00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.570
[MUSIC PLAYING]

00:00:03.570 --> 00:00:08.340
In the year 2050, there will
be 9 billion people.

00:00:08.340 --> 00:00:12.100
How do we feed them safely,
fairly, and well?

00:00:12.100 --> 00:00:14.960
And make sure every
mouth is fed?

00:00:14.960 --> 00:00:32.630
[MUSIC PLAYING]

00:00:32.630 --> 00:00:35.880
Narrator: Happy Farms, the
computer game about farming,

00:00:35.880 --> 00:00:39.620
young people have been going
crazy about across China.

00:00:39.620 --> 00:00:42.263
The player, Sherry
in Shanghai.

00:00:42.263 --> 00:00:46.207
- ...and strawberries,
apples, and pumpkins.

00:00:46.207 --> 00:00:49.658
There's like vegetables
and fruits.

00:00:49.658 --> 00:00:51.137
- Kind of like a real farm?

00:00:51.137 --> 00:00:51.630
- Yeah.

00:00:51.630 --> 00:00:53.890
It's pretty fun actually.

00:00:53.890 --> 00:00:56.590
Narrator: We've sent Sherry's
social media agency,

00:00:56.590 --> 00:01:00.420
Resonance, a task: Can they make
farming as popular with

00:01:00.420 --> 00:01:03.312
young people in the
real world?

00:01:03.312 --> 00:01:08.760
[MUSIC PLAYING]

00:01:08.760 --> 00:01:11.830
Narrator: Resonance's hip
offices in Shanghai's trendy

00:01:11.830 --> 00:01:14.800
French concession area show
why so many young

00:01:14.800 --> 00:01:16.780
people love city life.

00:01:16.780 --> 00:01:20.940
Our challenge, make farming as
hip and alluring as life in

00:01:20.940 --> 00:01:22.358
their office.

00:01:22.358 --> 00:01:26.850
- I think one of the things that
the client wants us to do

00:01:26.850 --> 00:01:29.650
is figure out is there a way
to make farming more

00:01:29.650 --> 00:01:30.850
interesting?

00:01:30.850 --> 00:01:36.080
So that number one, people on
the farms think it's cooler to

00:01:36.080 --> 00:01:37.030
stay on the farms.

00:01:37.030 --> 00:01:39.430
And therefore they don't try
to go to the cities.

00:01:39.430 --> 00:01:44.130
Or people from the cities might
want to become farmers.

00:01:44.130 --> 00:01:46.480
Narrator: Californian-born Rand
and his wife Sherry, are

00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:48.100
Resonance's founders.

00:01:48.100 --> 00:01:51.490
They use the internet to create
and identify trends and

00:01:51.490 --> 00:01:56.970
tricks that can create a
buzz for global brands.

00:01:56.970 --> 00:02:00.948
- Is it possible for us to
create a branding campaign

00:02:00.948 --> 00:02:05.835
that can influence people to
want to become farmers?

00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:12.120
So any ideas?

00:02:12.120 --> 00:02:15.150
Narrator: Here in hectic
reality, many young people

00:02:15.150 --> 00:02:17.440
don't find farming
fun and sexy.

00:02:17.440 --> 00:02:19.920
They're leaving the land.

00:02:19.920 --> 00:02:24.360
And Resonance's research shows
it's not just China.

00:02:24.360 --> 00:02:27.690
We wanted to see if farming can
be re-branded before there

00:02:27.690 --> 00:02:29.970
are too few people left
to grow the food

00:02:29.970 --> 00:02:31.460
we need in the future.

00:02:34.920 --> 00:02:37.630
- Who is going to feed
the world come 2050?

00:02:37.630 --> 00:02:41.720
Is it the farmer of today, the
woman with a baby on her back,

00:02:41.720 --> 00:02:42.900
and a hoe in her hand?

00:02:42.900 --> 00:02:43.930
No.

00:02:43.930 --> 00:02:45.870
It's the youth of today.

00:02:45.870 --> 00:02:51.710
Most African countries have
anything from 40% to 60% of

00:02:51.710 --> 00:02:55.680
the population below 20 years.

00:02:55.680 --> 00:02:59.490
Why are the youth not attracted
to agriculture?

00:02:59.490 --> 00:03:01.420
They say it's not sexy enough.

00:03:01.420 --> 00:03:04.400
That's not true.

00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:08.390
Agriculture is not what is not
sexy, it's when you start

00:03:08.390 --> 00:03:11.655
making money out of a business
it becomes sexy.

00:03:11.655 --> 00:03:13.570
It's the money that is sexy.

00:03:13.570 --> 00:03:16.813
You have to show them that
you can make money out of

00:03:16.813 --> 00:03:17.930
agriculture.

00:03:17.930 --> 00:03:20.870
Then it becomes sexy.

00:03:20.870 --> 00:03:24.540
- There is a public perception
that causes farmers to think,

00:03:24.540 --> 00:03:26.550
if you don't go to the city,
then you're backwards.

00:03:26.550 --> 00:03:30.220
This is the biggest
issue right now.

