The “Fish & Duck Symbiotic Field” requires no pesticides—little ducks help eat pests and weeds in an eco-friendly way!

Reported by Lin Yuling / Yilan

Yilan County has long promoted environmentally friendly and healthy “organic farmland.” In Xingjian Village, Sanyi Township, a young farmer named Chen Guozhong tried implementing a “Fish & Duck Symbiotic Field” for the first time this year on his ancestral plot of land, allowing fish, ducks, and white bamboo shoots to coexist in the same field following the natural food chain. Tilapia help loosen and aerate the soil, while ducks eat pests and remove weeds—resulting in particularly sweet and delicious white bamboo shoots!

▲ Ducks playing in the paddy fields help eat pests and remove weeds. (Photo / Reporter Lin Yuling)

%汲鹿?勇氏仁匝椤坝沱J鸭共生田”. (Photo / Reporter Lin Yuling)
Chen Guozhong is one of the few success stories of young people returning to their rural hometowns. He single-handedly tends to the 6-acre plot of land left by his ancestors. Four years ago, he was influenced by Zhang Mei, a former village chief in her 60s known as the “Super Grandma,” and began growing organic rice without using pesticides. This year marks the fourth year Chen has cultivated organic rice, and the third year for organic white bamboo shoots.

Before starting the “Fish & Duck Symbiotic Field” experiment, Yilan had already been running organic rice-duck fields for over 20 years. Two years ago, Chen Guozhong tried the “Fish Symbiotic Field.” Normally, white bamboo shoots are spaced 60 cm apart, but he increased the spacing to 150 cm and raised tilapia. As a result, the harmful apple snails were effectively eliminated, and loaches returned to the field.

Compared to nearby fields, Chen’s paddy fields attract notably more swallows flying overhead to help eliminate pests—clear signs of a particularly vibrant and healthy field. The resulting white bamboo shoots are indeed especially sweet and tasty. Therefore, in 2013, he decided to experiment with the “Fish & Duck Symbiotic Field,” allowing three forms of life to coexist according to natural laws, further revitalizing the land.

In this 2-acre demonstration Fish & Duck Symbiotic Field, Chen released thousands of tilapia to loosen and aerate the soil. He also raised around 50 ducks to help remove weeds and pests. Without using pesticides and following natural ecological principles, the white bamboo shoots grown here will be particularly sweet and delicious. If the trial proves successful, he plans to guide more fields to adopt this method.

▲ Chen Guozhong waves his arms and shouts “Duck, duck, duck...” to drive the little ducks back to their coop to prevent them from getting cold. (Photo / Reporter Lin Yuling)

Xingjian Village can now be called an “organic village.” “Xingjian Rice” and other agricultural products are gradually gaining recognition. This is largely thanks to the efforts of former village chief Zhang Mei, which have allowed farmers to earn a better income while everyone eats healthier. However, not every household here grows organic fields. Starting with about 11 pioneering farmers, there are now 16 farmers and 22 hectares of farmland involved in organic farming. Those who have joined organic cultivation have no regrets, even saying, “Now I’m even afraid of the smell of pesticides!”

However, this “organic initiative” once clashed with pesticide suppliers and also faced difficulties selling agricultural products due to lack of marketing channels. Later, with the help of Yilan County Government and organizations like “Buy Directly From Farmers,” they overcame multiple challenges, gaining strong support from netizens and quickly selling out their organic rice. Last year, there was even an incident where the promotional “Straw Totoro” figure was allegedly maliciously burned. The “Xingjian Organic Dream Village” continues to grow and participated in the 2013 Green Expo to promote the “Organic Lifestyle Recognition Card.” They still need our continued support.

%汲鹿?拥背蹙褪鞘艿健俺?洞宄ぁ闭琶溃ㄗ螅┑挠跋欤?尤朐灾钟谢?┨锏男辛小＃ㄍ迹?钦吡钟?鄙悖┘/strong>

※ Facebook page of Xingjian Organic Dream Village