法国工程师嵩明种地：这是享受理想生活的地方 | French Engineer Farming in Songming

Walking into Martin’s berry base in Longyuan Village, Songyang Town, Songming County, Kunming, Yunnan, you will be impressed by the sound environment and numerous birds. Although it is still a bit chilly outside, it is already full of spring in Martin’s blueberry nursery greenhouse. The blueberries in the demonstration greenhouse have become a delicacy for the birds nearby.

Martin Dabilly a French agricultural engineer, came to Yunnan, China, 16 years ago. Since then, his unique life and career have unfolded here. He planted raspberries at the very beginning, and now he focuses on blueberry cultivation. Martin said, “What attracted me was the pleasant climate and the agreeable ecology. This is where I enjoy my ideal life.”

In 2006, when Martin came to China on a business trip, he found that raspberries which were frequently seen in the European market were hard to find in the Chinese market.

“Raspberries are rich in vitamins and of high nutritional value. Why not introduce raspberries into the Chinese market?” Martin began to look for a place suitable to grow raspberries. When he passed through Songming, he found that it boasted a pleasant climate, an agreeable ecological environment, flat terrain, and convenient transportation as it’s close to Kunming Airport. Martin decided to locate his raspberry base in Longyuan Village, which is about 10 kilometers away from Songming County.

“I came here to Yunnan because of its pleasant climate,” Martin recalled. Raspberry planting has high requirements for the environment as it needs sufficient sunlight and a suitable temperature. In addition, as rinsing will wash away the fruit powder with high nutritional value on the surface, it is best not to wash fresh raspberry before eating. It, therefore, requests high air quality. Longyuan Village meets these requirements. In addition to its sound environmental conditions, the local authority also attaches great importance to green and sustainable development.

“Will the foreigner really farm in China?” At first, villagers nearby were all curious about the “foreign farmer” who could come from afar and could only speak a few words of Chinese. The first thing Martin did was to make windbreaks by planting trees such as fast-growing eucalyptus trees as well as walnut trees, sweet-scented osmanthus trees, cherry trees...All kinds of trees that provided abundant food for the surrounding insects and birds, made a healthy ecological system for the base.

After that, raspberry saplings were planted. Instead of adopting the planting model of “watering and fertilizing”, he chose precise irrigation, which improved the utilization rate of water resources and guaranteed the soil quality of the farmland to the utmost extent. The saplings have grown up, and Martin’s greenhouses have attracted more and more people. Villagers often come to him for “tree planting tips.”

“His approach is in line with the concept of green development that has been promoted locally,” Huang Jianwei, deputy director of Songyang Sub-district of Songming County, said. According to him, local farmers built ordinary greenhouses in the past and adopted extensive planting methods, leaving many chemical fertilizers and pesticides in the soil. It damaged both the environment and the economic benefits. To make improvements, the government made great efforts to help villagers change their production methods with a variety of policies and financial support. More and more greenhouses started to use degradable films and organic fertilizers.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the export of raspberries was affected to some extent. After analyzing the market, Martin adjusted the production in the base in time and turned to focus on blueberry seedlings.

Walking through the rolling blueberry seedlings, Martin squatted down from time to time to check the growth of the seedlings. “Our blueberry seedlings are mainly for the winter market.” Martin pointed to the map of Yunnan on the wall and circled the green part in the south of Yunnan, “Our potential clients are right here.”

According to data from the Yunnan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yunnan has become the core production area for domestic berry cultivation in recent years. In 2020, the blueberry planting area in Yunnan Province registered 101,200 mu, accounting for 9.5% of the total in the country. And its production hit 35,000 tons, accounting for 17.5% of the national total.

Since its establishment, Martin’s Yunnan Meiming Agricultural Co., Ltd. has seen an increase in performance year by year. Last year, he applied for patent protection for six blueberry seedling varieties he cultivated, including Malibu122, which attracted many cooperating merchants. Now, the planting area of his partners has exceeded 6,000 mu. “Growing berries is not just a job, it’s a career.”

“The quality of berries depends not only on sound climatic conditions, but also on scientific management.” During the planting process, Martin attaches great importance to environmental protection and safety. Fearing that the pesticides would harm the pollinating bumblebees or leave residues, he tested all the pesticides he bought before using them. Songyang Sub-district also checks the cold storage as well as pesticide and seed stores within its jurisdiction quarterly, to ensure that farmers can buy reliable agricultural materials. In addition, the local authority has made continuous efforts to enhance water environment management, and replanted rice crops successively on both sides of the river to improve water quality through natural purification. In addition, the government also conducts regular tests on soil and farmland irrigation water to guarantee the soil and water quality.

In Longyuan Village, when the villagers meet Martin, they all greeted him, Ma Laoban!

Over 30 workers are working in Martin’s berry base, and are all villagers who live nearby. When the base began to prosper, they came to apply for jobs. To train the farmers, Martin called a meeting and explained on the spot from time to time. Soon, the villagers could not only identify the ripeness of the fruit, but also quickly completed picking and packaging. “They’re almost berry picking experts now,” said Martin happily.

In the past ten years, led by the local party committee and government, Longyuan Village has been forging characteristic industries while developing the planting industry. Striving to meet the goal of “one village, one characteristic product”, it has been enhancing support for potential enterprises and products to drive the development of the local economy.

With the development of the industry, people’s lives are getting better and better. “In the past, many people in the village lived in earthen houses, and they came to work on foot. Now, most people have built small buildings and drive cars. I’m glad to witness the changes in the village.” Martin said.

In his spare time, Martin loves cycling. Every week, he rides with his friends in the surrounding mountains and forests. He loves the mountains, trees, greenery, and vitality here. His wife and three children, who live in Kunming, like to come to the base on weekends. The children like to pick fruit and play with mud here.

Before the interview came to an end, Martin picked a few blueberries and invited the journalist to taste. Sweet fruity aroma with a slightly sour taste bloomed on the tip of the tongue. “It’s still a little sour, isn’t it? Take your time. It will be sweeter after a while!”