21 Young People Set Off on a Journey Even ChatGPT Couldn’t Imagine

In early 2023, Foodthink published the call for applications for the second Ecological Agriculture Internship Programme. We hope to connect young people interested in ecological agriculture with established ecological farms — enabling the former to master the knowledge and skills of farming, helping to document and pass down the experience of seasoned growers, and addressing the shortage of skilled labour on farms.

Once the call went out, it attracted widespread attention and a flood of applications. Ultimately, twenty-one intern partners were selected. One after another, they have set off on new journeys, entering nine ecological farms across the country, beginning an extraordinary internship, entrusting themselves to the farms and the land, and learning from the people who work in the soil.

Intern Partner: Maizi

“As a child, in summer you could eat plump, red tomatoes with a sandy, grainy texture, and small but wonderfully sweet watermelons. Once I grew up, these all became memories. Advances in agricultural technology have boosted yields, but the original taste of food has vanished from our tables.

That is how I came to learn about ecological agriculture. The ecological agriculture I see carries a concern for nature and the environment, and also a reflection on the social, economic and livelihood issues behind our food. I hope that once I arrive at the farm, I can explore a sustainable ecological farming life in nature and on the land.”

Lüwo Farm is situated in the heart of the Guanzhong Plain in Shaanxi, beside the Zhengguo Canal. Founded in 2014 by farmer Dahei, it practises Australian Biodynamic Farming. Its hallmark is adherence to the principle that “the best physician treats illness before it manifests” — prioritising the restoration and strengthening of soil vitality. It employs a soil activation formula made from purely natural materials, diverse green manure, and — guided by attentiveness to the farm’s particular character — develops and deploys conservation tillage machinery and systematic methods suited to local conditions, aiming for healthy soil, resilient crops, reduced labour, and environmental friendliness.

Ecological Farm Mentor Dahei

Founded Lüwo Farm in 2014. Studies and practises biodynamic farming. Established a local biodynamic farming association and teaches as a lecturer. Has redesigned and modified a wide range of agricultural machinery that does not damage soil structure and is suited to local conditions.

“After one week at Lüwo Farm, I have done the routine farm work — turning the soil, weeding, transplanting flowers — and odd jobs like cleaning, packing goods, and transporting things. I even reached into the earth to retrieve the biodynamic farm’s proprietary formula ‘500’ and the cow horn it is stored in, and learned to drive a tractor!

Every hour is packed. The body is exhausted but deeply fulfilled. I have left behind the clean, polished gloss of the city — I am often covered in dirt — but in rare moments I have tasted a freedom of the spirit: wobbling down a country dirt road in a van, collapsing on the grass to watch birds cross the sky, washing cow horns until they reveal their mottled colours. I truly wish time would slow down a little.”

Intern Partner: Yancha

Four years as an environmental and public-interest practitioner, dedicated to environmental protection and sustainable development. Currently thinking and exploring ways I can contribute to sustainable agriculture. I hope to learn knowledge and skills at an ecological farm that will help me understand the possibilities of building grassroots enterprise in this field. 

 

 

 

“The first week on the farm was completely fulfilling every single day! Turning soil, cutting weeds, packing produce, driving the van, making late-night snacks with the other interns — tired but joyful learning and practising all week. When turning the ground with a digging fork, Teacher Dahei guided us to feel the soil — ‘Let the soil crack open for a moment.’ Under Teacher Xiaohei’s patient instruction, we also learned to drive a tractor! On this flat, open and fertile land, following my heart and running wild, my own vitality blooms in full.”

Intern Partner: A Yue

Born after 1995. After completing a diploma in marketing, worked in after-sales service, sold insurance, and served as a pharmaceutical sales representative. Does not like city life. Currently preparing to return to the countryside — Lüwo Farm is the first stop on my journey back. 

 

 

 

“It felt like arriving at Dahei’s family home and eating two big bowls of oil-spill noodles; and yet it also felt like a long time had passed, as though this foreign place had become home. It makes me wonder: does returning to the countryside mean going back to one’s hometown, or going somewhere richer in the flavour of the soil, closer to the earth?

People always said there was endless work in the fields. Well, now at Lüwo Farm there is the biscuit production line, flour and barley tea processing; pre- and after-sales support across multiple platforms; visitors of every kind, and all manner of unexpected situations. Before bed, chatting with the other partners in the living room, we keep blurting out: ‘Oh! That one thing — haven’t we not done it yet today?’ The biggest shift compared to my life in the city before is this: I wake up, stretch, and can just sit right up. My body is busy day to day, but my mind is calm and content, carrying a sense of expectation without restlessness.”

