Quitting Jobs for the Farm: Two Young Teachers Explore Natural Living | Food Talk Vol. 40

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In this episode of Food Talk, host Xiaojing and Mei Ying from Foodthink sit down with two young people who have just completed their internship – Antian and Sanqi. Once young teachers who had both worked in nature education, they came to Yinlin Village in Guangdong to follow their dream of farming. Here, there is not only an ecological farm, but also a small community that has grown up around it.

Over the past six months, they worked on the farm alongside the local uncles and aunties – doing everything from hands-on planting to event planning – and even took over the farm’s café. They also had the chance to continue exploring nature education, supported by the farm’s unique ecosystem and community spirit.

More importantly, this experience has given them the confidence to return to the countryside and build a new life entirely on their own. In the future, they hope to head back to their hometowns, set up their own farms and carve out a space that is truly theirs – and that vision is gradually becoming a reality. Returning to rural life may come with plenty of challenges, but young people choosing to reconnect with the countryside and nature always feels full of promise. Click the link to listen to their story.

This Episode’s Guests

Antian

Head of Zaiye Life Farm and a new rural farmer. Hopes to create a new life with their own hands, planning to build a rammed earth house and an ecological toilet on the farm and to live a permaculture lifestyle.

 

 

 

 

Sanqi

A maker who loves nature and life, following their heart – loving to think, to record and to explore, delving into both the self and the world.

 

 

 

 

This Episode’s Hosts

Mei Ying

Foodthink project officer, happily rooted in Yunnan.

 

 

 

 

Xiaojing

Host of Food Talk, dying to grab a seasonal specialty drink at Yinlin Farm.

 

 

 

 

Timeline

00:05 Antian and Sanqi’s backgrounds in nature education and career change

03:05 Why the two chose Yinlin Farm, and a little hiccup on their road trip before the internship

08:00 Yinlin Farm basics and the pair’s day-to-day work

09:34 The farm’s main crops and the challenges of real-world cultivation

17:21 A lychee exhibition with no lychees, and a strangely-shaped potato exhibition: how to create moments of wonder in farm life?

22:12 Working alongside local farmers and picking up farming techniques

28:09 Beyond the fields: event-planning experiences and exploring nature education

36:18 Taking over the farm café and developing seasonal specialty drinks

44:22 Should an organic farm limit its yield? A discussion of Yinlin Farm’s business model

56:21 Reflections on village life and lessons drawn for future plans

Aerial drone view of Yinlin Farm.
Hand-pollination during a daily field patrol.
Tending a small plot they cleared themselves.
Yinlin Farm manager Guo Rui herding the geese.
First thing in the morning, learning how to plant and manage cucumbers from the head of the planting team.
Learning to operate farm machinery.
Getting ready for the rice-transplanting event.
Digging up potatoes was one of the most memorable farm tasks for Sanqi: “If digging up 10 kilos of potatoes is a pleasant surprise, 100 kilos is a delight, then digging up 1,000 kilos in a single day is an outright nightmare.”
Even amid backbreaking work, you can find a little joy – like this heart-shaped potato.
Collecting all the odd potatoes, Antian and Sanqi held a tiny “Strangely-Shaped Potato Exhibition” on the farm.
Shibashi (right), the dog Antian and Sanqi adopted, living the good life on the farm.
Antian, Sanqi and Shibashi.
A group photo taken before Antian and Sanqi left Yinlin Farm, with the treehouse they built together with the children rising behind them.

Further Reading

To follow Antian and Sanqi’s own farm – Zaiye Life Farm – take a look at their first published article: “The Way Home | Two Young Teachers’ Exploration of Rural Life After Leaving Their Jobs”

Ecological Agriculture Internship Programme

The Ecological Agriculture Internship Programme, run under the Lianhe Plan, was launched by Foodthink in 2021. It aims to support young people interested in ecological agriculture as well as established ecological farms, enabling young participants to gain practical farming knowledge and skills, while also capturing and passing on the experience of seasoned farmers. At the same time, the programme channels skilled talent into farms and brings fresh energy to rural communities.

To date, three rounds of recruitment have been completed, supporting over 60 participants in joining more than ten ecological farms across the country for internships ranging from three months to one year.

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Image credits: Antian, Sanqi

Edited by: Wang Hao

Podcast Production Team

Programme music: Banong

Coordination: Mei Ying

Production: Xiaojing

Podcast cover art: Wan Lin

Contact email: xiaojing@foodthink.cn

 

Published by Foodthink