In early 2024, Foodthink launched recruitment for the third Ecological Agriculture Internship Programme. We hope to connect young people aspiring to work in ecological agriculture with established ecological farms—enabling the former to acquire practical farming knowledge and skills, while also helping to consolidate and pass on the experience of veteran growers, and addressing the shortage of skilled labour on the farms.
Thank you for your interest and enthusiastic applications. Recruitment is now closed, and we will be in touch with suitable intern candidates as soon as possible. Additionally, we received numerous applications from ecological farms. Following site visits and confirmations by our colleagues, four ecological farms have joined us for the first time, bringing the total to twelve—the very fields our third cohort of interns will eagerly head off to. Let’s take a look together~
The newly added farms are:
01 Tianyuan Bang Rural Learning Centre
Guangdong · Huizhou
Tianyuan Bang’s original site covers approximately two hectares, with the new site adding a further 0.8 hectares. To support organic farming and rural-craft nature-education activities, the farm carries out diverse crop and livestock production, growing all manner of grains, vegetables, herbs and fruit, and raising chickens, ducks, geese, cattle, sheep, horses and fish. Throughout the year, Tianyuan Bang hosts over one hundred events—including spring and autumn excursions, family camps over public holidays, winter and summer camps, and study tours focused on farming and rural crafts—with a different programme each season.
Ecological Farm Mentor
Hu Weihe
Permaculture design teacher and founder of Tianyuan Bang Rural Learning Centre. In 2004, having left university early, he joined the founding team of the Chengdu Waldorf School, serving as gardening teacher and also teaching carpentry and clay-modelling for five years. From 2009 to 2011, he studied biodynamic organic farming in depth for two years at Emerson College in the UK, visiting Waldorf schools, biodynamic organic farms and communities in the UK, Germany, Switzerland and Sweden. During his tenure as Secretary-General of the Demeter Organic Agriculture Association in Beijing (2012–2013), he attended a permaculture conference and teacher training in Hong Kong, receiving a permaculture design teacher certificate awarded by Rosemary Morrow. He subsequently invited Tang Min, Qiu Yiru and Yan Jiacheng to run the first 14-day permaculture design course in China, held in Beijing. From 2013 to 2014, he spent two years on the planning, design and consultancy for organic educational farms. In 2014, after attending a two-month natural-school training programme in Japan organised by a China–Japan partnership, he returned home in 2015 and founded Tianyuan Bang, exploring farming-and-study education for a new era.
Ideal intern: Able to dedicate a full year wholeheartedly to the internship; positive, honest, friendly and respectful of others, with good communication skills; curious, with an open mind and willingness to learn and try new things; drawn to a simple, unpretentious rural life; a keen interest in organic farming (biodynamic farming, permaculture design) and in Waldorf education, nature education and rural crafts, with a desire to pursue practical work at the intersection of farming, craftsmanship and education. Work available to interns at the farm: Living, working, learning, researching and practising in a beautiful Hakka village in Guangdong—learning by doing and doing by learning, exploring the ecology and culture behind farming, food and rural crafts. The work spans crop and garden cultivation, food preparation and processing, handicrafts, carpentry and building. Through a wide range of immersive, pastoral teaching activities, interns start as assistants, gradually move to leading activities independently, and eventually develop and design new activities of their own. Throughout the process, mentors provide guidance and support.
Guidance available to interns:
Tianyuan Bang will continue to host a variety of Food, Farming and Rural Crafts workshops, at which experts and enthusiasts from diverse fields share their research and practice, helping interns broaden their horizons and perspective.
02 Mushroom Jun Farm
Beijing · Pinggu
The farm specialises in high-quality mushroom cultivation, also producing some vegetables. Professional high-quality mushroom production began in 2013, making it Beijing’s most professional high-quality mushroom farm, producing around twenty varieties of mushrooms year-round.
Ecological Farm Mentor
Mushroom Jun
He has been cultivating high-quality mushrooms since 2013, focusing primarily on food safety and flavour in the mushroom industry, and is the most experienced mushroom farmer in the ecological agriculture sector.
Ideal intern: A basic sense of professional commitment and work ethic is essential. If what you seek is a carefree, leisurely pastoral life, Mushroom Jun Farm may not be the right fit. We consider the right attitude towards learning and work to be the first priority and the most fundamental requirement. Experience and knowledge can be taught, but attitude is something only the intern can take responsibility for.
Work available to interns at the farm: The entire production process for several mushroom varieties; the opportunity to independently practise producing one or more mushroom types; vegetable growing; electrical and plumbing maintenance for the farm.