3 Xiqing Farm | Daxing, Beijing

Xiqing Farm was established in August 2015, growing strawberries and a variety of seasonal vegetables. Xiqing’s growing philosophy is simple: use quality soil to produce high-quality produce. Fertilisers are based on green manure, supplemented with plant-based compost. Over four years, we have built a basic ecological system on the farm, whose biodiversity is still growing richer.

Ecological Farm Mentor Wang Xin

Born after 1985. Graduated in ornamental and horticultural plants from Beijing University of Agriculture. Has been researching ecological agriculture since 2011, hoping to grow a healthy, organic life from good soil.

 

 

 

Intern Partner: Chaoyan

Since graduating, has been working in software testing in Beijing. Last year, during a break back home, began thinking about new possibilities in life. Arrived at Xiqing Farm to start the internship two weeks ago.

 

“In these two weeks, the greatest gain has been a shift in perspective. Before coming, I simply wanted to grow safe, tasty vegetables for my family and friends and change their indifference toward food safety. Now I realise there are so many considerations involved in ecological agriculture. Farming is no pastoral idyll, and organic ecological farming even less so. It is a technical undertaking spanning multiple disciplines, requiring extensive knowledge and firm resolve; without that, it will only exhaust body and mind.

After starting the internship at Xiqing, I have found that food-safety problems in the market are worse than I imagined. There is a deep sense of powerlessness, but also a quiet, inexplicable sense of mission. Perhaps starting with the people connected to you is the right path.”

4 Letian Haiwan Farm | Fengxian, Shanghai

Letian Haiwan Farm is located in Haiwan Village, Fengxian District, Shanghai. Founded in early 2020, it is a veritable “born in the ’20s” newcomer. It spans 85 mu, with over 30 mu of cultivated land, nearly 40 mu of woodland, more than 1,000 square metres of storage and workshop space, and ponds and lawns as shared spaces where visitors can relax and unwind. The farm’s founding purpose is to serve as an agricultural experience and education base, offering a diverse range of courses themed around agricultural science education, farming experience, creative environmental projects, nature education, and survival skills.

Ecological Farm Mentor Yuan Qinghua

Master’s graduate from Renmin University of China. Invited researcher at the College of China Rural Construction, Southwest University. Co-founder of Shanghai Bancheng Bannong Industrial Development Co., Ltd. General Manager of Letian Haiwan Farm. Previously served as Deputy General Manager of Little Donkey Community Farm, General Manager of Shanghai Design Harvest, and Operations Director of Chuangzhi Garden. Studied organic agriculture techniques in Thailand for one year. Has made multiple study and exchange visits to the UK, Vietnam, India and other countries and regions. Received an international Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) in Hong Kong in 2010, and a nature education certificate from Cornell University in 2019.

Intern Partner: Cui Xianling

Postgraduate student in anthropology, interested in food, animal rights, and sustainability issues.

” Public discourse seems to always stress the importance of high agricultural yields. After coming to intern at an ecological farm, I discovered that a single plot of land can produce 10 to 20 varieties of vegetables, with output far exceeding the needs of a family of three — without any chemical fertilisers or pesticides. I was deeply shaken. I cannot help but ask: do we truly need this much pesticide and chemical fertiliser, to grow more than enough?

 

 

Intern Partner: Douli

” In the ordinary sense of the word, I am someone who can never sit still. I passed a gruelling qualification exam and then gave up on a PhD; I drew up grand plans in PowerPoint slides at a Fortune 500 company only to find them utterly meaningless; I crossed oceans to study ancient Greek philosophy and medieval theology… After all that restless searching, I unexpectedly found a long-lost sense of peace in the natural world.

Nature education allowed me to rediscover the beauty of the natural world and the wonder of life, and to recognise that I still need a long, devoted companionship with the land. Next I will be heading to Letian Haiwan Farm, hoping to put down roots in the earth and become a farmer who is willing and able to do the work.”

 

Intern Partner: Qiu Tian

Final-year student majoring in Chinese Language and Literature.

” Throughout my years of study, agriculture and the countryside have always been subjects I could not avoid. Whether through literary writing or Fei Xiaotong’s sociological observation of rural life, both have been windows through which I came to understand farming. I chose to intern at a farm in the hope of gaining a firsthand feel for agricultural production, and a more concrete understanding of the history behind the land and the countryside.”

