Trust, friends make it easy to be green

Increasing concern over food safety, nostalgic appetite for the flavors from a simpler past and growing wealth have fueled a demand in China for alternative food networks such as community supported agriculture.

While modern logistics may have widened the definition of "community" in a geographical sense, small farms are still struggling to meet varied demands, says Wang Shenfu.

One farm can offer a limited range of produce, and it is necessary, Wang says, to build an integrated network to facilitate the exchange of produce among different farms. The weekly Beijing Country Fair is performing such a function, but Wang says there is a lot more that needs to be done.

What farmers need is a more continuous and "virtual" platform that goes beyond weekly markets.

"Like a Taobao shop maybe, or we can work with a logistics company. We've discussed the possibilities, but it's difficult. One common problem with small farms now is that they try to be all-encompassing," he says.

"But if you have a yard, you have to test the earth to find what's most appropriate to plant. For example, I am planning to plant tomatoes. Soil cultivation, fertilizer preparation, and facility construction should all be done to serve that one purpose."

One other hurdle that sometimes blocks the organic production cycle is certification, the absence of which often opens farmers up to attacks by critics skeptical of their motives. Even though farmers are confident they have strictly adhered to organic principles, small farms simply cannot afford the certification process.

Taking his 13,000 square meters of rose plantation for example, Wang says certification will cost about 20,000 yuan, which is 20 percent of his total sales.

"Organic farming isn't totally a production behavior. It has social meaning. For example, environmental protection, from which farmers don't directly get economic returns. Since organic farming creates public welfare, governmental certification should be nonprofit," he says.

It is more than just a financial burden. It also frustrates farmers like Wang when they hear of some certification bodies who are willing to compromise standards for money or of dishonest producers who fake measures that investigators cannot easily detect.

What truly matters is the power of word of mouth. Consumers enjoy the food, listen to the farmers explain the farming process and hopefully become friends who trust each other. And then they bring in friends.

(China Daily 12/06/2013 page22)