When Ji Yunliang was working on his doctorate in nanomaterials at the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, he joined a conservation society on campus. In the next two years, he did a lot of research with his teachers on soil development in the countryside.

Appalled by what they found, some of his teachers decided they needed to encourage more organic farms and vegetables that had never been contaminated by agricultural chemicals.

"The taste of organic food is totally different from that sold on the market. So we began to search for organic food," Ji says.

In 2003, one of his teachers bought a few acres of land in the suburbs, and started growing organic vegetables for friends. His friends successfully persuaded Ji to change track mid-career. By then, Ji was already working in the post-doctoral research center at Peking University.

Ji dropped his research and started the farm together with his friends at the beginning of 2004. One year later, huge losses scared them away, leaving him alone in the business. Ji was determined to set up his own organic farm and he changed the business model.

He rented only two acres of land in Changping district in Beijing's suburb, which was the start of the De Run Wu organic farm, and devoted himself to the pilot project. In 2005, he started selling the organic greens grown on his farm at 4 yuan (63 cents) per kilogram and gathered a small group of customers, mainly friends and teachers.

Then came the toughest time. His customer base dipped because of growing costs and rising prices. He got support from a foreigner who was once in the same conservation group with him but it was not enough to keep his farm going. He now had no more than 20 regular customers.

"We went bankrupt several times. The first month we made any profit was in 2008. We made about 1,000 yuan ($157), " says the 41-year-old Ji.

That year, De Run Wu began its growth and Ji expanded it to a little more than 10 acres while he still battled with losses.

"Making money is not my priority. We should have organic food. It's a lifestyle. If I can combine my organic lifestyle with my career, why not?" says Ji with conviction.

Now with more and more orders coming in, Ji has bought another 53 acres of land not far from the original farm. He says the vegetables produced on his farm can supply about 1,000 families when the land is fully utilized. Currently, De Run Wu supports about 200 families as it is the winter season and production is low.

"The production in winter is about a third of that in summer. I need 10 more farmers next spring and we can double or triple production," says Ji.

The farm now has 16 employees and 10 farmers but Ji is cautious about expansion.

"I don't set any goals for the farm's development. Rather than expanding my business blindly, I would like to first guarantee the quality of our organic food."

You may contact the writer at sundayed@chinadaily.com.cn.

For China Daily

(China Daily 12/18/2011 page13)