Xinhua News Agency, Yinchuan, May 4th Title: "Growing" an acre of land yields two cents - frontline insights from "two types of crops in one place" in Xihaigu, Ningxia
Xinhua News Agency reporters He Chenyang and Jin He
In the farmland, rows of mulch film reflect dazzling light. In the early morning, villagers came to the fields in twos and threes and started sowing. This is 1,000 acres of farmland collectively transferred and managed by Zhongzhuang Village, Baiyang Town, Pengyang County, Guyuan City, Ningxia.
However, this year is different. In these 1,000 acres of farmland, corn and soybean strip compound planting will be carried out. This kind of planting method is the first time even the "old-fashioned" farming method in the village has been seen.
Villagers in Zhongzhuang Village are planting strips of corn and soybeans. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jin He)
"These four rows are sown with corn, and the next three rows are sown with soybeans. Don't get confused." He Changyan, deputy secretary of the Party branch of Zhongzhuang Village, organized the sowing while using a shovel to scoop up the soil from time to time and press it on the mulch film blown up by the wind. According to He Changyan, planting corn and soybeans in the same field is a new planting method promoted locally this year. Using this method of farming can not only stabilize corn production, but also harvest an extra crop of soybeans.
One acre of land can produce two returns? Chang Fude, director of the Pengyang County Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center, told reporters that the local corn plant spacing is generally about 30 centimeters, but according to the new planting method, the plant spacing is shortened to about 20 centimeters. This ensures that the number of corn plants remains unchanged and frees up land for soybean planting. Since corn and soybeans have different plant heights, strip intercropping can provide ventilation and light transmission to the crops and achieve a good harvest.
Villagers in Zhongzhuang Village are planting strips of corn and soybeans. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jin He)
This year’s Central Document No. 1 proposed vigorously implementing soybean and oilseed production capacity improvement projects, and promoting corn-soybean strip compound planting in the Huanghuaihai, northwest, and southwest regions is one of the important measures.
In order to encourage farmers to plant in this way, Pengyang County provides farmers with free soybean seeds and agricultural mulching film subsidies. It also supports farmers to purchase agricultural disaster insurance and soybean price insurance, and has explored various compound planting models such as "2 rows of corn + 3 rows of soybeans" and "4 rows of corn + 3 rows of soybeans" according to local conditions.
In order to ensure that the planting methods are not distorted, cadres at the three levels of Pengyang county, township and village shuttled to the fields during the sowing period to provide technical guidance, planting area statistics and other work. Some county and township cadres live in the village. Many people call this planting method "jade bean cultivation" and call the cadres who guide the planting "jade bean nannies."
A series of measures have effectively mobilized farmers' enthusiasm. It is understood that Pengyang County is expected to promote corn-soybean strip compound planting area to nearly 230,000 acres this year, and the sowing work is now nearing completion.
Farmer Zhang Wangang and his wife transferred 100 acres of land in the village. This year, they carried out compound planting of corn and soybeans on 50 acres of the land. Zhang Wangang said he hopes the weather will be smooth this year. If the harvest is good, he will plant 100 acres of land like this next year.