 

 

5 Yuefengdao Organic Farm | Kunshan, Jiangsu

Yuefengdao Organic Farm was established with investment from Kunshan Urban Investment Group and holds the National-Level Ecological Farm designation. Covering 230 mu, it began operations in 2010 on the shores of Yangcheng Lake in Kunshan. It protects water sources through organic cultivation that is kind to the land, centres on maintaining soil health, and puts organic principles into practice. By employing landscape architecture design techniques, Yuefengdao integrates agriculture with landscape to build a comprehensive aquatic ecosystem and a rich terrestrial ecosystem, creating a composite landscape where farmland, vegetable plots, wetlands, woodland, and distinctive built areas coexist. Grounded in farming, Yuefengdao explores the ecological value of agriculture in depth, systematically organises local farming culture, produces educational materials for farming science outreach, and carries out a wide variety of farming education activities.

Ecological Farm Mentor Tang Yaozhong

Head of Production Technology at Yuefengdao Organic Farm, and a recognised local expert in organic rice cultivation. Manages production and daily operations across the entire site, leading the team to carry out production and management strictly in accordance with organic techniques while actively exploring sustainable ecological agriculture. Also liaises with research institutes within and beyond the province to collect and conserve local heirloom germplasm, screening varieties suited to local cultivation and promotion, such as Suyu glutinous rice, duck-blood glutinous rice, and local taro. Designs edible landscapes on the farm that blend education with enjoyment, collaborates with local schools and families to co-develop food and agriculture science courses. 

Intern Partner: yifan

” After graduating, I happened to enter the agricultural produce supply industry and wanted to understand the production side of the supply chain in greater depth. After reading posts from the intern partners who have already arrived on the farm, I am very much looking forward to the work and life ahead! I hope to learn knowledge and skills in sustainable, ecologically friendly agriculture, and to understand the local farming culture.”

 

 

 

Intern Partner: Liuyue

A city worker who grew up in an urban environment but harbours a dream of the adventure and grit of Iron Fist Dash. Hopes to build connections with real people, living creatures, and the land on a farm, while exploring a new way of life.

” I was first sparked by and drawn to agriculture and the countryside through overseas farming and rural reality programmes. But one day I suddenly realised that, living in a city as I do, I know next to nothing about agriculture here in China. Thinking about it carefully, that is actually quite a strange state of affairs. This time, interning at Yuefengdao Organic Farm, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of and experience in Chinese agriculture, and to do more in the future to support nature education, the countryside, and the environment.” 

Intern Partner: Riyao

Born in Nanchong, grew up in Guangzhou, and did not return to Chengdu until university. Currently a university student.

 

 

 

 

” I always feel that current professional education makes students’ thinking extremely specialised, narrowing the way they experience the world to a single channel, habituating them to passively receive knowledge, and severing the connections between things in their minds.

Agriculture is not something any single discipline can teach. In farm work, a person comes into far greater contact with the natural environment, needs to understand astronomy and geography, and also needs to cooperate with others — all of which make it an excellent counter to and remedy for the trend of over-specialisation in education. In the farm internship ahead, I look forward to more opportunities for self-education, and to exploring the nature of education itself.”

6 Liangliang Farm | Chengdu, Sichuan

The farm covers 30 mu. Its main cash crop is small yellow ginger, grown in rotation with vegetables, oil and grain crops, and green manure. Liangliang Farm is more than just a family-run ecological farm: it also encompasses the Aijiayuan Cooperative, a Farmer Field School, the Niujiaoyan Living Village Learning Centre, a children’s aesthetic education space, and a volunteer team for community children’s reading. The cooperative currently has two divisions in early operation: an agricultural machinery service team and a micro-store.

Ecological Farm Mentor Tang Liang

Born after 1985. Founder and manager of Liangliang Farm. Graduated from Southwest University in 2008 with a degree in biological sciences, then worked at a technology company in Chongqing. From 2011 to 2013, interned for two years at Little Donkey Community Farm and Fenxiang Shouhuo Ecological Farm. Returned to the countryside in 2013 to found Liangliang Family Farm, practising harmonious farming, bringing rural families together, and exploring a rural way of life closer to the essence of living things. In 2020, became a father and hopes, through his own hands, to create a vibrant home where his child can grow, exploring the building of local ecological communities and future rural living villages. Graduated from Chengdu Vocational College of Agricultural Science and Technology in 2023 with a second degree in horticultural technology.

Intern Partner: Liu Heng

A keen wanderer. Has worked as a food delivery rider, a guesthouse caretaker, a restaurant server, and a fruit tree production assistant on an organic farm. Currently working and staying in exchange for board and lodging at a Wogan mandarin herb garden in Guigang, Guangxi, and will soon head to Liangliang Farm in Chengdu for the internship.

