How has this rural market survived 11 years in the foodie heartland of Guangxi?
Foodthink Says
Who are the people supporting this small community? At the end of April this year, two Foodthink colleagues, Qi Boshu and Zhou Xuan, took part in the Nanning Urban Farmers’ Market annual meeting, a two-and-a-half-day event. There, they got to know a unique group of ‘farming friends’ and volunteers—people with a deep love for life and a profound respect for nature. This article is a record of their journey.
From 27 to 29 December, the Nanning Urban Farmers’ Market will host its major year-end event, the ‘Things of Life Festival’. Local partners in Guangxi are warmly invited to join.
‘Please bring your own bowls and cutlery; if possible, bring your own tent. Below is the sign-up list for ingredients…’
Returning to April this year, this was the announcement that appeared in the Nanning Urban Farmers’ Market group chat. It was a preview of a special annual meeting—organised like a gathering of friends, where everyone provides their own essentials.
However, as two ‘uninvited guests’ arriving from Beijing, we couldn’t exactly carry tents and fresh produce on our backs. We had to rely on the generosity of the market’s volunteers to help us sort out our food, clothing, and accommodation. Fortunately, we blended in quickly. A volunteer named Vivi drove to pick us up; as we carefully squeezed ourselves into the car, we found it was already brimming with supplies and warmth.
As we headed east out of the city, the urban sprawl gave way to slender, straight rows of fast-growing eucalyptus. An hour later, as the landscape shifted to wide stretches of maize, chillies, rice, and jasmine fields, we reached the venue for the annual meeting: the Zhongtuan Village Ecological Farm in Xiaoyi Town, Hengzhou City. Over the next two and a half days, we had the privilege of meeting a group of companions sharing a common cause and set of values, witnessing both their uncertainties and their determination in the face of external challenges.
I. A Self-Sufficient Annual Meeting
Whether they are farmers, volunteers, or consumers, anyone who regularly attends the market is affectionately known as a ‘market friend’ (*xuyu*). We soon discovered that this communal way of eating is a regular occurrence during market days: each person contributes a few ingredients to the pot, and the ‘market friends’ share the meal together at the stalls.
While the ‘market friends’ gather often, this special anniversary meeting marking a decade of existence felt different. The farm provided the perfect setting for a sense of ritual: gathering beneath a banyan tree to quietly absorb nature’s energy and rediscover a sense of love and empathy for all living things; the pre-meal ritual, where everyone held their bowls and chopsticks and recited words of gratitude for nature and the beauty of the present moment—it may have seemed simple, even naive, but the chance for adults to openly express love and gratitude is a rare gift; ice-breaking activities, such as constructing ‘banana circles’, because a permaculture course is incomplete without practical application; and late-night conversations, punctuated by the occasional appearance of children and fireflies, the sound of insects and barking dogs, and a gentle evening breeze—fulfilling every romanticised dream of rural life.
“Unforced”, “non-judgmental”, “flowing with the moment”… nothing at the annual meeting is a spectator sport. Everything is created by the members themselves through mutual understanding. They connect not only through the shared tasks of the market but through a shared way of life.
II. Small but Poignant Sparks
Like ecological farmers across the country, the members of the market come from diverse backgrounds: traditional farmers who have tilled the land for generations, university graduates who returned home to start businesses, and “new farmers” returning from overseas; there are also artists and professionals from all walks of life. While their paths to ecological agriculture differ, they share a core conviction: “to respect nature and do good”. Their life choices are tinged with idealism, yet they run their farms with a grounded, steady, and diligent approach.
III. Dealing with a Shortage of People and Funds
Meng Fang, the 2023 convener, provided a comprehensive overview, covering everything from stallholder participation and new product development to consumer expansion. Although the market still relies primarily on volunteers—meaning there are no massive payroll expenses—costs remain for opening the market, farmer site visits, volunteer exchanges, and materials. Deducting annual fees and the market’s retained income, a funding gap is foreseeable in the absence of external sponsorship.
To achieve a balanced budget, the market has had to be meticulous and seek new ways forward. Consequently, every expense for running the market and its activities must be handled with extreme caution.
How to increase income to cover these costs? Suggestions flew: increasing annual fees for stallholders, developing market products, generating revenue from market activities… While there were many ideas, the members felt a sense of helplessness: “We’re still short of people and money”.
In fact, the market has had its own explorations over the past few years. To make each market day more engaging, since 2022, the bi-monthly markets have hosted various activities, such as a zero-waste group, an “old friends’ lounge”, and a children’s education group. The richness of the content and format has astonished even the regular participants.
At every market, farmers and volunteers travel enthusiastically from all over. After the arduous journey to the site, they immediately set to work hauling materials and setting up the venue. They are exhausted, yet tirelessly joyful.
The harder it gets, the more important it is to kindle hope. At the end of the meeting, after discussing this year’s KPIs, the members encouraged one another: “A group of remarkable people like us will surely achieve remarkable things”.
IV. Ten Years of Mutual Support
Chatting with farmers after a meal, I learned that over the years, stallholders have come and gone, and friends have gathered and drifted apart. To an observer, it is clear that maintaining the market is no easy feat. The partners persevere because they want to preserve this window that links the countryside to the city and showcases sustainable living. It is a platform that connects small actions—like reducing plastic and composting—to “distant” issues like climate change and biodiversity, while also preserving this warm, home-like community.
Through ten years of trial and error, the market has undergone various transformations: from being supported by a social organisation, to attempting a corporate operational model, and finally, after hitting a wall, evolving into the current collaborative form between farmers and volunteers. In this model, trade, communication, and co-creation happen simultaneously, and a deep bond of gratitude and kinship has quietly grown among the members.
As the annual meeting wound down, I returned to the city in the car of Vivi, a volunteer. It turns out many volunteers have full-time jobs, but they spend their spare time helping run the market and organising the annual meeting; they were all absolutely bursting with energy.
Ten years ago, farmers’ markets sprang up in cities across the country, but as the tide went out, not all of them survived. We ask ourselves: what exactly has sustained the Nanning Urban Farmers’ Market until now? As I left, the answer still felt elusive. Perhaps it is “passion”, but that word often feels cliché and ephemeral. Perhaps, when the sky is clear, your feet are on the earth, and you are surrounded by kindred spirits, a constant stream of courage naturally springs forth. The members support each other, using their small sparks to light the way forward for one another.
Photos provided by: qiqi, Zhou Xuan, core volunteers of Nanning Urban Farmers’ Market
Editor: Wang Hao