Feeding Frenzy: the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and Urban Agriculture Movements

Feeding Frenzy: the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and Urban Agriculture Movements in Modern China

Kris Kokame

T H E C S A M O V E M E N T The Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement began in the United States in the 1980s and has since begun to spread across the globe, increasing in popularity as people begin to question the origin and healthiness of their food.1 CSAs are made up of a community of people who support a local farm operation, sharing both the benefits and the risks of the harvests. Many of the CSA farmers use organic agriculture methods to grow their crops, meaning they use natural systems and do not use harmful chemicals, which therefore yields safer and healthier food. The main idea is to build a community and allow the consumers a closer connection to their food source (including the land and the people who grow it), while also offering healthier, fresher produce to the participants. The strengthened bond between farmers and the community fosters a symbiotic positive relationship of societal education, earlier and higher pay to farmers, wholesome fresh produce, safer food sources, and revived bonds between grower and consumers.2,3

T H E R I S E O F C S A S I N C H I N A Not only have CSAs been increasing in popularity in the United States, but in recent years they have also been sprouting up in China. One of the reasons for the increasing interest in CSAs in China is the increasing wealth of the middle class, a booming 500 million people, who can now afford to pay a higher price for higher-quality food. Citizens are willing to pay 5-6x the market price for health and safety.4 Another reason for the increasing interest in CSAs are recent food safety incidents, which are causing a greater public concern about food sources, cleanliness, safety, preparation, content, and overall healthiness. Some of the better-known food safety scares include counterfeit powdered milk/ baby formula, contamination of prepared foods, primary school food poisoning, fake or unsafe meat scandals, rampant hormone supplementation in food cultivation, pollution of food source areas, and pesticide residues on produce. To keep up with China’s burgeoning population and increasing food demand in a rapidly climbing economy, several producers have been cutting corners on food safety to reap the greatest profits.

1 McFadden, Steven. “Community Farms in the 21st Century: Poised for Another Wave of Growth?” Rodale Institute. 1998. http://www.newfarm.org/features/0104/csa-history/part1.shtml 2 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). “Community Supported Agriculture.” USDA National Agriculture Library. 2014 Mar 3. http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml 3 “Community Supported Agriculture.” Local Harvest. 2014. http://www.localharvest.org/csa/ 4 “Future Food: Stay or Go?” Television Trust for the Environment. 2012. tve.org. The current trends in China are currently in favor of rapid growth and modernization over environmental and health concerns. In terms of agriculture, many farms in China are trying to maximize production through chemical and hormone additives. Chinese agriculture emits almost twice as much greenhouse gases as its entire industrial sector, adding heavily to the stress and damage to the environment. 50 million tons of inorganic fertilizers are used in China’s fields (only 17% is taken up by the crops), and 1.5 million tons of toxic pesticides are sprayed onto crops.5 These synthetic supplementations may lead to terrible consequences for consumers such as malnutrition, cancer, poisoning, and even death.

S H I Y A N ’ S I N F L U E N C E One woman took matters into her own hands in 2008, spearheading the entire CSA movement in China. Shi Yan, a graduate of Beijing’s Renmin University, opened Little Donkey Farm just outside of Beijing’s city boundaries. She was inspired to open China’s first CSA because of her experience working for Earthrise Farm (a small CSA) in western Minnesota, and in recognition of the egregious use of fertilizers and pesticides in China’s commercial crop growth. Her mission was to address several current issues in agriculture through Little Donkey Farm: organic and sustainable farming methods, increased trust between farmers and consumers, education, strengthened community, public participation, and simply a relaxing place for people to escape the busy city life and share ideas.6

Her vision was the spark that ignited the spread of CSAs in China and an increase in public interest in the organic food movement. Little Donkey Farm has proved to be a foundational prototype for farming models and similar organizations across the country, and it has been estimated that there are now at least 50 other CSAs in China (Fig 1).7 Shi Yan’s CSA serves as an inspiration, stimulating a movement in China towards increased consumer connections with the origins of their food and therefore improved food health and safety. Her counterculture movement back to farming life (instead of the current trend of moving from villages to cities) and overall devotion to the CSA lifestyle serves as inspiration for dedicated young people in China today.8

