The Wu whanauCo-operative family farming in China's mountain rangelands

摘要

Family farming is a traditional way of life in China, where all aspects of rural living are woven into a rich cultural tapestry called village life. 2014 is Huangdi Year 4711: the lunar year of the Wood Horse begins on 1 February 2014. Huangdis lunaralmanac is the Chinese farmers way of measuring the farming year. During the Spring Festival they celebrate the beginning of the farming year. At the mid-autumn Mooncake Festival they celebrate the harvest. During these busy times, family members returnto their home villages to help. In 2003, while walking in mountains near the ancient Silk Trail gateway to the West, I came across the Wu family, a poor farming family living on steep slopes high above Louguantai in the Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi. This is the story of the Wu family farm in Qian-dong-ming village watershed. They use traditional organic, natural farming methods for their terrace gardens, food forests, tree crops, chickens and honey bees.