Rural farming holidays offered to locals

By Dong Zhen  |   2009-3-30  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

Minhang District is developing projects to offer city dwellers the chance to take a break from urban life by renting land from farmers on which they can spend their holidays growing crops and vegetables.

Minhang District officials said surveys have shown such projects are very appealing to urban residents, especially white-collar employees.

Such projects are being planned and developed in several rural areas inside Minhang District, which contains large amounts of farmland. The district has been working on developing its agricultural economy, including boosting tourism.

Private developers have been brought in to manage the commercial projects. Farmers could earn extra income from their spare farmland, while the district government says it expects good returns from taxes collected on such projects.

The first project, called Citizens' Farmland, will begin in May, said the Pujiang Town authority. It covers an area of more than 33 hectares. A Beijing company will be managing the project.

People will pay 3,000 yuan (US$439) as an annual fee to operate 66.67 square meters of farmland.

They will be able to choose the crops and vegetables to grow by themselves and will receive tips from the farmers at no extra charge.

The project developer believes many office workers will be attracted by a break in the countryside spent weeding and growing their own vegetables.

Of course, they are also entitled to keep the harvest.

The developer is planning to attract business based on membership clubs. It may also install a video supervision system so office workers can keep an eye on their farmland over the Internet when they're back in the city.