 

 

 

 

” I started learning about ecological agriculture last year. At first I absorbed knowledge about material and energy cycles and soil through books, documentaries, and other secondhand sources, then experienced firsthand just how deep the subject really runs through working in organic fruit tree cultivation. A fruit tree, as a living thing, has so many marvellous and fascinating qualities, and connecting those qualities into a web deepens and refines one’s rough understanding, lending unexpected pleasure and a sense of meaning to what might otherwise seem repetitive and tedious labour.

Another important point is this: how, in a concrete situation, can one produce high-quality food in harmony with nature while still thinking about the big issues — pollution, climate change, and so on? Tackling such ‘big questions’ through ‘small actions’ keeps me from drifting into empty talk and lightness, and anchors me to do what I can, firmly and solidly.”

Intern Partner: Liu Biyu

Graduated in Russian. Loves nature, cares about the environment, and wants to learn more about the intersection of nature and agriculture.

” I grew up in a small town with a paddy field behind our house; the four seasons of that field hold so many of my childhood memories. Although I have been far from the countryside ever since middle school, and then spent four years at university in Beijing, I never quite get used to the bustling, noisy city — I long for a slower pace of life. I hope to get to know the land afresh at Liangliang Farm.” 

 

7 Yinlin Farm | Conghua, Guangzhou

Yinlin Farm was established in 2009 and covers over 70 mu. It began practising ecological cultivation in 2013. The farm focuses primarily on vegetable production and follows the natural order. Beyond eschewing pesticides, chemical fertilisers, and herbicides, it has consistently produced in ways that are kind to the soil, the environment, and people, using its own compost and grass-cover cultivation to improve soil health and biodiversity. As its scientific understanding of ecological agriculture has steadily deepened, Yinlin Farm has gradually built its own cultivation technique system, producing healthy, delicious ecological vegetables that have gained recognition with more and more people.

Ecological Farm Mentor Guo Rui

Graduated from South China Agricultural University in 2005 with a degree in biotechnology. Returned to his hometown to start a farm in 2009 and began practising ecological cultivation in 2013. Along the way, he studied courses on natural farming, biodynamic farming, and soil improvement, continuously learning and refining his ecological agriculture techniques. He hopes the farm can provide his family with a comfortable home and his children a joyful place to grow up, while offering consumers safe, healthy, and nourishing food.

 

Intern Partner: Li Weiwen

Freelancer, social worker, and practitioner of an organic lifestyle.

” I have been at Yinlin Farm for two weeks now. Life here is simple and full. Each day my work mainly involves out in the fields with the aunties, and lately raising seedlings and prompting germination in cucurbit crops. The work looks straightforward, but approaching it with questions and thought brings rich rewards. Observation matters too: every insect that appears on a crop forms a connection with it — what are their symbiotic relationships? What are their adversarial ones? The vast world of plants never bores me.” 

 

Intern Partner: Xinyi

” If I were to define myself by my previous work experience, I would probably be an untrained cook with very little experience.

I love the kitchen, but the way a commercial kitchen operates left me with so much confusion that it pushed me further and further from food. I must have looked dreadful every day in those days. After I resigned, I lay in bed for two weeks before I felt alive again. Now I want to head back to the earth — to learn new things directly from soil, plants, and farmers, to build connections, to open another lens through which to understand food, and to stock up on plenty of UV rays. I also want to practise paying attention, feeling, and savouring the present moment, slowly accumulating more energy…

Intern Partner: Mubai

Cares about people and the environment, exploring how humans can develop in harmony with nature, continuously learning and putting it into practice. 

 

 

 

 

” In a week, I experienced the huinantian — that heavy, clinging dampness peculiar to southern China’s tropical monsoon climate; watched unsold carrots rotting in the soil; noticed that flowering in some crops seemed to have been affected; and learned to raise seedlings, pollinate, pull weeds, turn the soil, and set up trellises. I stood facing the yellow earth, wondering why the vegetables had not yet grown, why the female and male flowers would not open at the same time. I spent other stretches sorting produce, tidying soil-damp vegetables into neat, pretty bunches.

In a week, I breathed in the scent of osmanthus, ate loquats, walked past lychee, longan, and wampee trees in flower, listened to the rain, sweated, and pulled weeds — and finally understood what “every grain is bitter toil” and “living at heaven’s table” truly mean. Agriculture really is a vast discipline!”

