Pilot Scheme for Protection and Development – Revival of Agricultural Heritage Village in China
Oxfam Hong Kong, 04-01-2017
Ni He Gou Village, Jia County, Shaanxi Province, China
Ni He Gou Village in Jia County, Shaanxi Province – located on the Loess Plateau – has a unique agricultural system. Its landscape has been affected by the thousand-year long cultivation of Chinese date trees, which has shaped the natural environment around it. However, similar to most villages like it in China, its abundant resources have not translated into resources for development. The villager’s livelihoods are fragile due to their single source of income – selling the fruit of date trees – which is heavily influenced by factors like weather and market demand/supply.
Of the 813 people living in the village, 560 live in poverty. And like most rural villages in China, the majority of the village’s young people have moved to the cities to make a living. They have left behind 153 people (111 are over 60 years old). With 1,100 ancient Chinese date trees (the oldest one being over 1,300 years old), Ni He Gou was listed in the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 2014. When the first journalist came to the village and talked about GIAHS, the villagers could neither pronounce the name properly nor explain what it means.
How can being listed in the GIAHS be a chance for the village to be lifted out of poverty? OHK and partner, Prof. Sun Qingzhong, member of the GIAHS Expert Committee of China Ministry of Agriculture, and his GIAHS team have been implementing a pilot project to explore a way to effectively and sustainably develop GIAHS villages through participatory cultural intervention and building links to external actors.
Participatory cultural intervention – preserving traditions and cultural values, and awakening collective memories
Developing these villagers’ pride in their heritage, and strengthening their sense of identity and affiliation to the village are crucial to empowering villagers to thrive in a way unique to their village. The research team thus visited the village and interviewed the villagers to help document, and revive their collective memory and village history. Villagers brought out old photos, antiques, such as the property certificates issued in 1810, dowry records from 1912, and a dowry box that has been passed down through generations. All tell a piece of history and hold warm memories. Villagers also shared the oral history that has been handed down from generation to generation, as well as what life is like now. These collective memories helped younger villagers learn more about their families and village.
With OHK’s support, three books on the history and culture of the village will be published. The dusty memories that were shared reconnected villagers on a deeper level. They are not passive people who are waiting to be saved from poverty, but are creators and owners of their history. Sharing these memories also created a greater sense of belonging, and ownership of the development and future of their village.
Connecting local community with external actors to mobilize change
Villagers discussing the future development of the village.
To further promote the concept of protecting and developing villages, OHK and its partner held the Ni He Gou Talk in the summer and winter, and invited experts – like professors and architects – to talk about how to protect villages’ landscape and culture, and develop their economy based on the traits of the village. Some of the younger villagers who worked outside of their villages came back to join the event and discuss the future development of Ni He Gou.
There is a public space close to the village entrance where people usually stand around, chat and find out about the latest gossip. But now, people have started to discuss the future of the village instead. A year ago, villagers found that the trademarks ‘thousand-year-old traditional date garden’ and ‘Ni He Gou’ had been unduly registered, so villagers decided to resolve the issue together. ‘It’s the very first time we’ve been concerned about this kind of thing,’ said Wu Xiaobin, the deputy village head. Their concern prompted the village committee to take legal action, and in the end, the registered trademark was cancelled.
Planning for their own future
To address the village’s needs, Xiaobin received support to visit Beijing Liang Shu Ming Reconstruction Center to receive training in areas like agricultural product design, eco-agriculture and establishing agricultural cooperatives through the project. ‘I feel the need to do something for this village,’ he said. With the support of Jia County Agriculture Bureau, Xiaobin built the first hostel in Ni He Gou in the hopes of establishing a successful model to promote red date tourism in the village. ‘The younger villagers are now considering coming back,’ said Xiaobin. Wu Jin, a 23-year old villager, said, ‘I hope our village will build bed and breakfast accommodation. Tourists can also come pick red dates, stay in the hostel and catch fish after the repair of the river bank.’
Villagers enjoying a show during the Ni He Gou Talk that was put together and performed by local villagers. ‘The show was beyond my expectation,’ said Prof. Sun.
With OHK and its partner’s support, Ni He Gou villagers founded community organisations, including a traditional date cooperative to further unite the village in the aspects of community life, cultural preservation and future development. OHK and the GIAHS research team will continue to provide more village leaders and active villagers with support to visit successful cooperatives, and facilitate the design of a three-year action plan with the support of experts. ‘What benefits could GIAHS bring to the village,’ asked young villager Wu Jin. She said, ‘There’s still no clear answer. But what’s different now is that we don’t have to wait and depend on others for answers – we act and seek answers ourselves.’
There are several villages like Ni He Gou that are located in ecologically fragile areas, and have long been steeped in poverty, but are rich in historical and cultural resources. China has been one of the leading drivers of agricultural heritage protection and development in the world. Based on this pilot project in Ni He Gou, OHK and its partner will produce an English and Chinese handbook in the latter half of this year. The handbook will outline the lessons that have been learnt in the area of heritage protection and sustainable livelihood development to benefit villages of a similar background.
