Xiuwen explores collaborative approach to kiwifruit planting

Zingiber striolatum Diels is planted under kiwifruit trees in Suoqiao village, Xiuwen county. [Photo provided by Xiuwen media center]

In recent years, Xiuwen county in Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province, has adopted an "enterprise+cooperative+base+farmer" model tailored to its climate conditions and actual industrial foundation as a means of promoting characteristic intercropping.

Xiuwen's Pingzhai village is conducting a pilot project of understory kiwifruit planting to reduce the cost of Polygonatum planting by utilizing the shadows and the regional water supply system under kiwifruit branches and leaves.

The village has also partnered with Guiyang Medicinal Botanical Garden, which provides support in terms of seedlings, technology, and sales, thereby increasing the income of residents.

Suoqiao village, situated in the Maotiao River Basin, experiences both dry and rainy conditions throughout the year. Planting Zingiber striolatum Diels (also known as wild ginger) under the kiwifruit can help maintain moisture content in the orchard soil layer and reduce water costs.

There were eight types of crops planted under the kiwifruit in Xiuwen last year, covering a planting area of 500 mu (33 hectares) and yielding a production value of 6 million yuan ($836,543). This intercropping model can employ more than two people per mu, with an average annual income increase of over 3,000 yuan per person.

Xiuwen also pays attention to kiwifruit understory farming. Cultivating earthworms under kiwifruit trees with manure from local farms addresses the issue of manure treatment in the farm, while promoting the growth of trees and improving the quality of their fruits.