From the System to a Grassroots NGO: An Idealist in Yunnan

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How did an organisation focused on insect ecology start caring about farmers’ livelihoods? And how did an organisation focused on livelihoods end up writing a “Song of the Fly“?

How did a man from Shanxi become a “male Women’s Director” in a Yunnan village? Why is a top genetic engineering graduate spending his time in the fields persuading farmers to ditch pesticides and chemical fertilisers?

How have these seemingly unrelated people and events been woven together?

In this episode, we are joined by Zuo Zhi, Executive Director of the Yunnan Sili Ecological Alternative Technology Centre. A post-85s native of Shanxi who moved to rural Yunnan, he chose to leave the stability of the state sector after university to join an NGO called “Sili”. There, he does something quite difficult to explain: teaching farmers to use fewer pesticides, planting heirloom rice varieties, and attempting to build a bridge between the government, the farmers, and technical expertise.

You will hear some counter-intuitive details: flies acting as the ultimate “matchmakers” in mango groves, and the discovery that the first step to promoting ecological agriculture is to drink a glass of liquor with the farmers. From the Transplanting Festival in Dali to yield measurements in the Hani terraces, Zuo Zhi takes us through the tug-of-war between agricultural supply stores, technical extension stations, and grassroots organisations, breaking down what “climate-friendly rice”—which maintains yields while reducing emissions—actually is.

In this episode, we join Zuo Zhi in documenting how an idealist manages to get deep into the fields by “speaking the same language” as the locals. This is more than just a primer on “climate-friendly rice”; it is a true account of how trust is built and rural communities are watched over through small changes within the constraints of reality.

Guest

Zuo Zhi

Executive Director of the Yunnan Sili Ecological Alternative Technology Centre. Currently focusing on the research, promotion, and practical application of climate-friendly paddy field management strategies and technical integration, driving the development of practical networks for climate-friendly agriculture.

 

 

 

Hosts

Tianle

Founding Editor of Foodthink and organiser of the Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market.

 

 

 

 

 

Pei Dan

A writer who has returned to the “right path”, focusing on climate change, the ecological environment, and the individuals affected by these shifts.

 

 

 

 

Timeline

00:38 How a man from Shanxi became a “male Women’s Director” in a Yunnan village

07:13 From the “safety” of the state sector to the frontline: Why move to an NGO?

12:20 In the village, technology is secondary; trust comes first

23:47 Never refuse a drink, never speak too harshly: “Rustic” ways of dealing with farmers

27:09 Restoring an heirloom variety, recovering a festival

30:21 Government, supply stores, NGOs: Who really influences how farmers plant?

38:50 Climate-friendly rice: More than just farming, it’s “working in tandem” with the weather

44:18 It’s not strange for salespeople to run training; it’s strange when they aren’t selling anything

49:15 Drought in Yunnan is more complex than just “a lack of rain”

58:22 Yield measurements, control plots, and the wisdom of grandmothers: Keeping technology “grounded”

68:46 If you too want to get closer to the land

In 2025, Foodthink visited Qielongzhong village with the Sili Centre, coinciding with the local harvest festival. Local Hani women are seen harvesting and threshing rice by hand in traditional flooded paddy fields. Photo: Pei Dan
Heirloom rice grown in Qielongzhong village.
Rice grown at Yilong Lake; the extensive demonstration plots within the Yilong Lake scenic area are beautifully picturesque. Photo: Ruo Miao
Zhao Hao, a staff member from the Sili Centre, explains the climate-friendly working strategies for the Wuhua District in Kunming. Photo: Pei Dan
Beside Sili’s experimental fields at Wagong Mountain in the Wuhua District of Kunming; continuous heavy rain over the previous few days has washed down from the mountain, forming torrents in the riverbed. Photo: Pei Dan
Moist-seeded paddy fields require less water. Photo: Pei Dan
Nine years ago: Zuo Zhi in Qifeng Village, Dali. Image source: Zuo Zhi

The Yunnan Sili Ecological Alternative Technology Centre (hereafter the “Sili Centre”), founded in 2002, focuses on sustainable agricultural development. It carries out work in community pesticide risk management, the research and promotion of ecological and climate-friendly application technologies, and agricultural biodiversity conservation and science popularisation, aiming to promote the synergistic reduction of pollution and carbon emissions in agriculture to foster sustainable social and economic utilisation.

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Unless otherwise stated, all images were provided by this episode’s guest

Podcast music: Binong

Production: Xiaojing

Planning: Tianle, Pei Dan

Editing: Yuyang

Contact email: xiaojing@foodthink.cn

Published by Foodthink