00:03:30.220 --> 00:03:36.900
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:03:36.900 --> 00:03:41.220
- There's been a progressive
tendency to think of farm work

00:03:41.220 --> 00:03:43.470
as a lowly profession.

00:03:43.470 --> 00:03:45.440
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:03:45.440 --> 00:03:47.955
You see, and that's in
the whole world.

00:03:52.010 --> 00:03:53.300
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:03:53.300 --> 00:03:56.100
The return to the land is one
of the most fundamental

00:03:56.100 --> 00:03:59.890
questions for the future.

00:03:59.890 --> 00:04:01.860
Narrator: Shanghai is booming.

00:04:01.860 --> 00:04:06.310
In 2010 there were over 240
million migrants from the

00:04:06.310 --> 00:04:08.570
countryside in China's cities.

00:04:08.570 --> 00:04:10.852
More than double five
years earlier.

00:04:10.852 --> 00:04:14.080
They're here in search of work,
love, or a way to get

00:04:14.080 --> 00:04:16.220
rich quick.

00:04:16.220 --> 00:04:19.370
For Rand and Sherry, the bar
is another great place to

00:04:19.370 --> 00:04:22.440
brainstorm reversing the
flight to the cities.

00:04:22.440 --> 00:04:25.925
As well as showing why there
is a flight to the cities.

00:04:25.925 --> 00:04:32.470
[MUSIC PLAYING]

00:04:32.470 --> 00:04:34.690
Narrator: Even close to
Shanghai, we came across

00:04:34.690 --> 00:04:39.980
villages where there was
hardly anyone under 40.

00:04:39.980 --> 00:04:43.910
Average age around here,
closer to 60.

00:04:43.910 --> 00:04:45.160
Many much older.

00:04:48.980 --> 00:04:51.930
Even the bigger villages
can seem eerily quiet.

00:04:55.060 --> 00:04:57.760
Across China, a quarter
of traditional farming

00:04:57.760 --> 00:04:59.990
lands now lay idle.

00:04:59.990 --> 00:05:04.730
Partly because youngsters
don't want to farm.

00:05:04.730 --> 00:05:07.140
Often it's already hard-pressed
women who stay in

00:05:07.140 --> 00:05:08.390
the countryside.

00:05:10.510 --> 00:05:13.590
Or in some remote corners
of China, maybe

00:05:13.590 --> 00:05:16.860
nobody stays at all.

00:05:16.860 --> 00:05:22.280
- In future, some villages,
some townships, especially

00:05:22.280 --> 00:05:27.940
those in the middle and the
west end region of the

00:05:27.940 --> 00:05:32.050
country, will be deserted.

00:05:32.050 --> 00:05:35.720
There will be no people living
in those villages anymore.

00:05:35.720 --> 00:05:37.160
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:05:37.160 --> 00:05:40.960
- This is a common phenomenon
faced by a current day Korea,

00:05:40.960 --> 00:05:42.980
Japan, and Taiwan province.

00:05:42.980 --> 00:05:49.670
They all face this problem, so
China is not a special case.

00:05:49.670 --> 00:05:52.250
Narrator: At the Jiaxian Rice
Company, five hours from

00:05:52.250 --> 00:05:56.190
Shanghai, farmer Xie
Tongzhou is 64.

00:05:56.190 --> 00:06:00.840
His workforce is fighting-fit
and productive, but their age,

00:06:00.840 --> 00:06:03.520
average 60, shows the
issue we've asked

00:06:03.520 --> 00:06:05.130
residents to address.

00:06:05.130 --> 00:06:07.720
The average Chinese
farmer is now 50.

00:06:07.720 --> 00:06:12.330
In the USA, 58, and
Japan, over 60.

00:06:12.330 --> 00:06:16.040
Even if anyone younger wanted
to work here, Xie Tongzhou

00:06:16.040 --> 00:06:18.890
can't afford the wages
they demand.

00:06:18.890 --> 00:06:19.560
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:06:19.560 --> 00:06:23.390
- Since I can't find any young
worker, I go for older people.

00:06:23.390 --> 00:06:26.360
It's not so easy for them
to work in safety.

00:06:26.360 --> 00:06:32.020
They're willing to work for
20,000 to 30,000 renminbi.

00:06:32.020 --> 00:06:35.130
Narrator: The age of Xie
Tongzhou's 18 employees an

00:06:35.130 --> 00:06:37.170
issue, but no disaster.

00:06:37.170 --> 00:06:39.840
Productivity per
acre, is high.

00:06:42.600 --> 00:06:45.050
- Can I ask how old you are?

00:06:45.050 --> 00:06:49.160
- I'm 66.

00:06:49.160 --> 00:06:51.028
- I'm 56.

00:06:51.028 --> 00:06:52.896
- I'm 67.

00:06:52.896 --> 00:06:56.570
- I'm 63.

00:06:56.570 --> 00:06:59.900
Narrator: Xie Tongzhou has over
a 100 hectares of rice

00:06:59.900 --> 00:07:01.180
paddy fields.

00:07:01.180 --> 00:07:04.670
Of course one answer to an aging
workforce the world over

00:07:04.670 --> 00:07:06.350
has been to mechanize.