Oxfam Hong Kong, 04-01-2017
Ni He Gou Village, Jia County, Shaanxi Province, China
Ni He Gou Village in Jia County, Shaanxi Province – located on the Loess Plateau – has a unique agricultural system. Its landscape has been affected by the thousand-year long cultivation of Chinese date trees, which has shaped the natural environment around it. However, similar to most villages like it in China, its abundant resources have not translated into resources for development. The villager’s livelihoods are fragile due to their single source of income – selling the fruit of date trees – which is heavily influenced by factors like weather and market demand/supply.
Of the 813 people living in the village, 560 live in poverty. And like most rural villages in China, the majority of the village’s young people have moved to the cities to make a living. They have left behind 153 people (111 are over 60 years old). With 1,100 ancient Chinese date trees (the oldest one being over 1,300 years old), Ni He Gou was listed in the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 2014. When the first journalist came to the village and talked about GIAHS, the villagers could neither pronounce the name properly nor explain what it means.
How can being listed in the GIAHS be a chance for the village to be lifted out of poverty? OHK and partner, Prof. Sun Qingzhong, member of the GIAHS Expert Committee of China Ministry of Agriculture, and his GIAHS team have been implementing a pilot project to explore a way to effectively and sustainably develop GIAHS villages through participatory cultural intervention and building links to external actors.
Participatory cultural intervention – preserving traditions and cultural values, and awakening collective memories
Developing these villagers’ pride in their heritage, and strengthening their sense of identity and affiliation to the village are crucial to empowering villagers to thrive in a way unique to their village. The research team thus visited the village and interviewed the villagers to help document, and revive their collective memory and village history. Villagers brought out old photos, antiques, such as the property certificates issued in 1810, dowry records from 1912, and a dowry box that has been passed down through generations. All tell a piece of history and hold warm memories. Villagers also shared the oral history that has been handed down from generation to generation, as well as what life is like now. These collective memories helped younger villagers learn more about their families and village.
With OHK’s support, three books on the history and culture of the village will be published. The dusty memories that were shared reconnected villagers on a deeper level. They are not passive people who are waiting to be saved from poverty, but are creators and owners of their history. Sharing these memories also created a greater sense of belonging, and ownership of the development and future of their village.
Connecting local community with external actors to mobilize change
Villagers discussing the future development of the village.
To further promote the concept of protecting and developing villages, OHK and its partner held the Ni He Gou Talk in the summer and winter, and invited experts – like professors and architects – to talk about how to protect villages’ landscape and culture, and develop their economy based on the traits of the village. Some of the younger villagers who worked outside of their villages came back to join the event and discuss the future development of Ni He Gou.
There is a public space close to the village entrance where people usually stand around, chat and find out about the latest gossip. But now, people have started to discuss the future of the village instead. A year ago, villagers found that the trademarks ‘thousand-year-old traditional date garden’ and ‘Ni He Gou’ had been unduly registered, so villagers decided to resolve the issue together. ‘It’s the very first time we’ve been concerned about this kind of thing,’ said Wu Xiaobin, the deputy village head. Their concern prompted the village committee to take legal action, and in the end, the registered trademark was cancelled.
Planning for their own future
To address the village’s needs, Xiaobin received support to visit Beijing Liang Shu Ming Reconstruction Center to receive training in areas like agricultural product design, eco-agriculture and establishing agricultural cooperatives through the project. ‘I feel the need to do something for this village,’ he said. With the support of Jia County Agriculture Bureau, Xiaobin built the first hostel in Ni He Gou in the hopes of establishing a successful model to promote red date tourism in the village. ‘The younger villagers are now considering coming back,’ said Xiaobin. Wu Jin, a 23-year old villager, said, ‘I hope our village will build bed and breakfast accommodation. Tourists can also come pick red dates, stay in the hostel and catch fish after the repair of the river bank.’
Villagers enjoying a show during the Ni He Gou Talk that was put together and performed by local villagers. ‘The show was beyond my expectation,’ said Prof. Sun.
With OHK and its partner’s support, Ni He Gou villagers founded community organisations, including a traditional date cooperative to further unite the village in the aspects of community life, cultural preservation and future development. OHK and the GIAHS research team will continue to provide more village leaders and active villagers with support to visit successful cooperatives, and facilitate the design of a three-year action plan with the support of experts. ‘What benefits could GIAHS bring to the village,’ asked young villager Wu Jin. She said, ‘There’s still no clear answer. But what’s different now is that we don’t have to wait and depend on others for answers – we act and seek answers ourselves.’
There are several villages like Ni He Gou that are located in ecologically fragile areas, and have long been steeped in poverty, but are rich in historical and cultural resources. China has been one of the leading drivers of agricultural heritage protection and development in the world. Based on this pilot project in Ni He Gou, OHK and its partner will produce an English and Chinese handbook in the latter half of this year. The handbook will outline the lessons that have been learnt in the area of heritage protection and sustainable livelihood development to benefit villages of a similar background.
