I, Qi Tongwei, will never yield, even if it means defeating fate by half a move.

Chapter 14 The Current State of Agriculture in Gushanling Township 2

Qi Tongwei did not see the "vegetable basket project" among the technologies he promoted at the agricultural technology station.

The "vegetable basket project" is led by the national agricultural department and involves establishing agricultural production bases in batches across the country.

This is a large-scale agricultural production management approach that specializes, scales up, and industrializes agricultural production.

In short, it's about solving the basic livelihood issue of ensuring everyone has enough vegetables and eats well.

Two years ago, in order to solve the shortage of agricultural and sideline products at the time, the national agricultural department proposed to carry out the "vegetable basket project".

This is a project that can not only help the country solve the development dilemma of agricultural and sideline products, but also help people solve the problem of their daily needs for agricultural and sideline products.

For the 8.3 residents of the 46 administrative villages in Gushanling Township, having plenty of vegetables is enough to fill their stomachs.

Although vegetables are not as filling as staple foods, at least you can eat your fill at mealtimes.

Moreover, vegetables are also quite nutritious, and can supplement nutrition and improve people's health.

Qi Tongwei believes that the "vegetable basket project" should also be promoted, encouraging the planting of vegetables such as Chinese cabbage, lettuce, eggplant, celery, leeks, bok choy, cucumber, pumpkin, ginger, scallions, garlic, asparagus, cilantro, spinach, daylily, and cauliflower.

Regarding cash crops, Qi Tongwei believes that chestnuts should be promoted, as they are delicious and filling.

Whether the soil is fertile or barren, it grows tenaciously.

As long as it is not damaged by humans, it can grow into a towering tree.

Gushanling Township has many mountains, which are very suitable for growing chestnuts.

Chestnuts have very high economic value, being rich in carbohydrates, with sugar and starch content as high as about 70%.

Surprisingly, chestnuts contain twice the starch of potatoes, and their carbohydrate content is comparable to that of grains.

Its calorie content is similar to that of staple foods such as flour and rice, providing the body with a relatively large amount of energy, and it can be used as a substitute for grains.

Chestnuts have the advantages of both wheat and soybeans, and are suitable for eating raw, stir-fried, steamed in cakes, or used in dishes.

Chestnuts have the effects of nourishing the stomach, strengthening the spleen, tonifying the kidneys, strengthening the waist, strengthening muscles and tendons, promoting blood circulation, stopping bleeding, reducing scars, and reducing swelling. They are especially beneficial for the elderly.

It can be used to treat symptoms such as lower back and knee weakness, leg weakness, frequent urination caused by kidney deficiency, chronic diarrhea caused by spleen and stomach deficiency, as well as external fractures, blood stasis and swelling, skin sores, and muscle and bone pain.

It plays an important role in maintaining the body's physiological functions and physical health.

Chestnuts are also rich in essential proteins and fats.

Chestnuts have a protein content close to that of flour and more than twice that of sweet potatoes. They also contain 17 kinds of amino acids, making them quite diverse.

Chestnuts contain lysine, threonine, tryptophan, methionine, and other amino acids that exceed FAO/WHO standards. Eating chestnuts can supplement the deficiency of limiting amino acids in cereals.

It helps to improve the deficiency of limiting amino acids in cereal foods.

Regular consumption of chestnuts plays an important role in improving people's nutritional status.

Chestnuts contain twice the fat of wheat flour or rice, and also contain unsaturated fatty acids, which can lower serum total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels.

It will not cause weight gain, making it very suitable for patients with hyperlipidemia.

Chestnuts are high in vitamin C, B vitamins, and carotene.

Chestnuts contain up to 24 milligrams of vitamin C per 100 grams, which is more than that of tomatoes, which are also rich in vitamin C, and more than five times that of fruits such as peaches, pears, and apples.

Meanwhile, the vitamin C in chestnuts is encapsulated in starch, so heating will not cause it to be lost.

Chestnuts contain four times more vitamin B2 than rice. They are also rich in folic acid, which can help prevent neural tube defects in the fetus during early pregnancy.

Chestnuts are also rich in minerals, including potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and manganese, with potassium being particularly high. These minerals work synergistically with other minerals to protect the heart and prevent high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar.

Chestnuts are rich in dietary fiber, which makes people feel full easily after eating them, slows down the absorption of glucose, promotes the binding of insulin to insulin receptors, enhances glucose metabolism, and maintains stable blood sugar levels.

Chestnuts have a wide range of uses.

Chestnuts can be eaten as a snack. In later generations, no matter when or where, there were people selling roasted chestnuts on the street.

Strolling through the city streets and alleys, you can often smell the aroma of roasted chestnuts.

The freshly roasted chestnuts have an enticing aroma.

Buy a bag, eat a few while they're hot, and the sweet chestnut flavor will fill your mouth. Kids will want more after they've eaten them all.

Therefore, chestnuts have become the most delicious snack for women and children to satisfy their cravings.

Chestnuts can be used as an important ingredient in meat dishes, such as braised oxtail with chestnuts, braised chicken with chestnuts, braised silver carp with chestnuts, and braised pork ribs with chestnuts, making them excellent delicacies for a feast.

Chestnuts can also be used to stew cured meat and stew pig's trotters. Adding a few jujubes creates another wonderful combination, further enhancing the color, aroma, and flavor.

Chestnuts can be combined with other candies and pastries to make desserts and cheeses, each releasing its own unique aroma. Chestnut shortbread is more chewy than other shortbreads.

Chestnut tree trunks can also be used to make furniture.

Chestnut wood is dense, hard, and heavy, similar in texture to rosewood, oak, and pine wood, making it an excellent material for high-end furniture.

People paint their furniture this color, simply called chestnut brown, which highlights a rich and warm base color.

After reviewing the technologies being promoted, Qi Tongwei then looked at the experimental projects undertaken by the agricultural technology station from the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and regional, municipal, and county-level agricultural research institutes.

The first is the rice-ditch fish farming system, which combines rice cultivation with fish farming to form a mutually beneficial agricultural ecosystem of rice and fish symbiosis.

Developing comprehensive utilization of paddy fields can increase farmers' income.

The second method is to cultivate dry seedlings. This involves making seedbeds on dry land, applying some superphosphate and a small amount of diluted manure, and then thoroughly watering them.

After the soil in the seedbed has dried, the soaked rice seeds are evenly sown on the seedbed.

Finally, cover the seeds with fine dry manure, fine soil, or fine moist mud (alluvial soil from riverbanks).

It shouldn't be too thick; just enough to cover the seeds completely.

Finally, bamboo strips are inserted on both sides of the seedbed to form an arch frame, and plastic film is used to cover the arch frame for insulation.

The third is the new type of solar greenhouse, used for growing off-season vegetables.

The fourth is micro-agriculture, which involves planting on rooftops, balconies, terraces, and in courtyards, combining horticulture with agronomy.

Utilizing the space of the ground soil to generate ecological benefits, agricultural technologies are becoming more advanced, cultivation models are becoming more soil-saving or soil-free, and products are becoming more aesthetically pleasing and self-sufficient.

The fifth is smart agriculture, also known as precision agriculture.

Smart agriculture includes digital sensing, intelligent decision-making, precision operations, and intelligent management.

The first four projects are progressing well, but they are relatively small in scale.

The last project made almost no progress, as Gushanling Township lacked the foundation for developing smart agriculture.