In the preface to Shi’s book My Alternative Farming Experience in the US,
her teacher Wen Tiejun wrote, “Largescale modern plantation and husbandry
tend to create serious environmental
pollution.” In recent years, a wide range
of safety and health issues surrounding
fruits and vegetables have appeared,
most of which are attributable to largescale production.
Having visited many countries and
examined their food production and
circulation models, Shi observed, “Our
weakness as regards agriculture isn’t the
inability to produce quality products, but
that farmers are not organized.” In her
view, “In the modern food supply chain
manipulated by big capital, the farmer is
just one link in the chain. However, the
chain is lengthening to the extent where
the final product is even farther away
from its actual producers – farmers.”