A cornucopia in Fujian's forest

Dominated by mountains, the per capita cultivated land area of southeast China's Fujian Province is less than a quarter of the national average. Large amounts of grain and vegetables used to be imported from other provinces in the 1980s.

However, Fujian is one of the greenest provinces, with a forest area of over 8 million hectares and a coverage rate of 65 percent, ranking first in the country and offering its people abundant food sources.

Jian'ou City, located in northern Fujian, is rich in forestry resources and praised as a "green vault." Jian'ou Henry chestnut is a national geographical indication product of China. The city's ideal climate and geographical conditions have nurtured an 1,800-year history of Jian'ou Henry chestnut cultivation.

In 2003, Henry chestnuts were small in size with low yields in the area. Under these circumstances, the chestnut association was established along with several work stations, where farmers were trained by sci-tech commissioners. Today, more than 95 percent of local chestnut farmers have become experts in chestnut production. With efficient techniques, the size of the chestnut has become even, and the output has significantly increased. The chestnut trees have become a "cash cow" for local people.

In recent years, industrial development measures have been adopted to promote native products of the city. 20 chestnut cooperatives have been launched, joined by more than 30,000 chestnut-growing households, and e-commerce has made the nut more popular. Currently, Jian'ou's planting area for the Henry chestnut amounts to more than 33,000 hectares, with an annual output exceeding 40,000 tonnes and an output value of 700 million yuan ($97 million).

As one of the most important ecosystems on land, the forest also serves as a huge granary, able to provide diverse green food products such as various mushrooms, vegetables and animal protein.

Statistics show that the annual output of forest food in China exceeds 200 million tonnes, making it the country's third-most important agricultural product after grains and vegetables. 

China's per capita forest food output is about 130 kilograms. Forest food mainly refers to food produced in forests or woodlands, including edible fruits, flowers, leaves, epiphytes and many other lifeforms.

For the past decades, remarkable achievements have been made in developing mountain and sea resources, while a diversified food supply system has been built based on local conditions. The annual tea output of Fujian has increased from 50,000 tonnes in the late 1980s to 500,000 tonnes today. More than 30 types of edible fungi are commercially cultivated in the province, and the output of fresh snow fungus in northeast Fujian's Gutian County has reached 396,000 tonnes, with an output value of 1.84 billion yuan ($254 million) in 2023.

(With input from Xinhua.)

(Cover: Farmers pick Henry chestnuts in Jian'ou City, Fujian Province, southeast China, September 9, 2023. /CFP)