Future Orchards

By Li Qing

Today， growing peaches has become a totally different business for Jia Yufu. The 65-year-old has been working in the industry for decades in Pinggu District， Beijing. Operating a 2，000-square-meter orchard， Jia had to manage every step in the process， from watering plants to fertilizing the soil， by himself—and by hand. It used to occupy him from early spring to late autumn every year.

However， the future orchard project with its advanced technologies initiated in recent years has relieved his burden. Progress in research has provided top-notch scientific guidance for the growing of highquality peaches， with machines replacing the most labor-intensive， strenuous tasks.

Located some 80 km northeast from downtown Beijing， Pinggus residents started growing peaches over 1，700 years ago. Thanks to its preferential natural conditions， Pinggu still functions as one of Chinas major peach growing areas， serving roughly 200 million kg peaches each year.

A pillar industry

In traditional Chinese culture， the peach is a symbol of longevity thanks to its rich nutrition. It also makes for the perfect birthday present for the elderly as part of Chinas traditional customs. Peaches from Pinggu became all the rage during the Ming and Qing dynasties （1368-1911）， when they were more often than not selected as royal tributes.

Compared to other florae， peach trees can bear fruits one year after planting， making them the ideal pick for Pinggus farmers back in the 1980s. According to local authorities， the output value of Pinggus peach planting industry amounted to 1.25 billion yuan （$193.3 million） in 2020， or a whopping 64.8 percent of the districts total agricultural output value.

Today， the district， with around 1，466 hectares of peach orchards， counts 100，000 peach farmers with an average age of 60. The fact that younger people prefer to try their luck in urban areas has left Pinggu with a severe greying problem.

Older residents have grown reluctant to engage in peach planting because its an exhausting business， Li Hua， Director of the Administration Office of Beijing Interconnect Agricultural Development Co. Ltd.， told Beijing Review.

Li moved to the area in 2016， when the industry was dominated by decentralized farming based on family units and thus not very risk-proof. “That created a vicious cycle， reaping smaller harvests， less profits and resulting in a declining motivation among farmers，” she said.