Guidance available to interns: Meeting experienced industry veterans and gaining an in-depth understanding of the state of China’s mushroom industry as a whole and the fresh-produce distribution sector; learning and practising the most professional composting methods; learning and practising the production, promotion, marketing, delivery and after-sales service of one or more fresh agricultural products—starting an entrepreneurial venture in agriculture with as little capital as possible, while devoting great energy, effort and ingenuity.
03 Pengcheng Natural Farm
Founded in 2014, the farm’s main cash crops are sweet potato, lychee and guava, with approximately 50 mu (3.3 hectares) under cultivation. The farm’s founder hopes to return to a healthier, more peaceful way of life through natural farming, and to give more people the chance to learn about and experience a healthier, more environmentally friendly and sustainable farming lifestyle.
Ecological Farm Mentor
Wang Pengcheng
Born in the 1980s and a former state-owned enterprise employee, he decided a decade ago to change his way of life and to practise, explore and promote natural farming, driven by concern for current food safety and environmental issues.
Ideal intern: Available for at least six months; willing to put in the groundwork day in, day out; six working hours a day, two days off per week.
Work available to interns at the farm: Crop cultivation; farm events (reception and hosting)
Guidance available to interns: Experience in sustainable farm management and natural farming cultivation
04 Gui Xinyuan Farm
Guangzhou · Huizhou
Gui Xinyuan Farm is a permaculture design practice farm. Covering over 110 mu (approximately 7.4 hectares), woodland accounts for half the site, with 30 mu (2 hectares) of ponds, 10 mu (0.7 hectares) of orchard and 10 mu (0.7 hectares) of kitchen garden and cropland. Diverse crops are grown, ranging from everyday seasonal vegetables and fruit to staple grains. Livestock rearing focuses mainly on fish and chickens.
Ecological Farm Mentor
Zhang Suqiang
Founder of Gui Xinyuan Permaculture Farm. For fourteen years he has practised urban permaculture and the half-X, half-farming lifestyle. He is a PDC (Permaculture Design Certificate) instructor at Shenzhen’s Simple Living / Sustainable Culture, an experienced permaculture design practitioner and earth bread-oven architect, and founder of Wutong Mountain Simple Living Farm in Shenzhen.
Ideal intern: Proactively and actively take part in the farm’s development, voluntarily maintain cleanliness in shared spaces, and maintain an open, receptive attitude towards learning new knowledge and skills. Work available to interns at the farm: Crop cultivation, livestock rearing, marketing (promotion), farm events (reception), customer service
Guidance available to interns: Permaculture design principles and implementation.
The following partner farms will continue to welcome interns:
01 Yinlin Ecological Farm
Yinlin Farm was established in 2009, covering over 70 mu (approximately 4.7 hectares), and began practising ecological cultivation in 2013. The farm focuses mainly on vegetable production, working in harmony with natural processes. In addition to abstaining from pesticides, chemical fertilisers and herbicides, the farm has consistently adopted methods that are kind to soil, environment and people—employing self-produced compost and grass-retention cultivation to improve soil health and biodiversity on the farm. Through continually deepening its scientific understanding of ecological agriculture, Yinlin Farm has gradually developed its own system of growing techniques.
Ecological Farm Mentor
Guo Rui
Graduated from South China Agricultural University in 2005 with a degree in biotechnology, returned to his hometown in 2009 to start a business, and began practising ecological cultivation in 2013. Along the way, he completed training courses in natural farming, biodynamic farming and soil improvement, and has continued to study and refine his ecological agriculture techniques. He hopes the farm can provide his family with comfortable living conditions, his children with a happy environment in which to grow up, and consumers with healthy, nutritious and safe food.
Ideal intern: The farm welcomes more young people to understand and take part in ecological agriculture. It needs young people to work in cultivation management, data compilation and marketing, ultimately joining in the running of the farm—ecological agriculture needs a new generation to carry it forward. Looking for someone with an interest in ecological agriculture or healthy living, willing to devote energy to learning, self-disciplined, hands-on, and respectful of the older generation of farmers. Work available to interns at the farm: Crop cultivation, marketing (promotion), farm events (reception).
Guidance available to interns: Ecological agriculture cultivation techniques, machinery operation, farm management, marketing and more.
Related Articles ▼
02 Letian Bay Farm
Shanghai · Fengxian
Letian Bay Farm covers 86 mu (approximately 5.7 hectares), of which over 40 mu (approximately 2.7 hectares) is woodland, over 20 mu (approximately 1.3 hectares) is cultivated land, and the remainder is public space. Construction began in April 2020. The farm advocates a pastoral lifestyle of “five days in the city, two days on the farm”, with land-rental plots for urban residents as its core business, alongside courses in agricultural education, nature experiences and handicraft arts. Members grow around 60 varieties of seasonal vegetables on each plot throughout the year, using traditional farming methods throughout—no pesticides, chemical fertilisers or other synthetic inputs—and cultivating organically with organic fertiliser and biopesticide.
