On October 17, 2023, in Yongzhou, China, the agricultural sector is gearing up for the crucial autumn and winter planting season, a key component of the year-round farming cycle. Villagers in Dong’an County are actively engaged in preparations for next year’s grain and oil production.

In Youjiangqiao Village, located in Baiyashi Town, agricultural technicians are installing physical pest control measures. “After the rice harvest wraps up by late September to early October, we quickly rotate the land for planting rapeseed and vegetables, which helps villagers find jobs right in their own community,” explained Huang Huizhan, a technician from the Agricultural Comprehensive Service Center in Baiyashi Town.

To effectively advance agricultural production in the autumn and winter, Baiyashi Town has implemented a strategy that combines manual labor with agricultural machinery. With 39 villages tailoring their approaches, the community is steadily promoting intercropping practices such as “rice-rice-oil” and “rice-rice-vegetables,” optimizing land resource utilization.

Particularly noteworthy is the town’s focus on developing facility agriculture. This has enabled standardized planting, scaled operations, extended supply chains, socialized services, and branded marketing, all contributing to the high-quality development of greenhouse crops and enhancing agricultural productivity.

“By concentrating on high-efficiency greenhouse income, we have established exemplary agricultural demonstration sites for autumn and winter. We’re promoting a range of replicable and recommendable green, standardized techniques and social service models, which improve the comprehensive production capabilities of greenhouses. In our town, all 14 greenhouses have achieved a 100% utilization rate, contributing at least 20,000 yuan to the village collective from each greenhouse,” said Zhou Shanguang, the deputy mayor in charge of agriculture in Baiyashi Town.

In Yongxing Village of Jingtouwei Town, over 100 acres of vibrant vegetables are being cultivated. “This year, we encouraged large-scale growers to lease land as early as August. Villagers receive 400 yuan per acre in leasing fees and can also work in the vegetable base,” shared Zhou Lingling, head of Yongxing Village.

In recent years, Dong’an County has adopted models such as “rice-rice-oil,” “rice-rice-vegetables,” and “rice plus N,” integrating autumn and winter agriculture into strategies aimed at boosting agricultural growth and increasing farmer income. Following the rice harvest, land is quickly rotated for planting rapeseed, vegetables, green manure, and various winter crops, transforming the winter downtime into productive engagement.

Currently, over 400 village and township officials, along with agricultural specialists, are deployed across Dong’an’s 15 townships. They’re actively assisting villagers on the front lines of autumn and winter planting, addressing specific challenges to ensure a successful season ahead.