00:07:06.350 --> 00:07:09.760
But Xie has problems even
finding the young people to

00:07:09.760 --> 00:07:12.810
man the machines he'd need.

00:07:12.810 --> 00:07:15.840
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:07:15.840 --> 00:07:20.420
- Rationally speaking, since I
have various difficulties in

00:07:20.420 --> 00:07:25.945
term of farm labor, I want to
look into mechanization.

00:07:25.945 --> 00:07:31.390
But the problem is, even if
I have acquired machinery,

00:07:31.390 --> 00:07:35.460
there's a lack of tractor and
mechanical operators.

00:07:35.460 --> 00:07:38.910
If you find a operator,
you need to train them

00:07:38.910 --> 00:07:40.870
and pay them well.

00:07:40.870 --> 00:07:44.430
If you don't pay them well, no
one will operate on machines.

00:07:47.530 --> 00:07:51.305
Narrator: Xie Tongzhou's own
son, Xie Xinhui, left for

00:07:51.305 --> 00:07:53.460
Nanjing city to be a doctor.

00:07:53.460 --> 00:07:55.780
He's back visiting
with his family.

00:07:55.780 --> 00:07:56.520
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:07:56.520 --> 00:07:59.800
- Young people are mostly
enrolled in higher education.

00:07:59.800 --> 00:08:03.360
Or working in the city where
the income is higher.

00:08:03.360 --> 00:08:05.770
Life is hard in the village.

00:08:05.770 --> 00:08:08.380
The sun beats down on
them every day.

00:08:12.100 --> 00:08:15.080
Narrator: Xie Tongzhou's team
use the ancient Chinese

00:08:15.080 --> 00:08:19.220
farming method of
weed-destroying ducks to hoe

00:08:19.220 --> 00:08:21.420
the paddy fields.

00:08:21.420 --> 00:08:24.185
But ducks can't entirely
replace humans.

00:08:26.950 --> 00:08:27.330
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:08:27.330 --> 00:08:31.890
- This is a big problem
in our villages.

00:08:31.890 --> 00:08:36.137
If our generation stops
farming, who

00:08:36.137 --> 00:08:39.059
will take our place?

00:08:39.059 --> 00:08:41.320
We are worried about this.

00:08:45.740 --> 00:08:48.330
Narrator: The world's aging
farm workforce, nowhere

00:08:48.330 --> 00:08:51.810
clearer than in Xie Tongzhou's
canteen.

00:08:51.810 --> 00:08:55.420
Raising the question, who will
grow the food to feed 9

00:08:55.420 --> 00:09:01.720
billion people by 2050?

00:09:01.720 --> 00:09:02.035
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:09:02.035 --> 00:09:05.940
- Chinese society is paying
attention to this issue.

00:09:05.940 --> 00:09:09.850
There are many discussions
regarding who will be China's

00:09:09.850 --> 00:09:13.840
farmers in 20 or
30 years time?

00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:17.610
Who will undertake the work
of China's agricultural

00:09:17.610 --> 00:09:18.860
production?

00:09:23.670 --> 00:09:27.550
Narrator: Back in Shanghai and
its 23 million residents, many

00:09:27.550 --> 00:09:32.020
from families who come from
remote areas of China.

00:09:32.020 --> 00:09:35.050
Rand and Sherry continue
their research.

00:09:35.050 --> 00:09:38.390
In many remote areas of China,
young people have little

00:09:38.390 --> 00:09:40.420
choice but to stay
on the land.

00:09:40.420 --> 00:09:44.250
And yet they may face a
destitute future with millions

00:09:44.250 --> 00:09:48.210
of farm workers in China earning
less than $2 a day.

00:09:48.210 --> 00:09:53.090
And 50 million rural workers
currently unemployed.

00:09:53.090 --> 00:09:57.110
- Another side of the coin is
that we have still the poor

00:09:57.110 --> 00:09:59.510
remote areas.

00:09:59.510 --> 00:10:02.130
What we called the
very rural areas.

00:10:02.130 --> 00:10:04.350
That farmers cannot--

00:10:04.350 --> 00:10:06.730
household cannot migrate
out, and they have

00:10:06.730 --> 00:10:08.420
to stay on the land.

00:10:08.420 --> 00:10:12.620
They have to make a living out
from those piece of land.

00:10:12.620 --> 00:10:15.860
In terms of population, that's
a big population.

00:10:15.860 --> 00:10:20.830
And, well, we have to support
them, support agriculture

00:10:20.830 --> 00:10:23.435
which is their main
source of income.

00:10:26.630 --> 00:10:29.240
This is not just because
of food.

00:10:29.240 --> 00:10:30.900
I think this is more because of

00:10:30.900 --> 00:10:33.240
livelihood for those people.

00:10:33.240 --> 00:10:36.490
Narrator: IFAD, the UN agency
that assists small scale

00:10:36.490 --> 00:10:40.160
farmers, is working with the
government to invest in rural

00:10:40.160 --> 00:10:42.440
communities.

00:10:42.440 --> 00:10:48.330
- What we are doing is to
directly tackle this

00:10:48.330 --> 00:10:51.710
situation, on one hand creating
opportunities in the

00:10:51.710 --> 00:10:57.220
rural areas for the current
labor force, but also trying

00:10:57.220 --> 00:11:01.620
to get back the younger
laborers.

