How many skills must a Gen Z novice master at an eco-farm?

On my first day at the farm, under Teacher Yuan’s guidance and alongside the child of another farm member, I took part in the entire process of building a wooden rack, from deciding on the design to cutting the timber and nailing it all together. The farm’s weed trimmer also seemed to be in a constant state of breaking and being fixed; during the busy weeding season, the tiny tool shed was transformed into a makeshift repair shop, where Teacher Yuan could be seen every day, head down, immersed in his ‘repairs’.

One day in April, a freak gust of wind tore away a large section of the main wooden house’s roof. Everyone joined forces, and without any ‘professionals’ involved, we managed to repair it. This was my first time attempting to climb onto a roof to drive nails. At first, I was completely terrified of the ladder, but once I mastered the technique, I could climb up and down with more composure, though my legs still shook with fear.

Reflecting on these three months at the farm, alongside these various ‘repair jobs’, I’ve also tried my hand at many other things. Regarding the farm’s decoration, I helped update and paint the signposts and painted the tyres. I also tried many things I’d long wanted to do but never had the chance: sowing herbal medicine seedlings with the others, and transplanting maize and bean seedlings; making mugwort and mint balm and mosquito repellent; watching hydroponic seeds gradually sprout; brewing kombucha; and making baozi and baking croissants.

Through this labour, my awareness of the physical environment around me has become more acute. I remember most vividly a hot composting system in the farm’s western zone; circular pipes are buried inside, and the heat generated by the composting warms the water, meaning the water flowing from the external tap is hot. At the time, I thought this concept and design were incredibly clever. I later learned that because the farm follows the principles of Permaculture and Natural Farming, the design focuses on the self-circulating flow between the farm’s physical elements.

The highlight of my three months at the farm was undoubtedly spending time with the animals. In the early days, my favourite pastime was simply watching the sheep eat. I would watch as the grass slowly disappeared into their mouths, listening to the crisp sound of them munching on carrots and stem lettuce. After a flurry of grazing with their heads down, a distinct gap would appear in the middle of a patch of alfalfa. I found the whole process fascinating and could often stare at them for ages.

Later, I began to notice which wild grasses they preferred. Sometimes, while weeding nearby, I would spot a particular plant and make a special trip to feed it to the sheep before returning to my work. Eventually, I started observing the lambs nursing; when they hit the milk, they would wag their tails vigorously with joy, not unlike a happy puppy.

There are indeed several dogs on the farm, and after spending time with them, I realised they each have their own distinct personality. One thing they all have in common, however, is that every morning, looking out through the glass doors, I could see them lying nearby. The moment I pushed the door open, they would snap their heads up and come running towards me, tails wagging.

Halfway through my internship, the wild grass within the sheep pen became insufficient, and as the season changed and weeds began to grow wildly elsewhere on the farm, we had to start leading the sheep out to graze. When I first started this task, I was eager every morning to lead them out, which usually resulted in a spirited game of tug-of-war with some of the more stubborn ewes.

These animals are incredibly vivid and full of life; sometimes, the obstacles humans create are nothing to them. The ram would repeatedly snap his rope to leap into the ewes’ pen, and the lambs always found a way to slip through the fence to nibble on the chilli seedlings in someone’s vegetable plot. The newly arrived ducks frequently scaled fences we thought were inescapable, only to reappear in a roadside ditch just as everyone assumed they were lost. Even the passing raccoon dogs always managed to bypass the traps and sneak into the chicken coop for a feast.

For four or five days in early June, the farm suffered a continuous onslaught of mice. They had somehow managed to get inside the walls; every day, I was woken up by my phone at 4:20 or 4:30 am—their punctual start-of-work time. In the end, unable to best the mice, we humans simply had to start going to bed earlier to cope.

IV. The Courage to Explore the Future

Of course, life at the farm for three months wasn’t entirely idyllic. For instance, there was the issue of food waste following certain events. Even if the vegetables were wonderful because they were grown organically, once they were turned into dishes and thrown away because they weren’t finished, they were treated like any other ordinary vegetable; no one felt a shred of regret for them.

Yet, the vegetables themselves are beautiful, and being able to get such high-quality produce to more people is a joy. Therefore, alongside my daily farm chores, I loved working at the market stalls. I loved the feeling of communicating with others and the happiness of seeing things I value being appreciated by others. It is worth noting that for many years prior, even the idea of speaking to a stranger was something that terrified me.

Working at the farm and the market seemed to create an environment that allowed me to open up. Even I was surprised by this transformation. From this perspective, the farm truly offered me a wealth of possibilities. Here, I could be bold enough to admit the things I couldn’t or wouldn’t do, while testing which things I *could* attempt and achieve. Before coming to the farm, I was wandering aimlessly, trying to figure out my next steps in life. I still cannot say I have found a specific direction, but these three months have at least given me more courage to explore the future.

Foodthink Author

Orange

Gen Z, still in a period of uncertainty regarding their life path two years after graduating from university. Hoping to learn cultivation techniques at the farm, explore ecological agriculture, get closer to the land, and gain a more detailed understanding of the entire process of food moving from the soil to the table.

 

 

 

Eco-Agricultural Internship Programme

The “Eco-Agricultural Internship Programme” under the Lianhe Initiative was launched by Foodthink in 2021. It aims to provide support for young people interested in ecological agriculture and for established eco-farms, enabling the youth to master farming knowledge and techniques through practice, while ensuring that the experience of veteran farmers is codified and passed down. Simultaneously, it provides farms with high-quality talent and injects vitality into rural communities.

To date, four recruitment cycles have been completed, supporting over 60 partners in joining more than ten eco-farms across the country for internships ranging from three months to one year.

Unless otherwise stated, all photos were taken by the author

Editor: Zheng Yuyang