Today， growing peaches has become a totally different business for Jia Yufu. The 65-year-old has been working in the industry for decades in Pinggu District， Beijing. Operating a 2，000-square-meter orchard， Jia had to manage every step in the process， from watering plants to fertilizing the soil， by himself—and by hand. It used to occupy him from early spring to late autumn every year.
　　However， the future orchard project with its advanced technologies initiated in recent years has relieved his burden. Progress in research has provided top-notch scientific guidance for the growing of highquality peaches， with machines replacing the most labor-intensive， strenuous tasks.
　　Located some 80 km northeast from downtown Beijing， Pinggu’s residents started growing peaches over 1，700 years ago. Thanks to its preferential natural conditions， Pinggu still functions as one of China’s major peach growing areas， serving roughly 200 million kg peaches each year.

A pillar industry

In traditional Chinese culture， the peach is a symbol of longevity thanks to its rich nutrition. It also makes for the perfect birthday present for the elderly as part of China’s traditional customs. Peaches from Pinggu became all the rage during the Ming and Qing dynasties （1368-1911）， when they were more often than not selected as royal tributes.
　　Compared to other florae， peach trees can bear fruits one year after planting， making them the ideal pick for Pinggu’s farmers back in the 1980s. According to local authorities， the output value of Pinggu’s peach planting industry amounted to 1.25 billion yuan （$193.3 million） in 2020， or a whopping 64.8 percent of the district’s total agricultural output value.
　　Today， the district， with around 1，466 hectares of peach orchards， counts 100，000 peach farmers with an average age of 60. The fact that younger people prefer to try their luck in urban areas has left Pinggu with a severe greying problem.
　　Older residents have grown reluctant to engage in peach planting because it’s an exhausting business， Li Hua， Director of the Administration Office of Beijing Interconnect Agricultural Development Co. Ltd.， told Beijing Review.
　　Li moved to the area in 2016， when the industry was dominated by decentralized farming based on family units and thus not very risk-proof. “That created a vicious cycle， reaping smaller harvests， less profits and resulting in a declining motivation among farmers，” she said. 　　The combination of the above challenges made fostering a new type of agricultural method the inevitable choice for Pinggu. Hence， future orchards are established to enable farmers to grow peaches with the help of machines， from ditching， weeding and spraying pesticides， to harvesting. Compared to traditional orchards， future orchards can save over 50 percent in terms of labor， effectively reducing the toilsome burden on farmers.
　　Mechanized planting technologies also allow experts and companies to collect a large amount of data. For example， there are machines that sort peaches instantly according to the fruits’ sugar content， generating a data sheet. “Based on these data， we visited farmers who produced sweet peaches to learn more about their soil texture， and how they watered， sprayed and fertilized the crops，” Li said.
　　In addition， mechanized planting technologies save time and energy and bring farmers more income， Li said. Besides the 12，000 yuan （$1，856） he made by transferring the management rights of his contracted land， Jia earns 120 yuan （$18.6） per day by working in the orchard. The new mechanism has boosted his income by 6，000 yuan （$982） annually.

A golden combination

The future orchard is thriving under the joint efforts of the local government， peach planters and research institutes. China Agricultural University （CAU） is one of the supporting teams behind the peach planting industry in Pinggu. CAU experts visit orchards in the district regularly to offer help.
　　Also， CAU students design related products like soaps with peach blossoms as well as plan tourist routes in the region to increase income for the locals .
　　Consequently， the tri-party cooperation has expanded into many fields， involving variety optimization， soil improvement， fertilization， pest control， and tourism.
　　Jiang Quan， a researcher with the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences （BAAFS）， thinks that in the future， China’s fruit planting industry can go in two directions—moderate-scale modern production and family farms.
　　Therefore， farmers need advanced skills and technologies， he told Outlook Weekly. Although experiences and research achievements are available to all through digital technologies， the challenge remains how to empower elderly farmers to keep pace with the progress of the times， he said.
　　Together with the BAAFS， Pinggu has unveiled an artificial intelligence platform of agricultural services providing information both online and offline. By visiting exhibitions， training and consulting， farmers can enhance their comprehensive knowledge of advanced farming technologies and modern management methods.
　　E-commerce has served as an important marketing channel since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pinggu farmers have been participating in online promotion and live-streaming to sell their goods. The local government also invites celebrities to sell farm produce on social media platforms as well as help farmers upgrade their online promotions.
　　What deserves a special mention is that Pinggu’s promising peach business has enticed some young people to return home and devote themselves to the industry. Thirtysomething Yue Qiaoyu returned to Pinggu in 2014 and launched a fruit production and marketing cooperative after having struggled in several cities for seven years.
　　“Opportunities for young people don’t exist only in the city， but also in the countryside，”she told China Daily， adding that young people should fulfill their social responsibilities by further developing the industries of their hometown. BR