9月4日,《CHINA DAILY》在“中非合作论坛”专版以《Agriculturalist, teacher cultivates ties with villagers》为题,报道了中国北方工业有限公司北方矿业拉米卡公司在刚果(金)开展农业种植培训,“授人以渔”帮助当地百姓解决吃菜难题的故事。
《CHINA DAILY》报道如下:
Agriculturalist, teacher cultivates ties with villagers
Wang
Gang (center) and local farmers display the soil in Lualaba, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo. [Photo provided to CHINA DAILY]
Wang
Gang is popular among residents of Pumpi, a remote village in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo's Lualaba province, because he is good
at planting and growing vegetables.
"Wang has not only taught me
how to prepare farmland, fertilize soil, grow seedlings and move growing
plants, but also given me knowledge about many types of Chinese
vegetables and their nutritional composition as well as cooking
methods," said Ilunga Germen Milongo.
Milongo, a homemaker, said
she likes Chinese vegetables because they taste good, adding that she
has obtained seeds from "the Chinese farm" that Wang heads, to grow
plants in her little garden at home to feed her family.
"I want
to thank Wang and the Chinese farm for teaching me planting skills and
putting an end to the villagers' shortage of vegetables," she said.
Wang, 45, who grew up in China's eastern Shandong province, studied cultivation at Qingdao Agricultural University.
Since
graduating in 2000, he has been in the farming business, with his work
including the management of vegetable greenhouses for a South Korean
agriculture company in Ulsan.
In late 2020, Wang heard that a
State-owned company wanted to recruit an employee capable of growing
vegetables in "infertile soil" in the DRC. He was curious about the job
and applied for an interview with Norin Mining Lamikal, a subsidiary of
China North Industries Corp.
"I was told about how difficult and
expensive it was to buy vegetables at the work site of Norin Mining
Lamikal in the village of Pumpi. They said that before me, some
employees at the company had tried to grow vegetables at the work site,
but all of their attempts failed.
"The information aroused my
interest and curiosity. I thought it was a real challenge and I didn't
believe that it was impossible to grow vegetables there," Wang recalled.
He was hired and sent to the Central African country in February 2021.
As soon as he arrived in Pumpi, he realized why he was needed.
Workers
at Norin Mining Lamikal only had imported rice, cabbage and a handful
of local vegetables for their dining table. Villagers ate corn and
cassava as their staple food, and their vegetables were restricted
mainly to cabbage and edible amaranth. "Many local families had
difficulties in getting enough food," Wang said.
The main problem
happened during the rainy season, when a large amount of organic matter
in the soil was washed away by rainwater. At the same time, local
people did not know how to fertilize their farmlands.
The first
remedial measure Wang took was to organize a team of 10 local employees
to search for alkaline organic soil in grasslands and forests
surrounding Pumpi.
After finding fertile soil, the team transported it back to newly established farmland in the village.
Wang
had reclaimed the land and fertilized it using the traditional Chinese
method of putting leaves and wood chips on the bottom, placing grass and
half-decomposed animal manure in the middle, and laying earth and
mature compost on the surface.
He also instructed local employees
on how to spread limestone powder and plant ash to fertilize the earth
and improve its suitability for new kinds of vegetables.
Since
then, Wang has worked with local employees to gradually expand the
farmland. It now covers about 1.33 hectares and has successfully grown a
wide variety of vegetables, including tomato, cucumber, eggplant, chili
pepper, lettuce, kidney beans and bitter gourd.
After achieving
his goal of supplying fresh vegetables for Norin Mining Lamikal
employees, the agriculturalist decided to share his knowledge and skills
with the villagers to help them ensure they have enough food.
Since
the end of 2022, a training program has been implemented in Pumpi,
offering free lessons to residents. Wang's company provides the seeds,
fertilizer and agricultural equipment, and program participants are
allowed to consume or sell what they produce.
"The villagers are
enthusiastic about taking part in the training because we teach them
everything needed for growing vegetables," he said, noting that more
than 1,000 people have graduated from the training program.
"I
will stay here in the near future because I want to help more local
people. We have begun to expand the training base and will introduce
more types of vegetables," he added.
Katanga Musola Gustave, a
villager with a large family who is a member of the training team, said
Wang is a very good teacher and respected by the locals.
He said
Wang has taught them basic knowledge and skills, how to choose suitable
soils and blend them, which sowing methods are fit for specific
vegetables, and ways to prevent and deal with plant diseases and insect
pests.
"Sometimes, when I find good soil, I take pictures and
send them to Wang to ask for his suggestions," he said, adding that Wang
was very patient and responsible.
来源/《CHINA DAILY》