide us."

One advantage of FAO recognition is that the Qingtian system now has a better chance of survival. Like many other traditional skills and techniques in other parts of the world, economic advances were threatening this system with extinction. But now with support of the government and international experts, the farmers of Qingtian believe their livelihood is secure for the future.

And as for Yang Minkang, he is hoping for an even better harvest this year.

 

Editor:Chen Minji