Can Eating Melons Help Fight Desertification? After Eight Years Farming, an Ecology Master’s Graduate Thinks So

This episode was recorded in the desert of Alxa, Inner Mongolia, by Qihua—who handles climate change and ecological smallholder research at Foodthink—along with two guests. At the end of August 2022, the three of them sat beneath a large tree in an oasis in the Tengger Desert. In the background, you might catch the whistle of wind and sand, birdsong, and now and then the faint buzz of a mosquito or fly drifting past.

The two guests on this episode are, first, Ma Yanwei, a master’s graduate in ecology from Beijing Normal University who founded the Alxa Zhiliangtian Ecological Farm and hopes to improve the desert environment by growing muskmelons; and second, Tiantian, who left Shanghai after living and working there for eight years, joining Foodthink’s ecological agriculture internship programme to intern at Zhiliangtian Farm.

After eight years of entrepreneurship, how is the ecological farm in the desert faring? And how profoundly can a gap year spent on a farm transform a young person’s life?

This/ Episode’s/ Guests

Ma Yanwei

An organic farmer at the edge of the desert who, beyond farming, loves reading and long journeys. He hopes to keep his feet planted in the earth while always gazing up at the stars.

Lei Tiantian

Slow food philosophy; life as a perpetual traveller. An occasional workaholic, a would-be nomad. Weeding the fields and cooking—these are the stress busters that never fail. Chose the pen name “Tianshe Laoweng” (The Old Man of the Farm), dreaming of one day being Su Dongpo’s neighbour.

This/ Episode’s/ Host

Qihua

Step out of the lukewarm water of daily life and take a look; come to the desert, chat with an ecological farmer who plants melons not to reap melons—how wonderful.

The Alxa Zhiliangtian Ecological Farm, founded by Ma Yanwei, a master’s graduate in ecology, covers approximately 1,000 mu in total, with 160 mu under cultivation. The farm grows millet and a variety of fruits and vegetables, with muskmelons as the flagship product. Photo: Xique Popo

Ma Yanwei, who studied ecology, joined the Alxa SEE Ecological Association in 2005. After leaving in 2015, he settled in Alxa and founded the Zhiliangtian Ecological Farm.

Guest Tiantian (left), host Qihua (centre) and Foodthink editor Ze’en made a lavishly generous platter of pumpkin pancakes from home-grown pumpkins at Zhiliangtian Farm. Fancy experiencing this kind of life? Do follow our “Ecological Agriculture Intern” programme.

After unseasonably continuous rainfall in the summer of 2022, the last batch of melons at the Alxa Zhiliangtian Ecological Farm was not harvested. Here, a single final melon about to be returned to the soil.

“Shacong” (sand leek), a wild food beloved by the people of Alxa, sways gently in the desert with its small rose-pink flowers.

Time/Line

01:43 Beneath a large tree on the shore of Chagan Lake in the Tengger Desert in southeastern Alxa, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the team recorded this episode to the sounds of wind and insects. 03:28 Why did Ma Yanwei first decide to work in the Alxa desert, and how did he go about founding the Alxa Zhiliangtian Ecological Farm and planting muskmelons?

07:07 Shacong (sand leek), a wild desert food beloved by the people of Alxa, has lately cropped up in hot-pot lamb rolls too. Yet the unseasonal drought of 2022 delayed its growth by as much as two months.

09:42 Muskmelons are Zhiliangtian Farm’s flagship product—so why did output drop so dramatically in 2022?

17:04 Lei Tiantian, a Lianhe Programme intern with Foodthink, spent seven or eight years working in the Shanghai office before moving to a desert farm. From feeling at first like an ancient soul in exile to lavishly making a platter of pumpkin pancakes from home-grown pumpkins—how has it really been for Tiantian?

22:00 A soul-searching question for Tiantian: after completing her farm internship, will she really choose the life of a “new farmer” in the future?

23:40 A question for Ma Yanwei: over the years, what has he observed about the daily lives of this generation of China’s new farmers? What do they chat about when they get together?

31:14 Let’s revisit the origins of the Alxa Zhiliangtian Ecological Farm: from its founding in 2015 to today, is the farm still running at a loss?

34:16 Partnering with Foodthink to recruit interns: why has farm life suddenly become more appealing?

38:22 In practising ecological agriculture, what improvements and efforts has Zhiliangtian Farm made to the desert’s ecological environment?

42:34 “Eating one muskmelon from the Alxa Zhiliangtian Ecological Farm helps improve one square metre of desertified land.” Is that a stretch? Can fertile fields in the desert truly sustain rich biodiversity?

46:55 Zhiliangtian Farm’s three seven-year plans—how can ecological farmers go the distance? If you would like to join an experienced farm, learn from seasoned growers, reduce your trial-and-error costs, and pick up the craft of farming faster, come and join Foodthink’s Ecological Agriculture Internship programme. Applications close today!

About the Ecological Farm Internship Programme

Foodthink’s second Ecological Agriculture Internship Programme is now recruiting, with applications closing today! In 2022, eighteen young people from diverse backgrounds completed the first programme, heading to twelve ecological farms across the country and finishing internships ranging from three months to a year. We hope ecological farms will distil their precious experience in farm management, production techniques, sales and promotion for young people who want to return to the countryside and pursue ecological agriculture. At the same time, interns from diverse backgrounds can contribute their strengths, inject fresh energy into the farms, and reduce their own learning and trial-and-error costs when they eventually return home to start their own ventures. If you too would like to become a young returnee in ecological agriculture, fill in the application form quickly!

Click here to listen to this episode

Scan the QR code below

on Xiaoyuzhou | Ximalaya | Litchi | Apple Podcasts

to subscribe to the “Food Talk” podcast

Leave a comment in the podcast comments section on any platform—we will reply from time to time.

Scan the QR code below to add Shitongjun’s WeChat sub-account, noting “食日谈” (Food Talk) in the remarks, to join the podcast listeners’ chat group.

Podcast Production Team

Planning: Qihua

Production: Xiaoputao

Podcast cover art: Wan Lin

Music: Banong

Editing: Xiaojing

Contact email: xiaojing@foodthink.cn

Can Eating Melons Help Fight Desertification? After Eight Years Farming, an Ecology Master’s Graduate Thinks So | Food Talk Vol. 16