By outdoor-nature-child.com In the expansive landscape of Inner Mongolia, October often marks the season of harvest. Stepping into Shage Duzhai Village in the Zhaojun Town of Ordos City’s Dala Town region, what was once a daunting expanse of barren, saline soil has transformed into a thriving sea of golden rice fields stretching over thousands of acres. As the crisp autumn breeze sways the heavy rice ears, it seems to tell the story of this land’s remarkable transformation.
Recently, the “A Thousand Autumns and a River’s Vast Tide” online initiative kicked off in Inner Mongolia, and I had the opportunity to join the press tour to explore this extraordinary journey of transforming saline land into a rice granary.
Years ago, the village struggled due to its location on the south bank of the Yellow River, where the proximity to the river led to extensive land salinization from flooding. Compounded by frequent flooding, villagers often toiled for a whole year, only to reap meager rewards.
“Back then, we planted wheat, but the soil was so saline that our sunflowers and wheat often wouldn’t even sprout. About 80% of the villagers left to work elsewhere,” reflected Li Qingyun, the village party secretary, as he reminisced about the past with a mix of nostalgia and sorrow.
To change the tide, the village launched an initiative to develop its saline land for agriculture. After thorough research, they boldly decided to cultivate rice on these seemingly barren soils.
However, the path to transformation was fraught with challenges. “At first, the villagers were skeptical and only attempted small-scale planting, not daring to hope for much. To our surprise, after years of experimentation, we not only managed to grow rice but it thrived!” Li Qingyun shared, his pride evident.
Today, the rice planting area in Shage Duzhai Village has grown from several hundred acres to over 20,000, turning what was once an overlooked plot of saline soil into a flourishing rice-producing region.
In 2023, Zhaojun Town adopted a cooperative land management model led by party initiatives, using Shage Duzhai as a pilot. With support from rice planting cooperatives, farmers pooled their land for unified planning and cultivation, enabling large-scale, standardized, and industrialized rice farming, thus boosting farmers’ incomes.
“The cooperative provides farmers with seeds, organic fertilizers, and expert guidance for planting and management. Additionally, we secure sales contracts with corporations to ensure a steady market for our rice,” Li explained, noting that this model not only enhances planting efficiency and quality but significantly reduces farmers’ cultivation costs and risks.
Moreover, farmers can earn additional dividends from their cooperative involvement and income from working within it, embodying a true partnership where ‘land becomes stock, dividends are guaranteed, labor is rewarded, and profits are reinvested.’ During the recent harvest revenue distribution meeting, the 255 households in Shage Duzhai shared dividends totaling 9 million yuan, reflecting the community’s revival.
One of the beneficiaries of the cooperative system, Su Dengyun, articulated the impact of this new model. “A few years ago, my land was underperforming, forcing me to work as a driver. But after land consolidation in 2016, we not only gained more land, but all of it is high-yield. Last year, I farmed 400 acres and made over 800,000 yuan,” he said, beaming with joy.
With the rice industry expanding, the challenge of securing high prices for their products emerged.
In 2024, Zhaojun Town established an 11-acre rice industry park, equipped with facilities for seed research, storage, processing, marketing, and online sales. This setup aims for precise control in rice seedling production and factory-standard operations, minimizing risks associated with conventional farming. “Before, sales were unreliable; now, we take our harvested rice directly to the industry park, and after processing, we just wait to collect our payments,” Su chuckled.
“The establishment of the industry park has addressed the grain waste issues due to inadequate storage while creating our own e-commerce live-streaming platform. Coupled with modern processing and packaging, this sets a solid foundation for our rice industry’s growth,” Li added confidently.
Currently, Zhaojun Town’s rice industry covers 27,000 acres, with more than 320 seedling greenhouses and around 1,320 rice farmers, yielding 32.4 million pounds of rice worth over 58.3 million yuan annually.
Today, rice farming has become a distinctive industry driving improvements in saline land management and increasing the income of local herders and farmers.
“Moving forward, we will continue to adhere to the ‘cooperative farming for equitable prosperity’ model while actively exploring the integration of agriculture with tourism and culture. Our goal is to build a comprehensive agricultural park that combines ecological farming, rural tourism, and cultural experiences, injecting new vitality and momentum into rural revitalization,” Li concluded.