00:11:01.620 --> 00:11:03.670
By providing services.

00:11:03.670 --> 00:11:06.580
By providing infrastructure.

00:11:06.580 --> 00:11:14.400
By making agricultural
more productive, and

00:11:14.400 --> 00:11:17.550
generate more income.

00:11:17.550 --> 00:11:19.450
Narrator: Time for Rand
and Sherry to

00:11:19.450 --> 00:11:21.600
review their research.

00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:24.860
For luxury brands, Resonance
try to involve so-called

00:11:24.860 --> 00:11:29.000
influences, or trend setters,
celebrities like footballers

00:11:29.000 --> 00:11:30.590
and people in the news.

00:11:30.590 --> 00:11:33.160
Could they find such influences
to improve the

00:11:33.160 --> 00:11:35.330
image of farming?

00:11:35.330 --> 00:11:37.600
- So it would be sort of an
influencer strategy where we

00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:42.170
get some sort of hero who's
doing really well.

00:11:42.170 --> 00:11:45.390
And then maybe this guy, because
he's doing so well--

00:11:45.390 --> 00:11:47.420
this might be a stretch, but
maybe he could meet some

00:11:47.420 --> 00:11:49.870
celebrities like Fan Bingbing.

00:11:49.870 --> 00:11:50.500
I don't know.

00:11:50.500 --> 00:11:51.370
Maybe that's too far.

00:11:51.370 --> 00:11:53.850
But he gets a lot of face.

00:11:53.850 --> 00:11:55.780
Government guy, he
cuts a ribbon.

00:11:55.780 --> 00:11:56.560
I don't know, something.

00:11:56.560 --> 00:12:00.230
And then we social media that,
and then it just makes

00:12:00.230 --> 00:12:02.170
everybody else super jealous.

00:12:02.170 --> 00:12:05.350
All the guys who went to the
city to make this living, they

00:12:05.350 --> 00:12:09.605
suddenly realize, oh my god, I
could've been this guy if I

00:12:09.605 --> 00:12:12.850
just stayed in the village and
really put some effort into

00:12:12.850 --> 00:12:14.770
that particular thing.

00:12:14.770 --> 00:12:19.140
Narrator: The search on for
young farming heroes.

00:12:19.140 --> 00:12:20.490
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:12:20.490 --> 00:12:23.920
- Young people would be the
new protagonist of a new

00:12:23.920 --> 00:12:25.880
agriculture.

00:12:25.880 --> 00:12:29.500
I don't think that the new
agriculture would be based on

00:12:29.500 --> 00:12:31.460
old farmers.

00:12:31.460 --> 00:12:35.320
Young people will be the
new protagonists.

00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:38.610
Narrator: So who can Resonance
find to be a role model or

00:12:38.610 --> 00:12:39.680
influencer?

00:12:39.680 --> 00:12:42.750
It's off to the farm
to find out.

00:12:42.750 --> 00:12:46.670
Four hours drive from Shanghai
is Big Buffalo's Citizen Farm

00:12:46.670 --> 00:12:47.440
in [INAUDIBLE]

00:12:47.440 --> 00:12:49.702
County.

00:12:49.702 --> 00:12:51.440
- So I guess we're here.

00:12:51.440 --> 00:12:54.370
Narrator: And perhaps the first
hero and influencer

00:12:54.370 --> 00:12:57.980
Resonance are looking for.

00:12:57.980 --> 00:13:02.110
The farm doesn't breed
Buffaloes, it grows rice and

00:13:02.110 --> 00:13:05.090
vegetables, and here, geese.

00:13:05.090 --> 00:13:08.880
The farm's run by Cheng Cunwang,
whose Ph.D. Is in

00:13:08.880 --> 00:13:11.390
real estate, but who remembered
his grandparent's

00:13:11.390 --> 00:13:16.020
farm and how different life used
to be for farmers in the

00:13:16.020 --> 00:13:17.510
good old days.

00:13:17.510 --> 00:13:20.250
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:13:20.250 --> 00:13:25.080
- Traditional Chinese society
used to say, out of scholars,

00:13:25.080 --> 00:13:28.610
artisans, and merchants, it
just the farmer who is the

00:13:28.610 --> 00:13:32.310
strongest and most capable
in the family, whilst the

00:13:32.310 --> 00:13:37.540
artisans and merchants are
considered not as capable.

00:13:37.540 --> 00:13:42.200
Therefore it is the farmer who
is given two bowls of rice,

00:13:42.200 --> 00:13:45.410
and the artisans and merchants,
only one.

00:13:48.220 --> 00:13:50.730
Narrator: Cheng's innovation,
his team deliver fresh

00:13:50.730 --> 00:13:54.070
vegetables directly into the
homes of city dwellers,

00:13:54.070 --> 00:13:57.810
avoiding supermarkets
and shops.

00:13:57.810 --> 00:14:00.960
For city dwellers Rand and his
colleague Jeff, this kind of

00:14:00.960 --> 00:14:05.600
farming does seem good fun.