Ecological Farm Mentor
Yuan Qinghua
Holds a master’s degree from Renmin University of China. Has worked alongside Wen Tiejun on rural construction projects in China since 2003. Former General Manager of Little Donkey Community Farm, General Manager of Design Harvest, and Operations Director of Chuangzhi Garden; currently General Manager of Letian Bay Farm. Studied natural agriculture with Cho Han-gyu of South Korea in 2008, and earned a permaculture certification course credential under Jeff in Hong Kong in 2010. Received a natural education certification from Cornell University in 2019. Spent 2009–2010 in Thailand studying organic cultivation within the Rice Spirit system.
Ideal intern: The farm welcomes young people to inject fresh energy and vitality, to contribute creativity to farm development, to help enrich and refresh activities, refine the farm’s course programme, and to make bold attempts at external communication through various self-media channels. Looking for someone with a down-to-earth heart and hardworking hands, able to adapt to the rhythm of farm life and work. During the internship, farm rules must be observed. An eager learner who can put new skills to use is highly valued. Work available to interns at the farm:
1. Crop cultivation
2. Marketing: sales, promotion, customer service
3. Farm events (reception)
4. Farm construction and more
Guidance available to interns: Training in a range of ecological agriculture techniques—natural agriculture, permaculture, bio-composting, machinery repair, farm construction and other practical skills—along with lessons learned in farm operations management.
03 Zhiliangtian Ecological Farm
The farm spans 1,000 mu (approximately 66.7 hectares), with 160 mu (approximately 10.7 hectares) under cultivation. The main crops are melon and millet. In collaboration with partners in Alxa, the farm also produces ecologically grown European plums and desert lamb, among other products.
Ecological Farm Mentor
Ma Yanwei
Founder of Alxa Zhiliangtian Ecological Farm and Zhixing Study Tours, with a master’s degree in ecology from Beijing Normal University. Joined the Alxa SEE Ecology Association in 2005; after leaving the organisation, he settled in Alxa and founded Zhiliangtian Ecological Farm.
Ideal intern: Interested in farm life and work, practical and hardworking, and eager to learn. Be proactive—not just seeing the sparkle in your eyes, but also spotting the jobs that need doing. A little initiative goes a long way. Do keep in mind, though, that a little toughness is needed on a farm!
Work available to interns at the farm:
1. Daily production
2. Leading and preparing natural education activities on the farm
3. Product design, short-video production, marketing, and more
4. Day-to-day farm maintenance and logistics
Guidance available to interns:
1. Ecological agriculture cultivation on the farm
2. Farm management and operations
3. Design and organisation of natural education study tours
Related Articles ▼
04 Yuefeng Island Organic Farm
Jiangsu · Kunshan
Yuefeng Island Organic Farm was established through investment by Kunshan City Investment Group and is a National-Level Ecological Farm. Spanning 230 mu (approximately 15.3 hectares), it began operations in 2010 on the shores of Yangcheng Lake in Kunshan. Through organic cultivation methods that are kind to the land, the farm protects water sources, safeguards soil health as its core priority, and puts organic principles into practice. Yuefeng Island employs landscape-garden design techniques to blend agriculture with scenery, creating a well-developed aquatic ecosystem and a rich terrestrial ecosystem. The result is a composite landscape of farmland, vegetable plots, wetlands, woodland and distinctive architectural features. Grounded in agriculture, the farm delves into the ecological value of farming, systematically documents local farming culture, produces educational materials on farming and food science, and runs diverse farming education activities.
Ecological Farm Mentor
Tang Yaozhong
Technical Director of Yuefeng Island Organic Farm and a local expert in organic rice cultivation, he oversees the entire site’s production and daily operations. He leads his team in strict adherence to organic production methods and actively explores sustainable ecological agriculture. He also liaises with research institutes across the province and beyond, collecting and conserving germplasm resources of local heritage varieties—such as Suyu glutinous rice, Duck Blood glutinous rice and local taro—and selecting varieties suited to the area for cultivation and wider adoption. On the farm he has designed edible landscapes that teach through play, partnering with local schools and families to develop Food and farming education courses.
Ideal intern: The farm welcomes young people to take part in multiple research projects and to help document its growing and management experience. It also hopes to build a talent pipeline for the farm’s future. Looking for interns with a strong sense of curiosity and a desire to explore, who are down-to-earth and willing to get their hands dirty. Work available to interns at the farm: Crop cultivation; experimental research (growing and recording heritage varieties).
