Sowing Wheat, Making Biscuits: Five Young People’s Farm Internship Diaries | Food Talk Vol. 41

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In this episode of Food Talk, we connected remotely with five interns on Foodthink’s Lianhe Programme to hear what keeps them busy on the farm each day. These young people, hailing from all corners of the country, took turns travelling to Lüwo Farm in Jingyang, Shaanxi, for their internships.

You might think farm life is simply about planting vegetables and pulling weeds. Nothing could be further from the truth — on a farm, you do a bit of everything: growing vegetables, raising seedlings, watering the wheat and vegetable plots, planting chamomile, pruning fruit trees and thinning fruit, clearing weeds; picking chamomile, roses and other flowers to make hydrosols or dry them in the shade; learning to drive a tractor, incorporating green manure; shipping orders, learning to drive; cleaning the workshop; working on the biscuit production line; staffing a stall at the Ye De Lifestyle Market; learning to repair simple field infrastructure; foraging wild greens; making fermented enzymes, compost and pickled vegetables; building simple furniture; repairing village roads; attending teacher Da Hei’s biodynamic farming classes…

From the fields at dawn to the biscuit-packing line late at night, the interns faced countless unexpected challenges and reaped all sorts of surprises. They came into close contact with the soil, operated farm machinery, and encountered Lüwo Farm’s unique “magic” in running ecological agriculture — green manure and biodynamic farming — all of which wove together their rich internship experience. From the city to the vast open fields, each intern accumulated their own unique story. What kind of growth did they each find along the way?

If you are interested in ecological agriculture, rural life or internship experiences, this episode offers you honest, vivid stories straight from the farm. Follow the link to listen in and hear what they have to say.

This Episode’s Guests

Cinao

Just casually drifted past organic agriculture

 

 

 

 

Cheng Jin

Lüwo Farm intern, currently learning the basics of improving soil through biodynamic farming & finding their own rhythm, hoping to keep working and living in the countryside

 

 

 

 

A Yue

Farmer with a dog who finished their internship last year and is now a full-time employee

 

 

 

 

 

Chang Hongliang

The real-life driver of the “Hongliang”, Farmer with a Dog 2

 

 

 

 

Ya

Likes pulling weeds

 

 

 

 

This Episode’s Hosts

Mei Ying

Foodthink project officer, brimming with energy after just returning from Lüwo

 

 

 

 

Xiao Jing

Loves Lüwo’s chocolate biscuits, so they’ve always wanted to visit the farm. Little did they know there was also a little dog named “Biscuit” there — even more reason to go!

 

 

 

 

Timeline

03:26 Accounting, translation, new media, building hydropower stations in the mountains of Indonesia… where do Lüwo Farm’s interns come from?

05:47 Experiencing the countryside and coming back to it — why did everyone choose to intern on a farm in the first place?

09:58 What time do you actually have to get up when you live on a farm?

18:32 From sowing wheat to making biscuits, how does the reality of farm work differ from what they first imagined?

21:16 Lüwo Farm has its own unique approach to farming, such as green manure rotation. How did the interns adapt to the philosophy of “biodynamic farming”?

40:47 How do city dwellers, used to the SOP and OKRs of big tech companies, view the running of a farm?

42:24 What self-awareness and changes has the farm internship brought? Will they continue working in agriculture?

48:02 Can farming really lead to “philosophy”?

52:49 How do you find a work–life balance? Is leaving the city for a farm enough?

Lüwo Farm in Xianyang, Shaanxi, has had a bumper year for interns — the largest team ever — with partners arriving from all corners of the country, all drawn by “biodynamic farming”.
Farm mentor Da Hei was showing a few interns around the fields, observing the soil and green manure, when this group photo was taken — the kind that could debut as an idol group. From initially complaining non-stop to adapting to the rhythm and bursting with energy, “the Lüwo Dream Team” was born.
At Lüwo, you can learn to build a vehicle.
Learn to drive a tractor.
Or DIY a wooden table, putting all your skills to good use.
Learn to make fermented enzymes, compost and pickled vegetables.
Picking dandelions.
After an extended heatwave, it finally rained — the friends picking flowers in the fields got an early soak in a “rose shower”.
Everyone was out weeding, and both the team and “Biscuit” (the dog) — who had been supervising — were so exhausted they fell asleep the moment they lay down.
To restore the soil in the long term, they gave up the current harvest and gathered all crops from the greenhouse and the MAX Life Lab vegetable plots ahead of schedule.
J-type Cinao never gives up, using a whiteboard to map out daily work plans — a real help for everyone.
Here’s a question: why are there only four young people on this episode’s cover image? Because A Yue, who has already been confirmed as a full-time employee, is the photographer!
The “Hongliang” — a vehicle created from scratch by Lüwo Farm mentor Da Hei and intern Chang Hongliang.
Ecological Agriculture Internship Programme

The Lianhe Programme’s “Ecological Agriculture Internship Programme” was launched by Foodthink in 2021, aiming to support young people interested in ecological agriculture and established ecological farms. It helps young people acquire practical farming knowledge and skills, summarises and passes down the experience of seasoned farmers, channels high-quality talent to farms, and breathes fresh life into rural communities.

To date, three rounds of recruitment have been completed, supporting over 60 partners who have taken up internships ranging from three months to a year at more than ten ecological farms across the country.

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All images in this article were provided by the guests

Podcast Production Team

Episode music: Banong

Production: Xiao Jing

Podcast cover: Wan Lin

Article editor: Wang Hao

Contact email: xiaojing@foodthink.cn

Published by Foodthink