00:14:05.600 --> 00:14:08.480
But they also hear how
tough life can be

00:14:08.480 --> 00:14:10.230
for farmers in China.

00:14:10.230 --> 00:14:12.640
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:14:12.640 --> 00:14:15.460
- As a bunch of young students
working agriculture for

00:14:15.460 --> 00:14:19.530
several years, we learned that
the reality of farming is that

00:14:19.530 --> 00:14:21.310
it's really hard work.

00:14:21.310 --> 00:14:24.280
That farmer's incomes
are very low.

00:14:24.280 --> 00:14:26.570
And they are right at the
bottom of society.

00:14:29.310 --> 00:14:30.710
Narrator: The idea
took off after

00:14:30.710 --> 00:14:33.010
recent food safety scandals.

00:14:33.010 --> 00:14:36.180
Every week the farm prepares
packages of fresh and safe

00:14:36.180 --> 00:14:39.530
vegetables for households
in nearby Changzhou

00:14:39.530 --> 00:14:40.920
who pay to join up.

00:14:40.920 --> 00:14:44.050
Today they're packing food
for 80 families.

00:14:44.050 --> 00:14:45.230
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:14:45.230 --> 00:14:49.100
- On Wednesday and Saturday,
we deliver vegetables we

00:14:49.100 --> 00:14:51.050
picked in the morning to the
homes of our members.

00:14:51.050 --> 00:14:55.740
This task begins at 4 or 5
AM, when we begin picking

00:14:55.740 --> 00:14:58.510
vegetables.

00:14:58.510 --> 00:15:00.730
Narrator: Cheng's innovation is
to make farming more of a

00:15:00.730 --> 00:15:01.780
profession.

00:15:01.780 --> 00:15:04.870
Raising the profile and
dignity of farming.

00:15:04.870 --> 00:15:09.978
He and his team even seem a
bit hip and alternative.

00:15:09.978 --> 00:15:11.920
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:15:11.920 --> 00:15:15.030
- A farmer's considered
alternative because farmer's

00:15:15.030 --> 00:15:18.940
around here all grow flour and
nursery stock, yet we grow

00:15:18.940 --> 00:15:20.680
grain and vegetables.

00:15:20.680 --> 00:15:21.420
Why?

00:15:21.420 --> 00:15:24.520
Because citizens' needs for
healthy and safe agricultural

00:15:24.520 --> 00:15:26.600
products are on the rise.

00:15:26.600 --> 00:15:29.640
They're willing to pay five to
six times more than the market

00:15:29.640 --> 00:15:31.380
price for health and safety.

00:15:34.300 --> 00:15:37.400
Narrator: Servicing a booming
urban middle class could give

00:15:37.400 --> 00:15:40.510
farmers new status as middle
class professionals

00:15:40.510 --> 00:15:44.670
themselves, according to Cheng's
university mentoring.

00:15:44.670 --> 00:15:47.920
- According to international
studies, China's middle class

00:15:47.920 --> 00:15:50.485
has reached almost
to 500 million.

00:15:50.485 --> 00:15:54.920
Their demands on agriculture
first of all are its safety,

00:15:54.920 --> 00:15:57.680
and a diversified selection
of food.

00:15:57.680 --> 00:16:00.650
I think what they want is the
same as other middle class

00:16:00.650 --> 00:16:02.720
people all over the world.

00:16:02.720 --> 00:16:07.340
We see this as a stimulant,
a challenge, but also an

00:16:07.340 --> 00:16:09.600
opportunity.

00:16:09.600 --> 00:16:14.180
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:16:14.180 --> 00:16:18.380
- If we can make our style of
farming more hip, maybe people

00:16:18.380 --> 00:16:21.320
would become interested in
this modern style of

00:16:21.320 --> 00:16:23.210
farm life and work.

00:16:23.210 --> 00:16:26.120
People are always attracted
to things that are hip.

00:16:29.520 --> 00:16:31.980
Narrator: Cheng's business
venture has shown Resonance

00:16:31.980 --> 00:16:35.250
that trust and dignity can
help make farming a

00:16:35.250 --> 00:16:37.830
respectable middle class
profession in the countryside.

00:16:45.580 --> 00:16:49.360
The next possible influencer in
making farming sexy, is a

00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:53.220
two hour drive from Beijing in
Tongzhou District and Mafang

00:16:53.220 --> 00:16:57.080
Village, though her approach
to making agriculture

00:16:57.080 --> 00:17:00.990
attractive is a little
different.

00:17:00.990 --> 00:17:04.359
Shi Yan is entrepreneur
Cheng's wife.

00:17:04.359 --> 00:17:10.180
She's also concerned about young
people leaving the land.

00:17:10.180 --> 00:17:13.520
Shi Yan runs a pioneering farm
with a team at Tsinghua

00:17:13.520 --> 00:17:16.230
University.

00:17:16.230 --> 00:17:19.260
She's trying to start not
a business, but a whole

00:17:19.260 --> 00:17:24.020
community of local small
scale farmers.

00:17:24.020 --> 00:17:26.619
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:17:26.619 --> 00:17:30.470
- In reality, I think a very
important component of every

00:17:30.470 --> 00:17:32.850
culture's sustainability
is having

00:17:32.850 --> 00:17:35.260
sustainable people to farm.

