Yu Zhengming

Rizhao

Hi, my name is Yu Zhengming and I grow Organic Ginger here in Shizhuang, in the Shandong province in China. Furthermore, I run the factory where we collect, clean, sort and dry the ginger. Thanks for buying our product !

We have been growing our ginger for more than 30 years and we are happy with our natural lifestyle here in the village, which has not changed that much over the past decades. In the big Chinese cities it is very different but in here we work in our own rhythm, organically and in harmony with nature. The whole family is involved !
What I like most about my work is working with the soil, planting, smelling the earth, working in the field. We are proud that we are keeping the earth clean and we hope more and more farmers will join us, for the sake of the future of the planet.

N&M: Why and when did you switch to organic production ?
Yu Zhengming: More and more people are looking at quality of life, food that people put in their mouths plays an extremely important role. It makes much more sense to eat natural, organically grown ginger than ginger that has been grown with chemicals. Furthermore, when my father passed on the business to us, he wanted the business to be ready for the future. In 2010 we started preparing our business for organic production and in 2013 we received our organic certification.

N&M: What hurdles did you have to overcome when you switched to organic production?
Yu Zhengming: The most difficult was the change of focus. We were used to just have a look at the ginger plant but now we are organic farmers, we need to focus on much more. For example the soil, water, the birds, animals. Everything is interconnected when you farm in harmony with nature.

N&M: What do you see as the benefits of organic farming now?
Yu Zhengming: Keep the environment clean and supply excellent quality, safe ginger. Over the past years we have made some important steps forward. One good example is the fact that we nowadays produce our own compost.

N&M: What do you like most about your work?
Yu Zhengming: We like our planting on the planet and we like the smell of the earth when you work in the field. Besides we are proud that we keep our earth clean and we hope more and more people could do it with us for our future life together.

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soil

A healthy soil is very important when growing organic products and that is why we very much focus on this important resource. We produce our own compost on the farm using sheep manure and the ginger plant stalks. We also have a special crop rotation plan to allow the soil to recover after harvest. When it comes to water we use irrigation water which not only ensures we save water but also helps prevent soil loss through erosion.

biodiversity

Every organic farmer works closely with nature and that means creating an environment that allows nature to develop naturally. We work with beneficial insects and are planning to plant trees and hedgerows so these insects feel happy and at home.

To stimulate the diversity in flora and fauna, we are planning on planting special hedgerows around our fields.

society

To continue to be successful it is important to invest in your employees. We therefore regularly organize classes about organic agriculture and environmental protection. Furthermore, we want to share our experiences with other farmers in China and in the coming years we will particularly supporting farmers in the far west of China.

All our employees have written contracts indicating salary and work hours. Our employees are extremely important for us and we strongly believe in participation, communication and equal rights. Apart from contracts we also ask our employees to share their opinion with us and tell us what kind of work has their preference. Regarding woman, they receive the same wage as the men and we are always doing our best to find the best match between the worker and job. Regarding health and safety issues, we offer a learning class for health and safety every year.

climate

Compared to non organic ginger production, we have lower indirect energy costs. This is because we do not use pesticides and artificial fertilizers which need a tremendous amount of energy to be produced. We do however, use coal to heat our drying rooms but by ventilating well we ensure we make full use of this fuel. We realize that this is not ideal and are exploring solar power, hydro energy and wind energy to help us become more energy efficient and sustainable. We expect we will have solar energy within the next two years.

Compared to non organic ginger production, we have lower indirect C02 emissions. This is because we do not use artificial fertilizers. We do, however, use coal to heat our drying rooms, but by ventilating well we ensure we make full use of this fuel. Furthermore, our ginger is transported by ship which is a lot more CO2 efficient than air freight.

water

As mentioned, when it comes to water we use a drip irrigation system which not only ensures we save water but also helps prevent soil loss through erosion. Ginger does not have a very well developed root system and consequently are very sensitive and not able to uptake water easily. We use clean, underground water which is pumped out of a well to irrigate our fields.

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