Shi Yan recognized that the primary problems in Chinese agriculture are the mistrust between farmers and consumers, the lack of education, and the financial pressure on farmers to synthetically boost productivity. She felt that Little Donkey Farm was not exactly what she had envisioned and decided to move forwards from there, founding a new CSA called Shared Harvest. Little Donkey Farm was a good first step because consumers trusted the farm itself, but they did not trust the hired farmers. What distinguishes Shared Harvest from Little Donkey Farm is that the Shared Harvest farmers actually own the land they cultivate, and therefore have personal investments in its proper care and treatment. Shared Harvest has a mutual trust relationship with the farmer who has agreed to grow crops using organic methods, and the farmer is given the incentive of being able to sell the produce for a good price. In this way, the

5 “Urban Agriculture.” City Farmer. 2014. http://www.cityfarmer.info/ 6 Charles, Daniel. “How Community Supported Agriculture Sprouted in China.” National Public Radio. 2011 Sept 24. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/09/24/140670551/how-community-supported-agriculture-sprouted-in-china 7 Tso, Phoenix. “Promoting Organic: The Little Donkey Farm’s Shi Yan.” Agenda. 2011 Apr 27. http://agendabeijing.com/shiyan/ 8 Shi Yan interviews and articles. consumer and farmer restore trust connectivity and this leads to overall improvement in balance between the supply and demand of organic produce.6 Shared Harvest is trying to start a community, not just a movement, and they are hoping to attract young people to return to farming.9

Overall, Shi Yan has been essential in the foundation and inspiration of the CSA movement in China through her bold visions and aspirations. Through articles, interviews, and her actions, Shi Yan is changing the landscape of agriculture in the small ways that are adding up. Little Donkey Farm acted as a prime operating model that helped to influence the spread of CSAs across the country, and Shared Harvest is moving to expand Shi Yan’s dreams into reality. Shi Yan believes that CSAs are all important first steps, but are not sufficient to the enact revolutionary changes that China’s agricultural situation needs. The consumers need to become more concerned with the effects of poorly-run farming methodologies not only for the safety of the produce, but also for the soil quality, environmental damage, and harm to the ecosystem. Shi Yan especially believes that China must have a shift in the status quo that will raise the class rank and income levels of farmers. China is planning to relocate approximately 250,000,000 rural residents into cities over the next dozen years, and this will have a tremendous detrimental impact on China’s food production quantity and quality.10 If the farming profession is raised to a more elevated position, then less young people will leave the rural country areas in search of greater opportunities in the cities. The current mentality is bleeding the farming business of young workers. The average age of farmers in China is 50 years old, and younger people are demanding higher wages that farmers just cannot afford.11 Shifting emphasis and revenue to the agriculture sector will make it more appealing, and will help alleviate the problem of rural workers moving to cities. Shi Yan recognizes the danger of losing farmers, especially for a growing population, and her ambitious propositions would have powerful impact in shaping China’s future if they could be carried out.12

T H E U R B A N A G R I C U L T U R E M O V E M E N T The CSA movement is not the only new agriculture trend sweeping through China. Urban agriculture is a trend that is also increasing in popularity, a movement that spans a range of scales from the everyday person to the large-scale planning of future cities. Urban agriculture is defined as the cultivation of food in cities and urban communities, but also encompasses education, sustainability practices, food distribution, and management.13 There are three main types of Urban Agriculture: subsistence (for self-consumption), market-oriented (income generation for small scale families), and multi-functional (combined with other functions like parks). It is important to try and integrate all forms of Urban agriculture into the modern Chinese culture to effectively make an impact for the future of China’s food systems. These methods generate economic, food safety, health, and environmental benefits for the cities and citizens.

