Written Before the Publication of the “Climate Change and Ecological Smallholder Farmers” Report
That same autumn, I enrolled in an online Master’s programme in natural resources and chose a course on climate change adaptation. I was later accepted into Friends of Nature’s Linglong Programme. When I began thinking about directions for action, having just joined Foodthink, it came naturally to me to connect climate change with the ecological smallholder farmers that Foodthink cares about.
And so the idea for the “Climate Change and Ecological Smallholder Farmers” research project was born.
I.
While industrialised, monoculture and chemical-intensive agriculture has swept the globe, bringing pollution, soil degradation, greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss, ecological smallholder farmers are exploring resource-saving, environmentally friendly approaches to farming.
Veteran farmers who have worked the land for decades, young people returning to their hometowns, newcomers choosing farming after years of city jobs … though their reasons for turning to ecological agriculture may differ, they all share one thing in common: they use no chemical fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, plant growth regulators or other chemical inputs. Instead, they adapt to local conditions, source materials on the spot, make full use of organic matter in their fields, work to improve farmland ecology, and draw on practices such as crop rotation and intercropping from traditional Chinese farming to carry out diversified planting and animal husbandry in ecologically sound ways.
As urban consumers’ awareness of health and the environment continues to grow, most ecological smallholder farmers no longer sell their produce through middlemen. Instead, they build trust through farmers’ markets, community-supported buying, Participatory Guarantee Systems and other such approaches, selling both online and offline and connecting directly with consumers.
As a city-dwelling consumer myself, it is thanks to farmers’ markets and community-supported buying that I have had the chance to get to know some ecological smallholder farmers. I can not only buy fresh, wholesome produce directly from them, but also follow the everyday rhythms of farm life they share, including the hardships that extreme weather has brought upon them. The resilience, optimism and proactive spirit my farmer friends show in the face of blizzards, hail, drought and floods have inspired me too.
II.
But under the severe pressure of climate change, are ecological smallholder farmers left to face it alone? What kind of support do they need? While it is not yet clear how to act specifically, I think recognising the problem may well be the first step towards action.
Out of a simple sense of concern and curiosity, I also wanted to know: what do the wildly fluctuating temperatures and the abnormal weather we experience here in the city actually mean for those ecological farmers who work in partnership with nature?
Through a review of the literature, we found that case studies on climate change and smallholder farmers are drawn predominantly from developing countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America, while analyses of how Chinese smallholder farmers adapt to climate change are scarce. Research in China on smallholder farmers and climate change also tends to adopt a policy perspective, casting smallholder farmers as passive recipients while giving little thought to their own agency. How do they perceive climate change? What is distinctive about their responses? Ecological smallholder farmers—a niche yet important group—have attracted even less scholarly attention.
If this research can help fill that gap, it will let more people know that ecological smallholder farmers in China are also taking active steps to adapt to climate change. Going further, if we can identify the external barriers and challenges they encounter in responding to climate change, as well as gaps in their own capacities, perhaps we can find specific directions for supporting them next.
With the joint support of Friends of Nature’s Linglong Programme and Foodthink, the research project got underway.
In May 2022, we published a call for participants, encouraging ecological smallholder farmers in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region and southern China to volunteer for the study. We listed the following recruitment criteria: ecological and organic cultivation or farming methods (i.e. no or minimal use of chemically synthesised agricultural inputs); farm size in principle no more than 200 mu (excluding mountain and forest land); crop type unrestricted.
In the end, we surveyed 30 ecological farmers from Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Guangxi and Guangdong. They had been practising ecological agriculture for an average of 6.5 years. Their farms ranged in size from as small as 0.4 mu to 300 mu; excluding those practising under-forest cultivation and those focused primarily on orchards, the average farm size was around 30 mu. Most of their operations are family-run or small-scale production farms, though some are larger commercial farms managed by a dedicated team.
III.
The year of our research happened to coincide with the third year of the pandemic.
At first, my Linglong partner Qianyao and I could only meet most farmers over video calls. Only when control measures permitted were we able to drive together to farms on the outskirts of Beijing.
In July, when my Foodthink colleagues Tianle and Wang Hao and I set off for Guangxi and Guangdong, we moved as carefully as if playing hopscotch—terrified of straying into a high-risk area, being quarantined, flagged with a yellow health code, or hit by a sudden warning pop-up. When we reached Liuzhou, preparing to visit a farm early the next morning, we had to change our plans at the last minute because a positive case had just been confirmed in our district.
For various reasons, we did miss some farms. Of all 30, we ultimately managed to visit 20 in person.
Last year, southern China was struck, one after another, by the rare Dragon Boat Rains and a severe consecutive summer–autumn drought that sparked devastating wildfires. Much of the country endured a scorching summer. We, too, had the chance to stand beside ecological smallholder farmers on terraced fields and hillsides, sharing their concerns firsthand and recording their stories.
IV.
Part Two offers a brief analysis of the profiles of our research subjects and the basic characteristics of their farms.
Part Three summarises ecological smallholder farmers’ overall understanding of climate change, lists the most severe climate events affecting farmers in the two regions, and—drawing on farmers’ own words—describes the impact that abnormal and extreme weather has on crop growth, production plans, farmland ecosystems, infrastructure and personnel.
Part Four sets out in detail the adaptation measures farmers already use, including infrastructure development, soil improvement, diversified planting, variety selection, integrated crop–livestock farming, farm siting and planning, and the diversification of livelihoods and business operations.
Looking ahead, we attempt to examine how various external economic and social factors can help ecological smallholder farmers better respond to climate change. Can they secure sufficient funding for sustained adaptation efforts? Are insurance and subsidies available? Where do new skills and knowledge come from? If they want to add value to their produce, are there processing methods suited to them? Faced with labour shortages and limited markets, can they still persevere, survive and thrive in the struggle against climate change? We bring together our findings and reflections in the final part of the report.
We will also share the vivid stories and words of the ecological smallholder farmers themselves.
On Wednesday 22 February at 8 pm, the author of this article, Qihua, will present the research findings at an in-person salon hosted by the Beijing Energy Network (BEN). Click here to register.
In the coming weeks, Foodthink will publish chapter-by-chapter excerpts of the report on its WeChat official account. The report may fall short in places, and we welcome readers’ critiques. Once all chapters have been published, we will revise and compile them before releasing the full report in both electronic and print formats.
If you would like to receive the full report, please scan the QR code below and fill in the form. After publication, we will be in touch.
Here, we would also like to thank all the farming friends—the vivid experiences described in this research come entirely from them. Some even set aside their time during the peak harvest-and-replanting season to speak candidly with us, patiently explaining farming techniques and practices, clarifying specialised terms, and sharing their stories.
We also benefited from the guidance of Linglong Programme mentors including Lü Zhi, Xu Yinlong and Qiao Yuhui, who offered many valuable insights throughout the research and report-writing process. More importantly, their encouragement and gentle prodding made the completion of this report finally feel within reach.
Along the way, many partners—including the Guangxi Guoren Rural Poverty Alleviation and Development Centre, Guangdong Fengnianqing and the Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market—helped us connect with farms, joined us in the fields, and lent all manner of assistance. The list is long, so rather than naming everyone here, we offer our heartfelt thanks to you all.
Editor: Wang Hao