KOCHI:"Rural China is more aged than urban China, could be because of the low birth rate," said Jiang Yifan from China. A f..
KOCHI:"Rural China is more aged than urban China, could be because of the low birth rate," said Jiang Yifan from China.
A fierce advocate of organic farming in China, Yifan has been part of a widely discussed network of farmers and consumers the Nonghao Farmers Market.Yifan is in Kochi as part of his visits to organic farming fields across the world.
Speaking to Express he narrated how a group of social activists emerged with a network to connect the farmers and the consumers.The network organised markets at different places where producers (farmers) and consumers meet each other and share their concerns and experiences.The farmers markets received wide response and feedback. "When we organised Beijing market, people thought it would be possible only for a small group of people. But from Shanghai market, it became a major success. Initially only 300 people were there, which later became 2,500 in the last market."An incident of farmer suicide owing to fluctuation in vegetable prices has created lot of discussions in the market. Similarly, there were issues related to the quality and purity of certain food products. And finally, was it an easy task for a bunch of youngsters to come up with a social grouping in a country like China? "Frankly, so far we had no direct encounter with the state. We haven't applied for a licence too. We try not to be very agitating. It is the logic of bringing sociodevelopment in China," he signs off.
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