00:17:35.260 --> 00:17:36.840
Who will do it?

00:17:36.840 --> 00:17:38.460
We often ask this question.

00:17:38.460 --> 00:17:41.980
Who will be China's farmers
in 10 years time?

00:17:41.980 --> 00:17:43.285
Who will cultivate this land?

00:17:46.030 --> 00:17:49.030
Narrator: Shi Yan's first sign
of success in reviving farming

00:17:49.030 --> 00:17:52.380
cooperatives, persuading Lang
[INAUDIBLE], one of the most

00:17:52.380 --> 00:17:55.360
experienced local farmers, to
give her team's organic

00:17:55.360 --> 00:17:57.090
farming a try.

00:17:57.090 --> 00:17:59.220
Shi Yan's also convinced
Lang [INAUDIBLE]

00:17:59.220 --> 00:18:02.110
24-year-old son, Lang
Jingdong, to stay

00:18:02.110 --> 00:18:04.220
and work on the farm.

00:18:04.220 --> 00:18:06.850
With the four new greenhouses
they're building, they could

00:18:06.850 --> 00:18:10.150
dramatically boost their
family income.

00:18:10.150 --> 00:18:15.780
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:18:15.780 --> 00:18:19.410
- I think if one wishes to
attract young people, or

00:18:19.410 --> 00:18:22.720
attract farmers back to
villages, first of all, they

00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:25.580
should allow farmers to
have better income.

00:18:25.580 --> 00:18:29.390
This is very important so they
can lead a respectable life in

00:18:29.390 --> 00:18:30.640
the village.

00:18:33.860 --> 00:18:35.620
Narrator: For Shi Yan, the
point of starting a

00:18:35.620 --> 00:18:36.620
cooperative--

00:18:36.620 --> 00:18:39.890
young people want not just
status and wages, but a

00:18:39.890 --> 00:18:43.170
community life on the farm.

00:18:43.170 --> 00:18:44.630
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:18:44.630 --> 00:18:47.300
- I think it's important that
we are able to improve

00:18:47.300 --> 00:18:49.620
communities in rural villages.

00:18:49.620 --> 00:18:53.760
The public amenities and
welfare, so young people in

00:18:53.760 --> 00:18:56.835
the village have more
opportunities to get together.

00:19:00.280 --> 00:19:01.880
Narrator: So what about
other young people

00:19:01.880 --> 00:19:03.710
coming back to farm?

00:19:03.710 --> 00:19:05.390
Lang Jingdong strikes a note of

00:19:05.390 --> 00:19:09.180
optimism tinged with caution.

00:19:09.180 --> 00:19:11.050
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:19:11.050 --> 00:19:14.710
- It's not possible to force
everyone back to the village

00:19:14.710 --> 00:19:17.430
and do things they
don't want to do.

00:19:17.430 --> 00:19:20.760
It's mostly dependant
on their interest.

00:19:20.760 --> 00:19:24.240
As for helping parents, I think
everyone should have the

00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:27.860
will to want to do so.

00:19:27.860 --> 00:19:30.350
Narrator: How to keep people
like Lang Jingdong, who stayed

00:19:30.350 --> 00:19:34.100
on the land, from feeding old
fashioned and isolated?

00:19:34.100 --> 00:19:35.670
There's a simple answer.

00:19:35.670 --> 00:19:41.200
Chinese farmers now part
of a wired up nation.

00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:45.050
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:19:45.050 --> 00:19:48.490
- I think the internet could
really be important in

00:19:48.490 --> 00:19:50.660
attracting young people back.

00:19:50.660 --> 00:19:53.390
In China, the internet
is reaching more

00:19:53.390 --> 00:19:55.450
and more rural villages.

00:19:55.450 --> 00:19:59.840
Especially villages
near Beijing.

00:19:59.840 --> 00:20:02.580
So people in the villages
can work and

00:20:02.580 --> 00:20:03.960
communicate with everyone.

00:20:08.040 --> 00:20:10.840
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:20:10.840 --> 00:20:13.950
- To attract young people we
have to come up with a

00:20:13.950 --> 00:20:16.280
different vision.

00:20:16.280 --> 00:20:20.170
A new farmer always in
harmony with nature.

00:20:20.170 --> 00:20:23.230
One who has a good sense
of community.

00:20:23.230 --> 00:20:27.090
A farmer who with new technology
is no longer

00:20:27.090 --> 00:20:30.690
isolated, but communicates
with the whole word.

00:20:34.180 --> 00:20:37.690
So the new technology can give
the young farmers a completely

00:20:37.690 --> 00:20:42.275
new concept of farming from what
they've had, up to now.

00:20:48.630 --> 00:20:51.580
Narrator: Back in Shanghai,
Rand's out on the streets

00:20:51.580 --> 00:20:54.050
doing some market research.

00:20:54.050 --> 00:20:57.870
So why do young people in China
cities say they're here,

00:20:57.870 --> 00:21:01.610
not back on the farm?

00:21:01.610 --> 00:21:02.090
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:21:02.090 --> 00:21:03.620
- Everyone wants their lives to
grow in a better direction.