9 “Future Food: Stay or Go?” Television Trust for the Environment. 2012. tve.org. 10 Johnson, Ian. “China’s Great Uprooting: Moving 250 Million Into Cities.” The New York Times. 2013 Jun 15. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/world/asia/chinas-great-uprooting-moving-250-million-into-cities.html?pagewanted=all 11 “Future Food: Stay or Go?” Television Trust for the Environment. 2012. tve.org. 12 Shi Yan interviews and articles. 13 “What is Urban Agriculture?” Five Borough Farm. 2014. http://www.fiveboroughfarm.org/what-is-urban-agriculture/ On the level of the individual, people become interested in urban agriculture for various reasons. Many look for alternative food sources as a reaction to food safety scandals, but others follow the growing trend because they enjoy it as a hobby, because they are rural migrant workers who miss farming in the cities, or because leisure agriculture is becoming fashionable. Because of the lack of open land area in the crowded cities, balcony, rooftop, and “hanging” gardens are growing in popularity. Beijing alone has 90 million square meters of empty rooftop space that can be put to productive use for growing produce. People are finding creative new ways to grow fresh fruits and vegetables in their own homes with limited space, especially to benefit their children and family members. One man in the Zhejiang province even grows rice on the roof of his apartment complex. The market for online urban farming materials has risen steeply, and therefore this new trend can be seen as a huge business opportunity. Taobao, an online ordering market (like eBay), reported its seed sales skyrocketing 280% in one year when the urban agriculture movement began gaining momentum. The price of organic fruits and vegetables in markets is expensive, but consumers can address this problem by investing in their own cost- effective growing materials and raising their own produce. There have even been community groups, urban farming unions, and online forums established for people to exchange information and ideas for their methods. In 2010, the Beijing bureau government promoted the idea of urban agriculture by offering all Beijing residents free seeds and fertilizer from their residence committees. People are investing their time and money into this new hobby because it is one that has measurable impact on their personal lives and safety, and even larger benefits for the overall environment and economy. The urban agriculture movement fosters education and empowerment of the individual, and allows people to take the growth of their food into their own hands.14

With the increase in urbanization and technological advancement comes increased integration of sustainability in future city plans. The government is making small steps to integrate urban agriculture into the city environments, and some cities have established “greening” projects to tackle the current problems of environmental damage. Blueprints for new buildings in China’s cities are now beginning to include modifications for urban agriculture such as greenhouse space, drip irrigation systems, natural ventilation and heating systems, and rooftop planting sites. Some city areas, such as Shenzhenwan Avenue in Shenzhen, incorporate plots of crop fields amidst urban landscapes such as shopping districts. In Beijing, the Xiaotangshan (a modern agricultural science demonstration park and the largest modern agriculture park in China) boasts the newest agricultural technologies and methodologies. The fad of urban agriculture helps to stimulate agricultural tourism to sites such as these or countryside farms, which helps to increase public education and interest.14

One of the most important areas to focus on as a model for urban agriculture in China is Shenzhen. The farms in Shenzhen are located approximately 10 kilometers from the city center in a two-tier system, the inner tier being perishable items and the outer hardier vegetables (potatoes, carrots, onions, radishes). The city is filled with agriculture-oriented science and technology development and demonstration plots, and many residents participate in balcony or rooftop gardening. For example, there is a small farm within the urban square, in the middle of a busy shopping area, where people can participate in the harvest. The arrangement of the city

14 “Urban Agriculture.” City Farmer. 2014. http://www.cityfarmer.info/ decreases the amount of time it takes to transport the produce, which decreases emissions from vehicles and increases food freshness. Shenzhen’s success makes it a wonderful example of the union of city and country, an inspiring leader that other cities should model off of and follow.14

There are several difficulties in urban agriculture simply because it marries two concepts that usually do not go together: agriculture and city environments. The largest problems that urban agriculture endeavors face are limited land (and high competition for the available plots), a low degree of organization, soil contamination, environmental pollution, politics, overpriced markets, water scarcity, climate change, loss of soil fertility, switch to higher-value crops, or concentrated housing. However, the benefits of this movement far outweigh the struggles. Urban agriculture improves food security, nutrition, and quality to participants because they can control the content and growing methods of their produce when caring for the crops themselves. Urban farming would also improve the city as a whole through greening, improving air quality, productive use of urban wastes/ resources, improving urban microclimate, preventing further urban sprawl, excess water storage, and other ecological benefits. The closer proximity of food to the market decreases price and the energy used to transport it, and thus also increase the health of the environment and freshness of the food. Urban agriculture would also help with poverty alleviation, social inclusion, employment generation, and enterprise development. The movement also leads to increased environmental education and community building, and overall reducing the ecological footprint.15

S M A L L S T E P S O F P R O G R E S S Overall, CSAs and urban agriculture in China are small (but growing) movements, and they are small steps in the right direction towards improved food justice in China. CSAs aim to bolster mutual trust and cooperation between farmers and consumers, while also encouraging closer connections between people and their food. They also build a close community structure, and hope to increase the pay and status of farmers to prevent the loss of rural workers to city migration. Urban agriculture addresses the current problems of China’s growing cities, hoping to integrate agriculture into the urban landscape. The movement ranges from the level of the individual, with rooftop or balcony gardening, to the level of government municipal building planning with urban agriculture incorporation. Urban agriculture has several measurable benefits that also range from the consumer growing their own food to the overall improvement of China’s suffering environment. Both movements have a strong emphasis on education, which is important for enacting the greatest change. As China’s population increases, the subsequent “feeding frenzy” often leads to cut corners in terms of food growth, preparation, and overall safety. The CSA and urban agriculture movements aim to combat this trend, offering food justice to a growing number of China’s citizens with every small step of progress.

