Two worlds collide in rising agricultural tourism sector
F l e e i n g f r o m B e i j i n g ’s downtown on the weekend, more and more people are choosing to visit the farms scattered throughout Beijing’s suburbs.
After two hours of driving, they arrive at the farms to taste the freshest vegetables and fruits and recall their remote childhood in the country.
Some of them come with their children, recounting stories of their charmed upbringing and offering tips on developing green fingers..
However, the concept of a “smart farm” offers so much more than the farms of yesteryear.
On some farms, tourists can simultaneously experience cutting-edge agricultural technologies applied to their growing processes.
COFCO Farm, in a central part of China Agricultural Ecology Valley in Fangshan district, covers 78.5 hectares. Owned by COFCO, a Chinese leader in agricultural business, the first phase of the farm was finished with an investment of 380 million yuan ($55.65 million).
In its smart agriculture display hall, tourists can view a multi-layer rotary light planting system, where 2,260 cultivated baskets hang on eight automatic tracks. Each plant is watered according to the calculation of computer programs.
Water culture technology uses floating plates to grow plants in a nutrient solution. Through a customized water cycle system and accurate fertilizer distribution system, the plants are growing in a completely controlled environment.
In its artificially-lit planti n g f a c t o r y, L E D lights completely replace natural light. Special customized red and blue lights also help to improve growth.
“COFCO Farm is a very good example for agricultural enterprises upgrading their business for high-end tourism. It paves the way for Beijing’s new direction for the tourism industry,” Xiu Yuchen, a visitor there said. “I will definitely come back again.”
On Children’s Day in 2016, the COFCO Farm organized colorful activities for parents and children, where they picked up fresh vegetables and fruits, decorated their own containers of succulent plants and played with cartoon performers.
“After a whole week of busy days, the most desirable thing for the citizens is to enjoy leisure time in rural areas,” said Lin Ran, a deputy department director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Rural Affairs.
More than 22.5 million visits were made to agricultural tourist destinations last year, roughly equivalent to Beijing’s permanent residents’ population.
Up to now, the total number of agricultural sightseeing parks has reached 1,246, according to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Rural Affairs.
Beijing has seven districts that were named national leisure agriculture and rural tourism demonstration areas including Fangshan, Daxing, Huairou, Pinggu, Yanqing and Miyun. Beijing also contains 14 beautiful Chinese leisure villages.
T he large-scale conferences held in Beijing also boost the local agricultural economy, Lin said.
In the past year, Beijing has constantly held celebration events and international agricultural exhibitions such as the World Strawberry Convention, Seed Convention, Grape Convention and Potato Convention.
L a s t y e a r, t h e f o u r t h Beijing Agricultural Carnival took place in Changping district, which attracted more than 1.3 million visits and generated 60.7 million yuan in income from tickets.
Beijing has shifted from ‘concentrated resource-driven growth’ to ‘decentralized and efficiency-driven growth’.”