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

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In this episode of “Food Talk”, we connect remotely with five interns participating in Foodthink’s “Lianhe Project” to hear about their daily lives on the farm. These young people, hailing from all walks of life, have travelled to Green Me Farm in Jingyang, Shaanxi, for their internships.

Do you think farm life is simply about planting vegetables and pulling weeds? It is far more than that; on the farm, you do everything: planting vegetables, raising seedlings, watering wheat and vegetable plots, planting chamomile, pruning and thinning fruit trees, and clearing weeds. They harvest chamomile and roses to create hydrosols or air-dry them; learn to drive tractors and apply green manure; handle shipping and learn to drive; clean the workshops; work on the biscuit production line; man the stalls at the “Ye de Life Market”; learn to repair simple field facilities; forage for wild herbs; make enzymes, compost, and pickles; build simple furniture; repair village roads; and attend Teacher Da Hei’s classes on biodynamic farming…

From the fields at dawn to the biscuit packaging line late at night, the interns faced many unexpected challenges and discovered various surprises. Their experience was shaped not only by close contact with the soil but also by operating farm machinery and discovering the unique “magic” of Green Me Farm’s ecological agriculture—green manure and biodynamic farming. Moving from the city to the vast open fields, each intern has gathered their own unique stories. What kind of personal growth have they experienced?

If you are interested in ecological agriculture, rural life, or internship experiences, this episode offers an authentic and vivid account. Click the link to listen to their stories.

Guest/s

Ci Rao

Just passing through the world of organic farming

 

 

 

 

Cheng Jin

Intern at Green Me Farm; currently learning how to improve soil through biodynamic farming and finding their own rhythm, with a desire to continue working and living in the countryside

 

 

 

 

A Yue

Completed their internship last year and became a full-time farmer with a dog

 

 

 

 

 

Chang Hongliang

Captain of the “Hongliang”号, farmer with a dog #2

 

 

 

 

Ya

Enjoys weeding

 

 

 

 

Host/s

Mei Ying

Foodthink project officer, full of energy after recently returning from Green Me

 

 

 

 

Xiao Jing

Loves Green Me’s chocolate biscuits, so they always wanted to visit the farm. Then they found out there is a puppy there also called “Biscuit”, which made them want to go even more

 

 

 

 

Timeline

03:26 Accountants, translators, new media professionals, and someone who built hydroelectric stations in the mountains of Indonesia… where do the interns at Green Me Farm come from?

05:47 Experiencing the countryside and returning to it—why did they decide to intern at the farm?

09:58 When living on a farm, what time do you actually have to wake up?

18:32 From planting wheat to making biscuits—how does the actual work on the farm differ from their initial expectations?

21:16 Green Me Farm uses unique methods, such as green manure crop rotation. How did the interns adapt to the philosophy of “biodynamic farming”?

40:47 How do city dwellers, accustomed to corporate SOPs and OKRs, view the operation of a farm?

42:24 What self-awareness and changes did the internship bring, and will they continue to work in agriculture?

48:02 Can you cultivate a “philosophy” through farming?

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

Lüwo Farm in Xianyang, Shaanxi had a bumper crop of interns this year, with team numbers hitting a record high as people from all corners of the country arrived in pursuit of “vital farming”.
While mentor Dahei was taking a few interns to inspect the soil and green manure, he captured a photo so picture-perfect they could have debuted as a group. From their initial groans of hardship to finding their rhythm and brimming with energy, the “Lüwo Dream Team” was born.
At Lüwo, you can learn how to build vehicles.
Learn to drive a tractor.
You can even DIY wooden tables, mastering a wide array of practical skills.
You can learn to make enzymes, compost and pickles.
Picking dandelions.
After a prolonged heatwave, the rain finally arrived, leaving those picking flowers in the fields to be drenched in a “rose rain”.
All hands on deck for weeding; everyone, including “Biscuit” the dog (acting as the foreman), was exhausted and fell fast asleep the moment they lay down.
To prioritise long-term soil restoration, immediate yields were sacrificed, and all crops in the greenhouses and the MAX Life Lab vegetable patches were harvested early.
The “J-type” personality couldn’t stand the lack of order and persisted, creating daily work plans on a whiteboard that proved incredibly helpful to everyone.
Here’s a question: why are there only four people on the cover of this episode? Because the fifth, A Yue, has since become a full-time employee and was the one taking the photo!
The “Hongliang”, created from scratch by Lüwo Farm mentor Dahei and intern Chang Hongliang.
Agroecological Internship Programme

The Lianhe Project (the “Agroecological Internship Programme”) was launched by Foodthink in 2021. It aims to support young people interested in agroecology as well as established agroecological farms, enabling the younger generation to master farming knowledge and techniques through hands-on practice, while ensuring the wisdom and experience of veteran farmers are documented and passed on. Simultaneously, it provides farms with high-calibre talent and injects new vitality into rural communities.

To date, three recruitment cycles have been completed, supporting over 60 participants in internships lasting between three months and a year across more than ten agroecological farms nationwide.

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All images in this article were provided by the guests

Podcast Production Team

Music: Ba Nong

Produced by: Xiaojing

Cover Art: Wan Lin

Article Editor: Wang Hao

Contact Email: xiaojing@foodthink.cn

Published by Foodthink