8 Yirun Farm | Guigang, Guangxi

Yirun Farm is located in Guigang, Guangxi. It covers 53 mu, with 40 mu of Wogan mandarins and 10 mu of Emperor mandarins grown using ecological methods, interplanted with lychee, banana, and local bamboo sugarcane. Rather than a conventional farm, it is more like an orchard of a hundred fruits.

Ecological Farm Mentor Yan Ping

 

To do something that can sustain myself and my family while also nurturing body and spirit — that was my original intention in returning to farming. My vision now is to sit quietly amid birdsong and the hum of insects, waiting for the harvest, and all of this is slowly taking shape through steady, down-to-earth effort. I wish more people could experience the feeling of letting loose in the embrace of Mother Earth, find joy in labour even as sweat pours down, regain our vitality and spirit through work, and make the atmosphere on the farm lighter and more joyful.

Intern Partner: Dawang

A woman from the ’80s generation, born and raised in the rural Central Plains. Over a decade ago, reading The One-Straw Revolution planted a seed in her — the desire to put natural farming into practice. After more than ten years of winding her way through the charity sector, that seed is finally ready to sprout ~ 

 

 

” I was fortunate to join Foodthink’s internship programme and arrived at Sister Yan Ping’s Happy Fruit Herb Garden. I have been at the farm for over two weeks now. Alongside farm work such as picking, sorting, and packing Wogan mandarins, mowing grass to lay as mulch on the spot, and sowing, I also followed our farm mentor, Sister Yan Ping, to the Nanning urban farmers’ market, practised broadcast transplanting in paddy fields, and learned to identify wild medicinal herbs in the orchard.

Sister Yan Ping’s openness and warmth let me experience, in every dimension, the real working and living life of an ecological farmer. Right now my overwhelming feelings are happiness and contentment. Ecological agriculture as a way of life, though full of difficulties and obstacles, will surely bring unexpected rewards if one is willing to trust the power of nature, act in step with the seasons, and not force things recklessly.”

Intern Partner: Hezi

Graduated in agricultural science and aspires to become a farmer deeply committed to ecological agriculture.

” The education I received before embodied ideas very different from ecological agriculture, and I am eager to understand the concrete, practical differences between ecological and conventional farming in the field. The farm internship has been both joyful and hard — there are stories to hear, but also Wogan mandarins to pick, weeds to pull, and compost to turn. Still, working together always feels lighter: when everyone does a little, things get done one step at a time. Going forward, I look forward to observing and learning more experience and knowledge on the farm.” 

9 Citan Village, Hainan | Haikou, Hainan

The farm’s main crops include Hainan juhong (30 mu), tiger milk mushroom (2 mu), and wild pomelo (3 mu). We make ecological compost from fruit peel and kitchen waste, improving the soil and boosting the yield and quality of tiger milk mushroom and Hainan juhong. The Hainan Provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports’ Coconut-tier village rating will also bring Citan Village road signs, waymarkers, and a comprehensive tourism map, presenting an entirely new, zero-pollution village to all.

Ecological Farm Mentor Hu Shize

Named among the Top Ten National Figures for Love of Hometown and recognised as a Nanhai Rural Talent. Born in September 1983 in Ding’an, Hainan, he graduated in 2006 from Yanshan University, a key national university. In 2002, he founded the Hainan Returning University Students Volunteer Team, which continues to operate today. In 2013, building on volunteer service, he began promoting community building in Citan Village. In 2015, he returned to Hainan from Shanghai to start a venture, establishing the Ding’an Xinzhu Citan Sightseeing Tourism Cooperative. The “Citan Model” has been reported in the People’s Daily, Guangming Daily, China Youth Daily, and other media, attracting attention from all sectors.

 

Intern Partner: Liudazhuo

A former cook, cruise-ship worker, and entrepreneur, now interning at Citan Village in Xinzhu Town, Ding’an County, on Hainan Island. 

 

 

 

” I have been at the farm for just over a week and tried my hand at plenty of farm work, but what left the deepest impression was weeding the pineapple field. It was brutally hard: even fully kitted out in protective gear, I still could not stop beggar’s tick, pineapple leaves, and the tall, sprawling mimosa from piercing me. I cannot help but exclaim — getting an ecological pineapple onto your plate is just too hard!

Hainan’s weather has entered a season of rain, rain, and more rain. Grass I have just pulled springs back with remarkable speed after a few downpours. It was then I suddenly understood why smallholders short on hands resort to herbicide. I truly wish there were a way to clear weeds that was not so physically draining yet still effective — perhaps that is just city folk’s laziness! I hope the next stretch of work and learning will bring fresh harvests.” Co-ordination: Xiaochao

Editing: Ze’en