Haiyuan, Ningxia： Deciphering the Ecological Password of Increasing Potato Income

　　On August 10th, there was a soaking rain in Hongyang country, Haiyuan County, zhongwei City, Ningxia.

　　Yang Hongqin, a villager in Anbao Village, walked out of her yard. She looked at the moon mountain covered with green mountains and sighed that the rain has been getting better and better in recent years, and it rained almost once a week recently. When the vegetation is lush, small animals such as ground squirrels, pheasants, rabbits and so on are "hidden" by thick vegetation.

　　At one time, the soil on the slope couldn’t hold any moisture, and the 5-inch-long weasel could see clearly from the hillside. It was a time when one side of the soil and water couldn’t support one side. Cao Yuhu, the "shopkeeper" of Yang Hongqin’s family, was playing weasel with the villagers on this barren slope at that time. Although it was interesting, the life was sad.

　　There is little rain, and potatoes, which are the "protagonists" of mountain people’s diet, are sometimes never harvested, not to mention wheat and beans. This year, in the 15-mu potato field in Yang Hongqin’s home, the roots are half a person’s height, and the purple and white potato flowers are arranged neatly.

Yang Hongqin works with all kinds of fresh vegetables in her garden. Zhang heshe

　　"The thicker the potato vine, the bigger it is, indicating that the potato grows better. In recent years, the rain has been good, and the soil here is mainly black loessial soil and calcareous soil. The rainfall is mainly concentrated in July, August and September. The precipitation law is consistent with the potato tuber expansion period, which is very conducive to potato yield increase. " Pang Shenggang, secretary of the Party branch of Anbao Village, introduced.

　　Although October is the potato harvest season, at this time, Pang Shenggang’s tone is firm: potatoes will definitely be harvested this year. Some potatoes dug out of the ground not long ago are big.

　　In the past two years, Hongyang Township has built a potato seed breeding base in Machang Natural Village, Anbao Village, to realize self-propagation and self-sufficiency of high-quality virus-free seed potatoes. Looking at Hongyang Township, the whole township takes potatoes as the leading industry, and has built nearly 6,000 mu of potato first-class seed potato promotion demonstration zone, with a total of 58,000 mu of potato planting, an increase of more than 10,000 mu over last year.

　　The increase of potato income is inseparable from the integration of new technologies and the promotion of new varieties, but it is also inseparable from the weather. Potato is a dry crop, but there is also a demand for rain. With less rain, the yield of potato is low, and the yield is naturally affected. In recent years, Hongyang Township has continuously promoted the potato industry. In addition to being suitable for planting potatoes, the increasing rainfall year by year has also increased the confidence of Hongyang people in planting potatoes.

Under the moon, grass grows and warblers fly. Zhang heshe

　　Xihaigu is short of water, and Hongyang Township is no exception.

　　Once, it was the collective memory of the villagers that the rain could not be stored and the soil erosion was serious. A flood in 1989 was firmly "nailed" in the memory of Yin Xuefeng, deputy head of Hongyang Township. The flood poured down the mountain, reaching the deepest point of 2 meters, which made many farmers’ water cellars "overflow". After the flood, except for the washed-out crops and silted rivers, the hills are still desolate.

　　When will this bitter day end? The change began around 2003, when the villagers were told to close the mountain to prohibit grazing and not to put sheep on the mountain. Since October 2002, all cities and counties in Ningxia have started to close grazing. By 2003, the whole region had closed mountains to close grazing, and 3.8 million shepherds had been released "down the mountain", and domestic animals and sheep had been kept in captivity.

Under the moon, grass grows and warblers fly. Zhang heshe

　　At first, some villagers didn’t understand that after so many years, who can change the soil and water in this area? However, the power of time proves everything.

　　Over the years, Hongyang Township has returned 50,000 mu of farmland to forests, managed 13.6 kilometers of rivers, and continued to implement the policy of grazing prohibition and enclosure. Through specific measures such as changing sloping fields into terraces and keeping water from going downhill, the ecology will be restored. The villagers gradually discovered that the once barren hills and slopes were covered with vegetation, and the ecological migration was also taken over by nature. The most intuitive embodiment is that the rainfall is increasing year by year, and the average rainfall in previous years is 300— 400 mm, since 2016, the rainfall has become more abundant, reaching 750 mm in 2019, forming a unique regional microclimate, leaning against Nanhua Mountain in the north, and the mountains and rivers in Hongyang Township are flying.

　　Cao Yuhu and Yang Hongqin took off the "hat" of the poor households who set up the card through policy assistance and hard work, and built a new house in 2018. Today, more than 70 sheep and 15 acres of potato land are the stable sources of income at home. Cao Yuhu works odd jobs in the village with the welding skills learned in the skills training class organized by the village. Three children grow up and go to school outside, and their lives are full of flavor. "Now let’s drive the sheep up the mountain. I won’t do it. I can’t bear to part with such a beautiful mountain." Yang Hongqin said.

　　Duan Fuqiang, Party Secretary of Hongyang Township, said, "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. Through persistent ecological restoration, the improvement of the ecological environment that the people really feel directly drives farmers to increase their income. In the future, we will continue to lead the masses to a well-off society and live a better life by improving the ecology. " (Correspondent Zhang Heguang Daily, all-media reporter Zhang Wenpan)