Guidance available to interns:
1. Agricultural production and farm management
2. Guidance on experiments and research in soil improvement, heritage variety conservation, biodiversity and more
Related Articles ▼
05 Lüwo Farm
Shaanxi · Xianyang
Lüwo Farm is situated in the heart of the Guanzhong plain in Shaanxi, beside the Zhengguo Canal. Founded by Da Hei in 2014, it practises Australian biodynamic farming. A hallmark of the farm is its commitment to the principle of “prevention before illness”—treating the root of the problem rather than the symptoms. Soil vitality restoration and strengthening is the foundation. The farm uses a soil-activation formula made from wholly natural materials and a diversity of green manure crops, and, guided by an attentive awareness of the farm’s particular character, develops and applies suitable conservation tillage equipment and other systematic methods to achieve healthy soil, resilient crops, lower labour demands and environmental friendliness.
Ecological Farm Mentor
Da Hei
Founded Lüwo Farm in 2014, studied and practised biodynamic farming, and established a local biodynamic farming association, for which he serves as a lecturer. He has redesigned a great deal of agricultural machinery so that it no longer harms the soil structure and is well suited to local conditions.
Ideal intern: The farm aspires to become a social enterprise and to take part in training the next generation of ecological farmers—nurturing talent in the ecological field. Ideal intern: Looking for someone who genuinely wants to get involved in the concrete, hands-on work of agriculture and its related fields. Those working at the front line of production are in the shortest supply, and grounding in day-to-day field work will in turn help every other aspect of the farm run smoothly. Work available to interns at the farm: Interns should participate in every aspect of farm operations, because a farm is a whole—it cannot be learned in fragments. If you are here to learn, then the learning should be complete.
Guidance available to interns: From the underlying philosophy and way of thinking through to every practical skill on the ground—including product development and sales—there is no corner of the field we cannot explore together.
Related Articles ▼
06 Liangliang Family Farm
Sichuan · Chengdu
Established in 2013 and spanning 30 mu (approximately 2 hectares), the farm grows small yellow ginger as its main crop, along with a variety of vegetables—including carrots and wheat—as well as grain and oilseed crops, practising rotation between vegetables, grain/oilseed crops and green manure. Farm activities include agricultural food education, lifestyle camps and summer camps. Liangliang Farm is a family farm rooted in a local village. It brings rural families together, practises earth-friendly farming, and builds an ecological community (Niujiaoyan Living Village), maintaining strong links and frequent interaction with the surrounding village.
Ecological Farm Mentor
Tang Liang
Born in the 1980s, Tang Liang is the steward of Liangliang Farm. He graduated from Southwest University with a degree in biological sciences in 2008 and then worked at a technology company in Chongqing. From 2011 to 2013, he interned for two years at Little Donkey Community Farm and Sharing Harvest Ecological Farm. In 2013, he returned to his hometown to found Liangliang Family Farm (also known as the Tang Family’s Liangliang Farm), practising earth-friendly farming, bringing rural families together, and exploring a rural way of life that stays close to the essence of living. In 2020, he became a father and hopes, through his own hands, to create a living, vibrant home in which his child can grow—while exploring how to build a local ecological community and a future living village.
Ideal intern: Genuinely passionate about—or at least sincerely eager to understand—ecological agriculture and rural life. You should approach your work, daily life and learning with initiative and a down-to-earth attitude, not simply pass through for a superficial taste of country living. You can take part in basic farming activities, cook for yourself (or at least are willing to give it a try), possess a basic capacity for learning, and work cooperatively with farm and community staff to see tasks through, so that when your internship ends you can honestly say it was well worth the trip. Work available to interns at the farm: Crop production and cultivation, marketing (sales), communications and promotion, assistance with farm events, and community development at Niujiaoyan Living Village, among other things. (Note: at a family farm and community like this, you will not be confined to a single role—you will typically move between different kinds of work, including everyday life skills.)
Guidance available to interns: Ecological agricultural production techniques, farm operations and management, family building, and eco-village development/community development.
*Rural Life Partnership Programme has also been launched by Liangliang Farm, and you are welcome to get involved in this way as well. The Rural Life Partnership offers more freedom than the internship programme, though interns in the Partnership are expected to cover their own basic food and accommodation costs, making it a relatively low-cost way to experience rural life and rural work.
Related Articles ▼
Xiqing Farm was established in August 2015 and grows strawberries and a variety of seasonal vegetables. The farm’s growing philosophy is simple: use healthy, rich soil to grow high-quality produce. Fertilisers rely primarily on green manure, supplemented with plant-based compost. Over four years, the farm has established a basic ecosystem, and species diversity within it continues to grow.
