Learning Rice Farming in the Village: 2.6 Mu of Eco-Rice and Nearly 5,000 in Losses

What happens when an “expert” who has spent 20 years studying agricultural policy decides to roll up his trousers and get into the fields to grow 2.6 mu of rice?

Chen Jingjing, a graduate of a prestigious agricultural university and a long-term researcher in rural construction, made a “counter-intuitive” decision this year: to embed himself in Qingshan Village, Hangzhou, and take on the challenge of a full season of authentic ecological rice farming.

This was by no means a superficial conceptual experiment, but a direct confrontation between ideal and reality.

It is not that Chen Jingjing was entirely unfamiliar with rice cultivation. He has spent almost his entire life dealing with the countryside, having been born in a small mountain village in central Zhejiang, where his family raised silkworms, grew rice, and processed honey dates. However, actually getting into the soil to grow rice himself was a first in his life.

From site selection and seedling cultivation to processing and logistics, every single step provided this “seasoned expert” with a brutal wake-up call from reality. To stick to his resolve of not using herbicides, he paid staggering labour costs; in pursuit of better taste, he opted for sun-drying, only to be tormented by the tedious task of organising labour. Meanwhile, the costs for seeds, organic fertilisers, chemical fertilisers, combine harvester fees, hired help, transport, drying, and packaging piled up, bill by bill.

At the end of October last year, the rice was finally harvested, and Chen Jingjing finally ate the rice he had grown. But when he crunched the numbers, the production cost per jin of rice was as high as 30 yuan, resulting in a loss of nearly 5,000 yuan for the season.

What exactly happened? This episode of the podcast stems from an offline sharing session, where Chen Jingjing candidly breaks down this heavy and honest “farming ledger”. It is far more than just a figure of loss; it is like an incredibly honest lesson in contemporary Chinese agriculture:

The Tug-of-War Between Ideal and Reality: Why is “no chemical fertilisers or pesticides” nearly impossible to achieve in a real agricultural system?
Structural Power: How do the logic of land rent, grain subsidies, and the division of labour in modern agriculture gradually “school” the idealist?
Reconstructing Relationships: What structural changes are occurring in the relationship between modern farmers and the land?
Questioning Value: In a society where “solitude and acceleration” coexist, what is the true significance of a person growing their own grain?

This episode contains no platitudes—only raw details, confusion, and reflection. If you have ever been tempted by the idea of “returning to the countryside” or “committing to organic farming”, this deep debrief on land and food may prompt you to rethink that impulse.

Qingshan Village, located about a half-hour drive from downtown Hangzhou, is a backyard for city dwellers and the testing ground where Chen Jingjing began to put his agricultural ideals into practice.

Life as a modern tenant farmer: Where does the land come from?

Once the actual farming began, experience had to be sought from the village farmers in every aspect.

Most of those still farming in the village are elderly, in their 50s and 60s.

Friends came to help harvest the rice in the fields, but after half an hour, they were exhausted—reaching the absolute limit of their longing for a bucolic ideal…

Seeds, soil, fertiliser, finished product: the inputs and outputs of a rice-growing life.

For the first time, Chen Jingjing experienced firsthand the countless production processes involved in turning paddy into rice.

Chen Jingjing tallied the costs of his 2025 rice crop; even without accounting for his own labour, it remained a loss-making venture.

A note from Uncle Shen Jinhuo regarding the work he did for Chen Jingjing.

Having a meal at Uncle Shen Jinhuo’s home. Uncle Shen is 74 this year and was formerly the leader of the Lisan village group. With his wealth of agricultural experience, he served as the technical advisor for the 2.6 mu of rice. After his earnest persuasion, Chen Jingjing decided to use compound fertiliser.

Guest of the Episode

Chen Jingjing

A graduate of China Agricultural University and a practitioner with 20 years of experience in rural construction. He has worked long-term in various villages across different regions, dedicating himself to the research of agricultural and rural reform and the practice of rural revitalisation.

Host of the Episode

Xiao Dan

Former agricultural journalist; in 2026, she has 20 square metres of land to plant.

Timeline

00:46 From graduating from a professional agricultural programme at China Agricultural University, to entering rural development, and finally settling in Qingshan Village—what led Chen Jingjing to start growing rice in the village?

04:28 Can an ‘art village’—a hub for designers, environmental organisations, and new villagers—still be serious about growing grain?

11:15 Why did someone who has spent 20 years in rural development decide, for their first attempt at growing rice, to ‘ignore the conventional way’?

11:41 Out of all the possible crops to try, why did he choose rice—the hardest, most exhausting, and least profitable option?

15:47 Chinese agriculture is shifting from the ‘smallholder fantasy‘ towards a reality driven by large-scale farms, mechanisation, and subsidies.

19:22 The contemporary new tenant: Why does the best land never go to those who ‘want to farm seriously’, and where exactly is the land transfer process getting stuck?

22:52 From raising seedlings and transplanting to harvesting, a 2.6-mu paddy field is supported by an entire network of division of labour.

30:54 When organic fertiliser finally reaches the field, is this the first time idealism is given a reality check?

32:00 No chemical fertilisers, no pesticides—is this a matter of sticking to principles, or avoiding the responsibility for yield?

32:32 Hand-harvesting, rice sacks on shoulders: the limits of the body are reached far quicker than the limits of a philosophy.

32:41 A year of hard work produced ‘fine rice’, but why are there nine people coming for the straw and only two who want to buy the rice?

35:04 From drying the grain to milling the rice, every step of the process quietly eats away at the profit margin.

36:34 Once the true cost of a jin of rice is calculated, do ‘ecology’, ‘idealism’, and ‘perseverance’ still hold up?

45:37 Is this ultimately a failed agricultural experiment, or a necessary immersive experience?

46:22 Once you have actually grown a season’s worth of rice, your relationship with the land, the villagers, and the countryside changes completely.

53:07 With so much effort and such a heavy loss, will they plant again next year?

Guest of the Episode

Host of the Episode

Published by Foodthink