00:21:03.620 --> 00:21:06.780
Therefore, I think this is why
people from villages want to

00:21:06.780 --> 00:21:09.530
come to cities.

00:21:09.530 --> 00:21:10.320
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:21:10.320 --> 00:21:13.362
- Development in villages is not
as good as in the cities.

00:21:13.362 --> 00:21:17.340
If young people come to cities,
they can see and they

00:21:17.340 --> 00:21:19.300
learn more.

00:21:19.300 --> 00:21:20.280
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:21:20.280 --> 00:21:22.330
- My grandparents
were farmers.

00:21:22.330 --> 00:21:24.590
They worked really hard
so my parents

00:21:24.590 --> 00:21:26.640
could move to the city.

00:21:26.640 --> 00:21:29.590
So my parents don't want
their children

00:21:29.590 --> 00:21:30.840
to go back to farming.

00:21:33.760 --> 00:21:37.320
Narrator: In Shanghai's fresh
food market, Rand is joined by

00:21:37.320 --> 00:21:40.140
Resonance colleague, Jeff.

00:21:40.140 --> 00:21:45.280
- It seems like the major lure
of the city is economics.

00:21:45.280 --> 00:21:47.880
So they're able to double
their money.

00:21:47.880 --> 00:21:49.830
So that seems to
be the common--

00:21:49.830 --> 00:21:51.640
- Yeah because they have kids.

00:21:51.640 --> 00:21:54.060
They don't have to pay
their tuition fees.

00:21:54.060 --> 00:21:55.180
And they have their parents--

00:21:55.180 --> 00:21:57.170
right?

00:21:57.170 --> 00:22:01.890
And the single-children policy,
they have to get every

00:22:01.890 --> 00:22:03.295
best of all their children.

00:22:03.295 --> 00:22:07.010
So they need this work
to make more money.

00:22:07.010 --> 00:22:10.070
- So it seems like it goes
beyond just money issues, but

00:22:10.070 --> 00:22:11.700
also to the environment
for their

00:22:11.700 --> 00:22:14.370
kids like better education.

00:22:14.370 --> 00:22:17.956
More access to culture, or
more access to the city.

00:22:17.956 --> 00:22:19.770
More cosmopolitan.

00:22:19.770 --> 00:22:23.550
A lot of intangible benefits.

00:22:23.550 --> 00:22:26.830
Narrator: In China and globally,
there's now a debate

00:22:26.830 --> 00:22:28.840
going on about policy.

00:22:28.840 --> 00:22:31.880
Whether to spend state funds
convincing young people

00:22:31.880 --> 00:22:34.910
there's an alternative to the
cities, or whether that's

00:22:34.910 --> 00:22:36.345
fighting the tide of history.

00:22:39.020 --> 00:22:39.285
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:22:39.285 --> 00:22:42.190
- Why do rural people
leave for the city?

00:22:42.190 --> 00:22:44.940
Income is a very important
factor.

00:22:44.940 --> 00:22:46.650
It's pivotal.

00:22:46.650 --> 00:22:49.102
There is no doubt about that.

00:22:49.102 --> 00:22:54.480
But income aside, it's the
infrastructure of rural areas

00:22:54.480 --> 00:22:57.280
which is more important.

00:22:57.280 --> 00:23:00.570
By raising their standard of
living, they will not be

00:23:00.570 --> 00:23:03.000
compelled to leave
for the cities.

00:23:03.000 --> 00:23:07.352
- There are some problems
that the

00:23:07.352 --> 00:23:10.250
government have to consider.

00:23:10.250 --> 00:23:13.750
One is when you make
investment in the

00:23:13.750 --> 00:23:20.300
infrastructure, in the roads,
in the highways, in small

00:23:20.300 --> 00:23:26.080
cities, you have to be aware
of the long trend of

00:23:26.080 --> 00:23:28.930
population development.

00:23:28.930 --> 00:23:37.230
So you don't want to waste too
much money in those areas.

00:23:37.230 --> 00:23:42.560
In future people are
going to all leave.

00:23:42.560 --> 00:23:46.320
So that's something we have
to consider, yeah.

00:23:46.320 --> 00:23:51.240
- Everybody whether they are a
rural child or an urban child,

00:23:51.240 --> 00:23:53.000
wants the same thing.

00:23:53.000 --> 00:23:54.160
They want good life.

00:23:54.160 --> 00:23:56.830
Access to telephone,
to television.

00:23:56.830 --> 00:23:58.570
You name it.

00:23:58.570 --> 00:24:02.380
If you have those same things
available in rural areas,

00:24:02.380 --> 00:24:06.370
energy, social services,
schools, and what have you,

00:24:06.370 --> 00:24:10.310
and a night life, people
will stay there.

00:24:10.310 --> 00:24:15.600
But if you invest only in the
urban areas, you are basically

00:24:15.600 --> 00:24:17.930
asking for trouble.

00:24:17.930 --> 00:24:20.910
Narrator: A final business
debrief city style for Rand

00:24:20.910 --> 00:24:22.390
and Sherry.

