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

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In this episode of Food Talk, we connect remotely with five interns who participated in Foodthink’s ‘Lianhe Project’ to hear about their daily routines on the farm. These young people, hailing from all corners of the country, have successively headed to Lvwo Farm in Jingyang, Shaanxi, for their placements.

You might imagine farm life boils down to simply planting vegetables and weeding. In reality, it’s far from that. On a farm, you put your hand to everything: growing vegetables and seedlings, watering wheat fields and vegetable plots, planting chamomile, pruning and thinning fruit trees, clearing weeds; harvesting chamomile, roses and other flowers to make hydrosols or dry in the shade; learning to drive a tractor, applying green manure; handling dispatches, learning to drive a vehicle; tidying the workshop; working on the biscuit production line; manning a stall at the Ye de Life Market; learning to repair simple field equipment; foraging for wild edibles; brewing ferments, making compost and pickles; crafting basic furniture from scratch; patching village roads; attending Teacher Dahei’s classes on dynamic farming…

From dawn in the fields to late nights on the biscuit packaging line, the interns face countless unexpected challenges and reap their fair share of surprises. Not only do they get intimately acquainted with the soil, but they also try their hand at operating farm machinery and discover the unique “magic” behind Lvwo Farm’s ecological agriculture approach: green manure and dynamic farming. Together, these experiences shape a rich and varied placement. Leaving the city for the open countryside, each intern has gathered their own distinctive story. What personal growth have they each taken away from the experience?

If you are interested in ecological agriculture, rural living or hands-on placement experiences, this episode will offer you genuine and vivid insights. Click the link to listen along as they share their stories.

EPISODE GUESTS

Can Nao

Just passing through the world of organic agriculture

 

 

 

 

Cheng Jin

Intern at Lvwo Farm, currently learning the basics of improving soil through dynamic farming & finding his own rhythm, with a desire to keep working and living in the countryside

 

 

 

 

A Yue

Farmer accompanied by his dog, who finished his placement last year and is now a full-time staff member

 

 

 

 

 

Chang Hongliang

The official driver of the ‘Hongliang’, farmer accompanied by his dog #2

 

 

 

 

Ya

Enjoys weeding

 

 

 

 

EPISODE HOSTS

Mei Ying

Foodthink project officer, bursting with energy after just returning from Lvwo

 

 

 

 

Xiao Jing

Always wanted to visit the farm because she loves Lvwo’s chocolate biscuits. Didn’t expect to find a dog named ‘Biscuit’ there, which only made her want to go even more

 

 

 

 

TIMELINE

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

05:47 Experiencing the countryside and returning to it — why did everyone originally come to the farm for their placement?

09:58 Living on a farm, what time do you actually need to get up?

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

21:16 Lvwo Farm employs unique farming methods, such as green manure crop rotation. How did the interns adapt to the concept of “dynamic farming”?

40:47 How do city dwellers, accustomed to major tech firms’ SOP and OKR frameworks, view the operations of a farm?

42:24 What self-discovery and personal changes did the farm placement bring about, and will they continue working in agriculture?

48:02 Can farming also cultivate “philosophy”?

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

This year’s internship programme at Lüwo Farm in Xianyang, Shaanxi has seen a record intake of participants. The team has reached an all-time high, with friends from all corners of the country drawn by the promise of ‘dynamic farming’.
While inspecting the fields and checking the soil and green manure, farm mentor Da Hei captured a group photo with several interns that’s quality enough for a debut. From initially complaining about the hard graft to finding their rhythm and brimming with energy, the ‘Lüwo Dream Team’ was born.
At Lüwo, you can learn how to build carts.
Learn to drive a tractor.
Or DIY a wooden table and master a wide range of skills.
You can also learn to make natural enzymes, compost and pickles.
Picking dandelions.
After weeks of scorching heat, the rain finally arrived. Those out in the fields harvesting flowers were caught in an unexpected ‘rose rain’.
The whole team tackled weeding together. Everyone, including the dog ‘Biscuit’ who played supervisor, was completely exhausted and fell asleep the moment they lay down.
To ensure the long-term health of the soil, we sacrificed this season’s yield by harvesting all the crops in the greenhouse and the MAX Life Lab vegetable patch ahead of schedule.
The ‘J’ personality type, restless but determined, put together a daily work plan on a whiteboard that proved a real help for the group.
The burning question: why are there only four people on this episode’s cover? Because the fifth, A-Yue, has already transitioned from intern to full-time staff—and he’s now behind the camera!
The ‘Hongliang’ cart, built from the ground up by Lüwo Farm mentor Da Hei and intern Chang Hongliang.
Ecological Farming Internship Programme

Lianhe Project“Ecological Farming Internship Programme” was launched by Foodthink in 2021 to support young people keen on ecological farming, as well as established ecological farms. Through hands-on practice, young participants acquire agricultural knowledge and skills, while the experience of veteran farmers is documented and passed down. The initiative also supplies farms with highly skilled staff and brings renewed vitality to rural communities.

To date, three recruitment cycles have been completed, supporting over 60 participants across more than a dozen ecological farms nationwide, where they undertook internships lasting from three months to a year.

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All images in this post are provided by the guests

Podcast Production Team

Music: Banong

Produced by: Xiaojing

Podcast Cover Art: Wanlin

Editor: Wang Hao

Contact: xiaojing@foodthink.cn

Published by Foodthink