Liuzhou, March 3 -- Guangxi's "post-26" master's "homecoming home" of Guangxi's "field housekeeper" of Ledang farmers
Written by Wei Guozheng
It is the spring plowing season, and farmers are busy planting spring onions at the chive planting base in Sandu Town, Liujiang District, Liuzhou City, Guangxi. Liang Caimei, the owner of the "post-85" agricultural material store, rides an electric bicycle every day and walks through the country lanes to "see a doctor" and dispense medicine for farmers' spring onions.
"The yellow leaves of chives are only the appearance, only by observing the leaves, roots and soil can we know the specific cause of chives, so as to use medicine scientifically." Liang Caimei said that before dispensing medicine to farmers, she would bring a small shovel, follow the farmers to the field, shovel out a few chives, observe their symptoms, and prescribe the right medicine.
Chives cultivation is the pillar industry for farmers in Sandu Town to increase their income, and in recent years, with the rapid development of the chive industry, the planting area has doubled, followed by continuous chive diseases and pests.
"I just want to do technical services, go to the fields, and use the expertise I have learned to help growers solve problems." Liang Caimei said. In 2011, after graduating from Huazhong Agricultural University with a master's degree in crop cultivation and tillage, Liang Caimei worked in agricultural science and technology-related enterprises in Hangzhou, Shenzhen and other places. In 2018, she quit her job and returned to her hometown and founded an agricultural input store selling pesticides and fertilizers.
The picture shows Liang Caimei holding up chives to check the symptoms. Wei Guozheng Regency
However, despite her professional knowledge, Liang Caimei was not trusted by growers at the beginning of her business. In November 2019, when autumn onions were at their most luxuriant, the leaves of the 11 mu of chives planted by farmer Wei Yan had withered yellow, and spraying a variety of pesticides had not worked.
"I have been planting chives for so many years, the first time I have planted them like this, if I can save it, I am willing to give you half of the income from the whole land." Wei Yan said when she found Liang Caimei to dispense medicine. Liang Caimei followed the farmers to the chive field, took more samples, dug up roots to observe the roots, soil and leaves of chives, and found that the leaves were dry and drooping, and disease spots appeared, which she determined could be downy mildew and blight.
The next day, she went to the farmer's field and dispensed and sprayed the medicine on the spot. After a week of follow-up observation, it was found that the new leaves of the chives slowly grew and there were no more disease spots. After the second injection consolidation, the situation improved. Liang Caimei did not charge a penny.
"Boss lady, next year my land will be taken care of for you, how to apply fertilizer and medicine, you have the final say." Wei Yan said. As the new leaves of the chives gradually cover the old yellow leaves, the whole chives field comes back to life. The surrounding farmers witnessed the changes in this green onion blossom field and found Liang Caimei to "see a doctor" for their chives.
Every time she "sees a doctor" for chives, Liang Caimei will record the "medical records" of each grower's chives in her notebook and computer, as well as the medication situation. "At different stages of crop growth, the control of drug quantity is also different, so keeping records can make it more scientific." Liang Caimei said that her agricultural input store does not have a complete range of medicines, but she will also make plans for farmers to go to other agricultural input stores to buy medicines.
Sandu Town has been growing vegetables for more than 30 years, and in recent years, the local chive industry has been developed, establishing one of the largest continuous chives planting bases in China. Liang Caimei found that many farmers still hold the thinking of "treatment-oriented" rather than "prevention-oriented" in the cultivation and management of chives, and the use of granular fertilizer instead of water and fertilizer that is more conducive to chives absorption.
To this end, Liang Caimei often organizes farmers to carry out on-site observation meetings and planting management training to guide farmers to adjust their planting management habits and prevent diseases and pests in advance. According to the fertility of different plots, practical fertilizer guidance is given. "I am also happy to calculate the 'economic account' for farmers and achieve the purpose of reducing costs and increasing efficiency." Liang Caimei said.
"Flying" out of the mountains and taking root in the city has always been the dream of many rural children. As a native of the countryside, Liang Caimei has a good salary job in a big city, why should she return to the countryside to develop? Once, the villagers were puzzled.
"In the past, the geese flew south, and now the phoenix returns to the nest." Liang Caimei replied that she was born and grew up in Sri Lanka, she always had "local feelings" in her heart, and returned to her hometown with professional knowledge and advanced agricultural production and management technology in big cities, and through science and technology and digital means, she could better drive the development of her hometown industry.
Liang Caimei said that at present, although the Sandu chive industry has initially formed a production, supply and marketing service system, local growers are still mainly retail households, and the management level is uneven, and it is necessary to explore a standardized management production model. In the future, Liang Caimei plans to establish and improve the comprehensive agricultural service system for crops, and help farmers increase production and income through agricultural technical services and supporting agricultural material services. (End)