Organic farming transforms poor village's fortunes

Tucked away in the rugged landscape of the Taihang Mountains in northeastern Shanxi province, the hamlet of Chehe in Lingqiu county has blossomed into a thriving village by embracing the principles of organic agriculture.

For decades, Chehe village was a place of hardship. Its land was barren, its infrastructure outdated, and its people reliant on the whims of nature for their livelihood. Led by village head Wang Chun, they had long struggled to eke out an existence from the unforgiving landscape. In the 1990s, Wang started leading villagers to plant trees on the barren slopes around the village.

However, the real change came in 2013.

That year, under the guidance of the China Agricultural University and in collaboration with 16 other organizations, Chehe was chosen as the first pilot site for an ambitious organic agriculture initiative. The project, outlined in the "Lingqiu County Organic Agriculture Park Implementation Plan (2013-2030)", aimed to transform the local economy and environment through sustainable practices.

"I was confident that organic agriculture was the right path," Wang recalled. "And it has changed everything."