An ENFJ Novice’s Farming Journal
Across this flat, open, and fertile stretch of loess earth, I kept company with the vast sky, the deep soil, free-roaming little creatures, restorative flora, and people driven by a passion for ecological farming. I let myself run wild, following my heart, and truly felt my own life force unfurling in full bloom.
When it comes to farming methods and agricultural techniques, I haven’t mastered or retained a great deal. So what was my greatest takeaway? What stays with me the most? The experiences, observations, reflections, and insights I’ll be sharing below may well be more worthwhile than any specific technical knowledge.
I. Unlocking New Skills, Boosting Vitality
April saw Da Hei showing us the unnatural, unhealthy states that crops fall into under conventional farming. He taught us to treat plants with a reverence for life, ensuring they receive the nourishment they need in their natural state.
May brought a succession of blooming roses. We harvested the buds in waves, just as they were about to open, to make rose jam and hydrosol. Aside from worrying about offending our competitors – the bees – it was simply a joy to work.
June brings the busy wheat-harvest season, a time for reaping, drying, winnowing, and storing the grain. It’s also an excellent opportunity for a workout. Though the physical labour is taxing, having friends to share the burden makes it easier; indeed, more hands make light work.
Later that month, Lüwo Farm expanded its holdings, and we needed to lay irrigation pipes across the new fields. To finish before the rain arrived, we worked until late into the night. Meanwhile, to make the most of the impending downpour, tractor drivers Dahei and Xiaohei were busily sowing green manure over the fresh ground. Collaborating with the group to race against time was truly invigorating, and a profound sense of satisfaction washed over us once the work was done.
In July, the whole team came together to build a 300-cubic-metre reservoir. An excavator did the initial digging, after which we manually levelled the base and sides before laying down a waterproof liner. Viewed from a distance, you might have sworn we were conducting an archaeological dig.
In August, Dahei learned I was keen on handmade soap and invited his friends over to show us how to make it using eco-friendly methods. We were struck by the soap’s rich, dense lather and the moisturising feel it left behind, courtesy of its natural glycerine. It just goes to show that simple ingredients can produce truly impressive results.
Over time, quite unnoticeably, my weeding technique improved. Once, as the sun was setting, we were assigned another weeding shift. Teacher Dahei drove his tractor down my row to “clear” the green manure. To avoid the cloud of dust his passing would kick up, I switched to a sort of night-mode double-speed weeding, working under the tractor’s headlights until I finally pulled it off.
Glancing back at my fellow interns, now far behind me, I felt a surge of pride, but quickly turned around to help them finish this thrilling task in the dark.
Indeed, when you find your drive, your boldness naturally follows.
II. Sensing the Soil, Perceiving All Things
How is this put into practice? Teacher Dahei demonstrated the proper way to till the land for us, explaining that the aim of tilling is simply to loosen the soil. There is no need to turn the subsoil up to the surface; instead, we should minimise soil disturbance, preserve the natural layering of the earth as much as possible, and allow more air to penetrate. A slower tilling speed achieves this perfectly. This gentle approach to tilling is vividly described as “letting the soil crack open for a while.”
Instructor Dahei also uses a steel pitchfork to turn over a small patch of ground. At a depth of 15–20 cm, he scoops up a handful of soil by hand and guides us in observing the condition of its aggregate structure.
When plants are able to draw nutrients from humus, they avoid the water-salt imbalance and oedema common in conventional farming. Instead, they grow upright and remain far less susceptible to pests and diseases. Water that percolates through this soil runs off clean, eliminating the risk of fertilizer leaching and environmental pollution.
The Australian Vitality Farming approach also holds that a plant’s root system comprises dark brown main roots, which work around the clock to draw up water, and fine white roots, which absorb nutrients when sensing the sun’s warmth.
When water-soluble fertilisers are applied, plants are forced to take up nutrients alongside water. This leads to an accumulation of water and salts, weakening photosynthesis and transpiration. The foliage takes on a waterlogged, heavy appearance, turning a dark or even bluish-green, while developing a bitter taste.
Stepping back out to the fields, sure enough, the wheat at Lüwo Farm was indeed noticeably lighter in colour than the conventionally farmed crop in the adjacent plot.
Once, people held science in high esteem; now they rely on it, and some even place their faith exclusively in (mainstream) science. In my view, trusting solely in (mainstream) science is overly conservative and somewhat narrow. Scientific abstraction and validation, after all, cannot be divorced from the lived world they emerge from. Understanding the world is never solely a scientific endeavour. It also involves personal observation, reflection, imagination, and leaving room for the unknown—all of which hinge on perception.
I interpret sensing the land as an innate instinct to discern phenomena through observation, touch, engaging all our senses, and drawing on experience. For farming, closely observing the condition of crops, soil, weather, water, and small creatures is absolutely vital.
III. Where Life’s Paths Converge
Encountering these vibrant individuals who hold firm to their own pursuits is far more engaging than reading the appealing yet abstract phrase “sustainable agriculture“. It also made me realise that ecological agriculture is not solely about environmental protection, but concerns our everyday food safety and public health as well.
My diet is generally lacto-vegetarian. I adapted swiftly to refraining from meat. We attempted to source our vegetables from Uncle Xiao Hei, who grows organic produce, but the selection of seasonal vegetables was limited. Having grown accustomed to the vast array of options available in the city, and relying so heavily on leafy greens, I worried about a lack of nutritional balance and found myself buying vegetables from outside suppliers from time to time.
It was only later, through exchanges with my companions, that I realised the priorities underlying our eating habits differed. I prioritised nutritional balance and diverse flavours, while some of my companions prioritised healthy organic food that was in season.
IV. The Different States of Life
All the pig farm’s windows are kept firmly shut. Once, when one was left slightly ajar, I stood on my tiptoes to peer inside and saw a few little pink pigs confined to a cramped “pen”.
Passing this farm on numerous occasions, and hearing their ceaseless cries, I would wonder how they endure the gloom, stale air, fear, and hopelessness while restricted to those cramped “pens”.
I’ve heard that farmers fatten the pigs to the point where they are forced to remain standing; if they grow too heavy and lie down, they can never get back up. By that logic, an obese pig is hardly a natural occurrence.
One late night, as I lay in bed, I heard the heart-wrenching howls from another piggery in the distance. Coupled with the account Xiao Hei later gave us of the slaughtering process, it brought back memories of witnessing pigs being slaughtered during Spring Festival in my hometown. It was truly distressing. I thought, if only they had to bear less suffering throughout their lives.
Since then, when it came to buying meat, I made a point of choosing free-range or organic pork, and cut down on both the quantity and frequency of my meat consumption.
Over my six-month placement at Green Me, I have come to a profound realisation of how deeply indebted we are to the land and the creatures that call it home. Confronted with the realities of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, pig farm runoff, and the plastic waste littering field edges and irrigation ditches, what course of action should we take?
I found great inspiration in a remark by Teacher Dahei: we need not constantly strive to do the absolutely right thing; sometimes, simply refraining from doing harm is good enough. Let us encourage one another.
“An Introduction to Australian Dynamic Agriculture”
“Preventative Farming: Australian Dynamic Agriculture in Practice in China”
Unless otherwise stated, all images in this article were taken by the author.