CSA Name Location Notes

15 “Urban Agriculture.” City Farmer. 2014. http://www.cityfarmer.info/ West of Houshajian Village, - First CSA founded by Shi Yan Little Donkey Farm Sujiatuo Zhen, Haidian District, Beijing, 100194

Mafang Village, Xiji, Tongzhou - Second CSA founded by Shi Yan Shared Harvest District,Beijing -Email:[email protected] - Website: http//tianye.co/en/shared-harvest/

Taiwan -Hengchung Penninsula, Pingtung County in South Rainbow Farm Taiwan,Checheng Townshi, near the upper reaches of Sizhong creek, close to the Mudan neighborhood of Heze city

SunDynasty Building 1-3-1302, - email: [email protected] Sunshine Earth Inc. Wu-Hou District, Chengdu City, China - member of IFOAM has organic eco-village and high-tech farming FarmAddress: #1 Sunshine Blvd, Xing-Yi (ex. aquaponics) Town, Xing-Jing County, Chengdu City, China

Dongkezhuang Village North, - Run by Lejen Chen and Shan En Green Cow Organic Farm Houshayuzhen, Shunyi, Beijing ［北京，蕫各庒后沙峪］

Jiang Village, Liangxiang (Good Village) -web: http://www.youjinong Beijing God’s Grace town, Fangshan District, Beijing 102446 zhuang.com/english.htm Plantation - tel: 14,701,277,398 - email: [email protected] - run by: Zhang Zhimin (Rose Zhang) - first farm with self-sustaining ecosystem in China, and the first organic farm certified both in cultivating and animal feeding in China - certified organic farm - member of IFOAM

Chongming Island (1.5 hours outside of - website: www.1mutian.com Yu Mu Tian Organic Farm Shanghai city center) - phone: (86) 21-61971000 - IFOAM accredited Office: Shanghai set mentality No. 168, - all crops grown in greenhouses Building 3, 6th floor - offers home delivery of produce

No. 7007 Chuan Nan Feng Road, - website: http://www.tonysfarm.com Tony’s Farm Datuan Town Pu Dong New Area - phone: +86 21 3127 2121 Shanghai, 201311 - founder/ owner: Tony Zhang - offers home delivery of produce - collaborated with 2010 World Expo in Shanghai - largest organic farm in Shanghai (1.1 million square meters)

Green Formosa Front Hsinchu, Taiwan - Farm-to-School Project

Ningbo City, Yinzhou District, - phone: 0584-87502342 Ningbo Tiansheng Farm Gulinzhenqianyu Village - fax: 0574-87502341 - website: http://www.nbtsnm.com/ - multifunctional agricultural and animal husbandry enterprise - ecological stereoscopic farming, network direct sales, family delivering, farm work experience, farms for children, ecological fishing

Beijing, Miyun District, Henansai Town, - email: [email protected] Bejing Weekend Farm Chenge Vilage, South - phone: 13811771549 - website: http://www.bjzmnc.com/

- Shenzhen, in the hills of the Mirs - owner: He Zheng iVita Ecological Park - email: roscoe@organicvegetables shenzhen.com - website: http://organicvegetables shenzhen.com

Shenzhen - Good Food Network OkLiang - Manager: Tang Zhong - website: http://www.okliang.com - contact for farm tours: Mr. Honey - email: [email protected] - tel: 18603023851 - contact for vendor: Mr.Yu - email: [email protected] - tel: 0755-86644751-8002

Shenzhen, Beihuan Road, Nanshan - web: http://www.sunville.cn Sunville District, Nanshan OR Huidong County, - blog: http://blog.sina.com.cn/ Huizhou City, Lianhua Mountain Nature sunnyvillager Reserve - owner: Zhang Heping - acquired a national certificate for organic farming n 2007

10 mu (0.67 hectare) of land in East - found on: http://www.china.org.cn/ Mayland Farm Yinjiafu Village of Shunyi, 50 km environment/2012-04/17/content_ northeast of downtown Beijing 25168099.htm

4 hours from Shanghai - directed by Cheng Cunwang Big Buffalo Farm - skips supermarket, straight to peoples’ homes - hopes to make modern farming “hip” Figure 1. A list of some active CSAs in China.