Little Donkey Farm
Exhibit Category / Catégorie de l'expo: Community & Knowledge
Location/Emplacement: XIJIAO, BEIJING, CHINA
Dates: 2008 - present
Designers/Concepteurs: Dapeng Sun, Hongyi Tao
Clients:
More Information/Plus d'informations: Hongyi Tao and Chao Wang
Image Credits/Crédits d'images: Hongyi Tao and Chao Wang
Project Description: (version française ci-dessous)
In April 2008, Little Donkey Farm was established to provide an alternative, organic food system that promoted an increasing awareness of sustainable practices. This came in the wake of Chinaâs concerns surrounding food safety scandals and fears of the overuse of pesticides and fertilizers. The farm is located in the natural area of Xijiao, near Beijing. The meticulously designed landscaping and infrastructure includes 30 m2 cultivation beds for residents to rent and farm as well as new woodland and parkland, to connect citizens with the community and experience the joys of farming. Design features include greenhouses with quilt coverings that roll down over the frame to keep heat inside at night, as well as other support buildings.
Little Donkey Farm was jointly created by the local government in Haidian District, Beijing, and Renmin University, to serve as an industry-university research base, building on a Renmin studentâs experience at a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm in the US. Covering almost 100 hectares, it is now being managed by the Green Ground Eco-Tech Centre of Beijing. The farm uses natural farming techniques, respecting biodiversity, following principles of combined farming and breeding, and emphasizing traditional agriculture and the transmission of rural knowledge. In 2012, another industry-university farm research base was promoted in Liulin Village, also in Haidian District, called âLittle Donkey-Liulin Community Farmâ, which explored CSA-type mutual-aid models for both rural and urban communities.
Little Donkey Farm aims to maximize the social benefits of the farm by disseminating the CSA model through China. These efforts have included since 2009: hosting an annual National CSA Conference, establishing a CSA Alliance, developing an organic farmersâ market in Beijing, building a national support network of ecological agriculture, and training over 100 new farmers who have developed other projects throughout the country.
With its increasing popularity among Beijing residents, Little Donkey Farm has now become a comprehensive agricultural development platform involved in many different programs, including: the production of fresh organic vegetables, marketing organic products, providing farmland rental services for citizens, demonstrations of ecological agriculture methods, hosting experiential visits, promoting social participation and recognition and community involvement, farmer training and nature education, technology research and development, environmental protection, theory research and policy advocacy. While the farmâs donkey is a mascot rather than a working farm animal, she symbolizes a movement â the return to sustainable, traditional methods close to the city.
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Description du Projet:
Avril 2008 marque lâouverture de la ferme Little Donkey. Son principal objectif a Ă©tĂ© de mettre sur pied un systĂšme alimentaire biologique alternatif qui favorisait une sensibilisation croissante aux pratiques durables. Ce projet est apparu dans le sillage des prĂ©occupations de la Chine suite Ă lâaccumulation des scandales de sĂ©curitĂ© alimentaire et aux craintes de surexploitation des pesticides et dâengrais chimiques. La ferme se trouve non loin de PĂ©kin, dans la Zone Naturelle de Xijiao. LâamĂ©nagement paysager et lâinfrastructure mĂ©ticuleusement conçus comprennent 30 m2 de surfaces cultivables louĂ©es aux habitants qui souhaitent entreprendre des activitĂ©s agricoles mais nâayant pas accĂšs au foncier, ainsi quâune forĂȘt et un parc, créés pour que les citoyens puissent tisser des liens avec la communautĂ© locale et faire lâexpĂ©rience des joies de lâagriculture. Les plantes sont cultivĂ©es dans des serres photovoltaĂŻques utilisant un revĂȘtement mĂ©tallique qui gĂ©nĂšre de lâĂ©lectricitĂ© et permet de maintenir la chaleur intĂ©rieure durant la nuit pour favoriser la croissance des plantes.
La Ferme Little Donkey a vu le jour grĂące Ă la collaboration entre lâadministration municipale de lâArrondissement de Haidian, sis Ă Pekin, et lâUniversitĂ© de Renmin. Elle a Ă©tĂ© créée pour servir de base Ă une recherche industrie-universitĂ©, en sâappuyant sur lâexpĂ©rience dâun Ă©tudiant de lâUniversitĂ© de Renmin dans une ferme dâAgriculture Soutenue par la CommunautĂ© (ASC) aux Ătats-Unis. Couvrant prĂšs de 100 hectares, elle est maintenant gĂ©rĂ©e par lâONG Green Ground Eco-Tech de PĂ©kin. La ferme utilise des techniques agricoles naturelles respectant la biodiversitĂ©, associant production animale et vĂ©gĂ©tale et mettant lâaccent sur lâagriculture traditionnelle et le transfert de savoir-faire rural. En 2012, un autre Ă©tablissement de recherche industrielle et universitaire baptisĂ© âLittle Donkey â Liulin Community Farmâ qui explore le systĂšme dâaide mutuelle de type ASC pour les communautĂ©s rurales et urbaines, a Ă©tĂ© mis en place dans le village de Liulin, situĂ© lui aussi dans lâArrondissement de Haidian.
La ferme Little Donkey vise Ă maximiser les avantages sociaux de la ferme en diffusant le modĂšle ASC Ă travers la Chine. Ces efforts incluent depuis 2009 lâorganisation dâune ConfĂ©rence Nationale annuelle autour de la thĂ©matique de lâASC, lâĂ©tablissement dâune alliance avec les autres initiatives dâASC, la mise en place dâun rĂ©seau dâagriculteurs biologiques des alentours de PĂ©kin permettant de faciliter la vente des produits, la crĂ©ation dâun rĂ©seau national dâappui Ă lâagriculture Ă©cologique et le renforcement de capacitĂ©s pour plus de 100 nouveaux agriculteurs qui ont dĂ©veloppĂ© dâautres projets dans tout le pays.
Avec sa popularitĂ© croissante parmi les rĂ©sidents de PĂ©kin, la ferme Little Donkey est aujourdâhui devenue une plateforme de dĂ©veloppement agricole complĂšte impliquĂ©e dans de nombreux programmes qui englobent la production et la commercialisation de produits biologiques frais, des prestations de services de location de terres agricoles aux paysans, des dĂ©monstrations des mĂ©thodes agricoles Ă©cologiques, lâhĂ©bergement de visites expĂ©rientielles, la promotion de la participation et de la reconnaissance sociale, lâimplication de la communautĂ©, lâoctroi de formations et lâĂ©ducation environnementale, la recherche et le dĂ©veloppement technologique, la protection environnementale, la recherche thĂ©orique et un plaidoyer auprĂšs des institutions politiques. Bien que lâĂąnesse de la ferme soit une mascotte plutĂŽt quâun animal de ferme actif, elle symbolise un mouvement - le retour Ă des mĂ©thodes traditionnelles et durables Ă proximitĂ© de la ville.
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