Nurtured by nature

A man gives children the lowdown on growing cabbages. [Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

However, at the root of all this is an eagerness by COFCO to educate, and to help children better understand the science of agriculture, farm staff escort the families around and explain how various technologies are applied in farm work. There are also free classes in which children are taught how to move plants and put them in a pot in such a way that they will have the best chances of surviving and thriving.

"We visit the farm at least once a month," says a Beijing resident surnamed Sun. "My son loves this place because there are so many different kinds of plants, and many that he can touch.

"Children living in cities have scant opportunity to get close to nature. Even in parks, plants and animal species are scarce, and you're often not allowed to touch the plants."

The family first visited the farm in winter early this year. There were almost no greens in other parks, while the farm had an abundance of green plants on display, and that impressed the family, Sun says.

Since then, the family has often visited the farm and has told friends about it.

"My son is only 3, and he is curious about nature and all the plants he sees," Sun says. "He often asks questions I don't know the answer to, and in the farm there are detailed explanations about vegetables and other plants, and the staff are patient in answering his questions."

The air is fresh and clean, scented with the fragrance of the flowers and other plants, Sun says.

But most importantly, he says, his son is learning about agriculture even as he is having fun, and it gives him a sense of where food comes from, nourishing his curiosity about agriculture and nature generally, a precious experience that city children lack.

For grown ups like him, the farm not only offers a place to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life but gives people the chance to experience modern agriculture technology, Sun says.

"Living in cities people are usually just too busy to care for things that they feel have no relevance to them. We never care about how vegetables are grown; the only thing we seem to care about is whether they are labeled organic or green.

"But once you are in such a high-tech farm, it just becomes natural to be curious."