Ecological Farm Mentor
Wang Xin
Born in the 1980s, Wang Xin graduated from Beijing University of Agriculture with a degree in landscape and horticultural plants. He has been studying ecological agriculture since 2011, hoping to grow a healthy, organic life from good soil.
Ideal intern: We believe the number of ecological smallholders and family farms must be allowed to grow. Only when more smallholders are willing to grow crops with real dedication will the state of the industry gradually improve. The progress and momentum of this movement demand people to step up and drive it forward. I have wanted to take on an intern for a long time—someone who loves ecological growing and can truly settle down and put their back into it. If you want to study these methods at farming schools in Japan, you have to pay tuition, and there is no guarantee you will even be accepted. Who wants to learn from me? Come on in. Work available to interns at the farm: Cultivation, farm management, marketing (promotion)
Guidance available to interns: Developing budding ecological farmers’ observational, practical and judgemental skills—how to observe soil, plants, insects and weather, and how to make sense of what you see.
08 Yirun Planting Farm – Xingfu Guo Baicao
Yan Ping’s orchard sits beside the Shitang Reservoir in Jidou Village, Wule Township, Guigang, Guangxi. She grows 40 mu of wogan mandarins, 10 mu of Emperor mandarins, over 60 lychee trees and more than 50 banana trees, and intercrops with bamboo sugarcane and a small amount of miscellaneous grains and wild greens. She began experimenting with pesticide-free, chemical-fertiliser-free management on six rows of fruit trees in June 2018, and by 2020 the entire orchard had transitioned fully to ecological cultivation. Through this journey, Yan Ping has grown into an ecological new-generation farmer with both a philosophy and practical skill.
Ecological Farm Mentor
Xie Yanping
Fellow farmers like to call me Sister Yanping. I left my hometown after finishing high school and went to work in Guangdong. Twenty years adrift, and now I have returned to the land. I hope simply to live on the farm—labouring each day, keeping fit and putting food on my family’s table. What follows is my understanding of ecology, and the direction and goal that guide me along this ecological path: every inch of soil is a paradise for microorganisms, and that land can become a paradise for all living things, where every creature nourishes and regulates the others, coexisting and thriving together. Plant melons and harvest melons, sow beans and reap beans. When a food forest is truly a food forest for every creature, ecology can be as natural and simple as the rising and setting of the sun and moon, the turning of the four seasons.
Ideal intern: I am looking for like-minded companions to share life’s journey with—people who will hold each other to the old rhythm of rising with the sun to work and resting when it sets. Work available to interns at the farm: Working and living side by side, learning together from nature.
Guidance available to interns: Cultivation, marketing (sales), marketing (promotion), farm events (hospitality), customer service.
In addition, Foodthink’s partner organisation, the Farmers’ Seed Network, also plans to host interns this year, and interns who are curious about community culture as well as farming are welcome to find out more about:
The Farmers’ Seed Network was founded in 2013, and its work spans more than 40 rural communities across 14 provinces in China. Through action research and diverse innovation in agrobiodiversity, traditional knowledge and sustainable food systems, the Network strengthens smallholder farmers’ capabilities and supports their long-term livelihoods. It was among the first organisations in China to apply participatory research methods in the fields of agrobiodiversity conservation and natural resource management. Guided by the principles of participatory development and action research, the Network encourages collaboration between communities and public research institutions to conserve, use and innovate with heirloom farm seeds, promoting sustainable development in both urban and rural communities. It has been instrumental in advancing key mechanisms for seed diversity protection and use in China, including participatory plant breeding, community seed-resource registries and community seed banks. In the birthplace of Aohan millet in Inner Mongolia, on the dryland terraces of Wang Jinzhuang in Handan, Hebei, in the Zhuang communities of Mashan, Guangxi, and in the Naxi stone city of Lijiang, Yunnan, we have witnessed the dedication and achievements of local community champions in the conservation and use of germplasm resources—steadfast and wise, they guard their corner of the earth. If you are interested in our work and these communities, you are welcome to join us. Here you can gain insight into the most grounded yet forward-looking agrobiodiversity conservation efforts, learn traditional knowledge that is both wise and vivid, and take part in community-building on the ground, picking up skills in seed breeding and agricultural cultivation. We also invite you to bring your own expertise to the community, grow alongside the people there, bear witness to one another’s journeys, and become a small seed that helps communities speak up for themselves.
Co-ordination: Mei Ying Images: Farm mentors, Foodthink