00:24:22.390 --> 00:24:25.380
With another hip couple Shi Yan
and Cheng, on board for

00:24:25.380 --> 00:24:28.670
their influencer strategy,
they're ready to inspire other

00:24:28.670 --> 00:24:31.260
social tiers to stay not go.

00:24:31.260 --> 00:24:36.555
- The PhD, he's creating
something for the top tip of

00:24:36.555 --> 00:24:37.470
the people.

00:24:37.470 --> 00:24:41.650
But that image or that dream
actually is the model to

00:24:41.650 --> 00:24:47.290
influence the lower tier of
people who think farm is nicer

00:24:47.290 --> 00:24:52.090
or some way they can actually
make a living with.

00:24:52.090 --> 00:24:55.020
Narrator: They reckon that using
both their influences

00:24:55.020 --> 00:24:58.850
and computer games, like the
latest Happy Farms, they can

00:24:58.850 --> 00:24:59.930
make a difference.

00:24:59.930 --> 00:25:03.610
- We can actually create an
entire campaign showcasing

00:25:03.610 --> 00:25:07.890
heroes plus the digital area
of the Happy Farm 2.0 with

00:25:07.890 --> 00:25:11.320
different regions, in addition
to throwing in some education

00:25:11.320 --> 00:25:14.210
about how kids eating healthier
are smarter and

00:25:14.210 --> 00:25:16.380
getting better or more
ahead in school.

00:25:16.380 --> 00:25:19.150
So we could probably create
that entire thing.

00:25:19.150 --> 00:25:21.090
So at the end of the day it's
going to be a dream that we

00:25:21.090 --> 00:25:21.850
can put in their minds...

00:25:21.850 --> 00:25:23.850
Narrator: Historically the
Chinese government has

00:25:23.850 --> 00:25:26.490
supported the move to cities
in its attempt

00:25:26.490 --> 00:25:28.330
to eradicate poverty.

00:25:28.330 --> 00:25:30.970
But it's also aware of the
need to keep a young

00:25:30.970 --> 00:25:33.290
generation on the land.

00:25:33.290 --> 00:25:33.900
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

00:25:33.900 --> 00:25:37.590
- Currently, China has direct
food subsidies.

00:25:37.590 --> 00:25:39.000
General subsidies for

00:25:39.000 --> 00:25:41.850
purchasing agriculture supplies.

00:25:41.850 --> 00:25:46.420
And subsidies for agricultural
machinery and tools.

00:25:46.420 --> 00:25:50.370
These are all attempts to
continually raise the income

00:25:50.370 --> 00:25:52.870
level of agricultural
producers.

00:25:52.870 --> 00:25:57.870
And the profit rate of the
agricultural sector.

00:25:57.870 --> 00:26:00.410
Narrator: They may have a
campaign strategy, but Rand

00:26:00.410 --> 00:26:03.680
and Sherry are politely hinting,
Future Food may have

00:26:03.680 --> 00:26:06.370
sent them an impossible task.

00:26:06.370 --> 00:26:10.160
- So in order to influence the
99% of people without leaving

00:26:10.160 --> 00:26:15.050
the village, and want to stay
there and do their farming, I

00:26:15.050 --> 00:26:19.350
think it really needs some
government facility or some

00:26:19.350 --> 00:26:21.590
economy system into play.

00:26:21.590 --> 00:26:25.350
While we can do the branding
thing for the influence

00:26:25.350 --> 00:26:28.975
strategy, but maybe some economy
system, a facility

00:26:28.975 --> 00:26:32.620
system need to be set up to make
sure it goes smoothly.

00:26:32.620 --> 00:26:34.410
- We can brand forever.

00:26:34.410 --> 00:26:36.450
But the problem is we're never
going to convince them that

00:26:36.450 --> 00:26:39.720
the money that they could make
in the city is going to

00:26:39.720 --> 00:26:43.670
somehow be made just by them
staying on the farm because--

00:26:43.670 --> 00:26:46.560
so I think in terms of
infrastructure, I think Sherry

00:26:46.560 --> 00:26:48.372
makes a really good point, that
the government would need

00:26:48.372 --> 00:26:51.500
to come in and figure out how
economically it's viable for

00:26:51.500 --> 00:26:52.610
them to stay on the farm.

00:26:52.610 --> 00:26:55.450
If there's no business model
there, we can't really build

00:26:55.450 --> 00:26:57.780
and market something that
doesn't have a fundamental

00:26:57.780 --> 00:27:00.670
business model to it.

00:27:00.670 --> 00:27:02.125
So those are our conclusions.

00:27:02.125 --> 00:27:02.610
- Conclusions.

00:27:02.610 --> 00:27:03.095
- What do you think?

00:27:03.095 --> 00:27:04.550
Yeah.

00:27:04.550 --> 00:27:12.140
[MUSIC PLAYING]

00:27:12.140 --> 00:27:15.210
Narrator: Making sure there
are enough young people to

00:27:15.210 --> 00:27:18.820
grow the food we need for the
future, may be a matter of

00:27:18.820 --> 00:27:22.558
policy more than persuasion,
however modern.

00:27:25.850 --> 00:27:59.040
[MUSIC PLAYING]