The rhizoma corydalis and rice rotation farming system in Dongyang, a county-level city in Jinhua, East China's Zhejiang province, has been added to the Chinese agricultural heritage systems list, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced on Sept 18.
Fifty sites in the country made the list, 17 of which are located in the province.
The system is a diversified ecological farming model, with a rice-rhizoma corydalis rotation system for two harvests per year and a rice- rhizoma corydalis-corn rotation system for three harvests per year as its core.
It is the result of the collective wisdom of Dongyang ancestors, and protecting it not only provides valuable reference for the future development of ecological and circular agriculture in the World Heritage site, but also plays an important role in protecting the diversity of species and rural ecological environment, realizing the multiple functions of agriculture, preserving local farming culture, and promoting popular science and research, said a local official.
Locals have been planting rhizoma corydalis since the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and Dongyang is currently home to 3,860 mu (257.33 hectares) of rice-rhizoma corydalis rotation farming land. In addition, the 47.4-square-kilometer heritage site also cultivates other Chinese medicinal herbs such as Fritillaria thunbergii.
Rhizoma corydalis promotes blood circulation, regulates Qi, and relieves pain.
Chinese Important Agricultural Cultural Heritage refers to the unique agricultural production systems created and inherited through the long-term collaborative development between humans and their environments.
It encompasses rich agricultural biodiversity, traditional knowledge and technological systems, and unique ecological and cultural landscapes. It holds significant scientific value and practical significance for the inheritance and sustainable development of agricultural culture, as well as the expansion of agricultural functions in China.
