The "Crested Ibis Homeland" of Yangxian County in Shaanxi Province is forging a new path for rural revitalization by developing a diverse, multi-layered agroforestry economy beneath its solar panels.
In the heart of summer, the integrated agrivoltaic base in Yangxian County presents a striking landscape. Vast arrays of photovoltaic panels are neatly arranged, generating a steady flow of clean energy. In the spaces between these panels, sunflowers bloom in the breeze. Beneath this floral canopy, a lush understory thrives with traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, edible fungi flourish, and bee colonies buzz with activity. This tiered, three-dimensional farmland paints a new picture of ecological prosperity, characterized by clean energy generation above ground and bountiful, year-round harvests below.
"We are making full use of the vertical space within the photovoltaic site," stated Zhou Liang, General Manager of Hanzhou Zhou Dawei Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. "We generate clean energy above and conduct specialized cultivation and breeding below, maximizing the use of previously idle sloping land. This achieves multiple streams of income from a single plot, truly transforming wasteland into valuable land and using industry to enrich the people."
In recent years, leveraging its unique foundation in organic agriculture and ecological advantages, Yangxian has developed a standardized 3,860-mu agrivoltaic base. It has innovatively explored a three-dimensional agroforestry economic model, turning once-idle and abandoned hilly slopes into rural "treasure fields" that support multiple products and generate income across all seasons.
The layered spaces created by the staggered photovoltaic arrays establish micro-environments suitable for understory cultivation and breeding. Between the solar panel supports, rows of beehives are neatly arranged. The rich sources of nectar from the flowers and plants support an eco-friendly beekeeping industry. The local area has extended a complete industrial chain based on specialty products like honey, broadening channels for industrial income growth.
Capitalizing on the natural advantages provided by the solar panels—shade, light filtration, and moisture retention—the base has scaled up the cultivation of crops like konjac and dendrobium orchids according to local conditions. It also meticulously cultivates various edible fungi in the unused spaces beneath the forest canopy. This new model of layered layout and three-dimensional planting and breeding completely breaks the limitations of traditional farmland, which often involves single-crop cultivation and one harvest per season.
"This area used to be all barren, thin soil," remarked Wang Wenyan, a local villager working at the site. "Now, under the solar panels, we can grow medicinal herbs, cultivate fungi, and keep bees. We get multiple yields from one piece of land and have work all year round, earning money right at our doorstep." The multi-layered industrial park has revitalized idle land and enabled nearby villagers to secure local employment and stable income growth.
Building on its high-quality agroforestry resources, Yangxian continues to extend and strengthen its industrial chains, improving quality and efficiency. It is promoting deep integration between the agroforestry economy and rural cultural tourism. Leveraging the original ecological landscape of the photovoltaic fields, the area has carefully developed leisure formats such as petting farms, flower-picking gardens, fresh fruit picking bases, and shared vegetable gardens. This upgrades what was once a simple cultivation base into a popular suburban micro-getaway destination.
Tourists immerse themselves in experiences like forest understory picking and pastoral sightseeing. These distinctive rural cultural tourism experiences are gaining popularity, effectively extending the agricultural industry chain and significantly enhancing the comprehensive added value of the agroforestry sector.
To support the scaled and standardized development of the understory industries, the base has also established a professional agricultural machinery service team. This team comprehensively covers the entire agricultural workflow from plowing and planting to management and harvesting. While ensuring the scaled production of medicinal herbs and edible fungi on the base, the service actively extends to surrounding villages and towns, providing convenient and efficient machinery托管 services. This effectively reduces the production costs for small-scale, individual farmers.
Today, Yangxian's three-dimensional agroforestry model—featuring power generation on the panels, beekeeping in the air, medicinal herb planting in the middle layer, and cultivation and breeding beneath the panels—is becoming increasingly mature. It efficiently revitalizes idle land resources and broadens avenues for increasing residents' income. This vibrant photovoltaic farmland, powered by diverse industrial energy, continues to inject robust vitality into the county's development of modern agriculture.
Comments