“At that time, U.S. farmers used far more chemical
products than their Chinese
peers until the environmental protection campaign
came into full swing,” Shi
said.
W h a t m a k e s S h i d e spair is that even though
agricultural technology has
advanced signifiantly, modern-day farmers seem less
capable than their ancestors.
“At the fist sign of plant
disease or pests, their immediate reaction is to reach
for chemical pesticides.
They seem unable to abandon this
mindset and find another way of dealing with problems, like focusing on soil
problems, growing a different crop, or
ventilating their greenhouses. No wonder people say that farmers’ brains are
ever simpler.”
Shi also has misgivings about the role
of technologies. “Do farmers really need
so many technologies?” is the question
she constantly asks herself. The answer
that always comes to her mind is, “The
fundamental farming mode is suffiient
to produce quality products.”