An employee works at the Changyinsha Modern Agriculture Demonstration Park. [Photo/zjgonline.com.cn]
The Changyinsha Modern Agriculture Demonstration Park in Zhangjiagang, a county-level city in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, has been pursuing agricultural modernization.
Ruikang Animal Husbandry (Zhangjiagang) Co, which is located in the park and plans to market 58,000 pigs every year, is the largest pig farm in the city. As part of efforts to become more sustainable, the company has installed 1,200 meters of sewage pipes where pig manure is gathered and fermented to generate firedamp. The biogas slurry is transported to nearby wheat fields as fertilizers via pipes.
There is also an agricultural organic waste treatment facility in the park that can turn waste into humus, which is high-quality feed for earthworms. The factory can process 200,000 metric tons of waste and produce 100,000 tons of fodder and 120 tons of live earthworms per year.
Visitors can go on a sightseeing train to admire views in the agricultural park. [Photo/zjgonline.com.cn]
The park has also been making efforts to integrate agriculture with the culture and tourism industries. By taking advantage of its idyllic views and farming culture, four scenic spots in the park were recommended by the Suzhou government as high-quality rural tourist destinations. Several centers aimed at promoting knowledge about vegetable and fruit farming have also been built to attract students.
In addition, the park has taken measures to beautify its rural environment and used digital governance to benefit more residents, said Zhang Jin, a Party official at the park. For example, the Modern Agricultural Technology Demonstration Park, which is part of the Changyinsha park, can help increase the incomes of more than 600 villagers.