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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription.  _This content was paid for and prepared by China Daily, an official publication of the People's Republic of China. The TIME editorial and advertising departments were not involved in the creation of this content._ A farmer collects cages during a winter harvest ceremony for crayfish in Qianjiang, Hubei province, last year. GUAN HONGLEI / FOR CHINA DAILY By ZHAO YIMENG and LIU KUN Every year late in August crowds gather around tables in the night markets of Qianjiang, Hubei province, to gorge on plates of steaming crayfish liberally doused in chili oil and garlic. Shells are cracked, fingers licked and beer bottles clinked in toasts to the feast. This scene plays out all across summer dining tables in China, but nowhere is it more special than in Qianjiang, birthplace of an agricultural process in which crayfish are co-cultivated alongside rice. Though few diners would probably be aware of this process as they tuck in, this circular ecological practice has been in place in the city since 2001, enabling farmers to use one field and one pond for dual harvests, creating a model for how agriculture can be profitable and environmentally sustainable. Dai Hua, head of the Qianjiang Agricultural and Rural Affairs Bureau, said the innovative cultivation model ensures two harvests — grain above and crayfish below — while protecting the ecosystem and increasing farmers’ income. The co-cultivation of rice and crayfish involves rice plants growing in shallow paddies while crayfish thrive in the muddy waters beneath. Insects and microbes attracted to the rice stalks become natural feed for the crustaceans. Their waste, in turn, nourishes the rice. After harvest, rice straw is left in the fields, decomposing to enrich the soil rather than being burned to pollute the air. The nature-based biological chain involves less use of chemicals, cleaner water and two lucrative harvests from the same plot, Dai said. The model not only doubles output, but also creates a natural balance that farmers and the environment both benefit from, he said. According to the bureau, more than 95% of Qianjiang’s 156,005 acres of rice paddies now practice co-cultivation. Last year the city produced 173,283 short tons of crayfish, along with a bumper crop of rice. In the first six months of this year 135,033 short tons of crayfish were harvested. “Ten years ago I could earn perhaps 3,000 yuan ($421) an acre from rice,” said Chen Liang, a farmer who tends 19 acres in the Houhu Management Zone in Qianjiang. “Now, with rice and crayfish together, I make at least 12,000 yuan an acre and have annual income of 120,000 yuan.” Apart from higher income, the model reduces agricultural inputs and brings environmental benefits. “We barely use fertilizers or pesticides,” Chen said. The model cuts pesticide use by at least half and insecticide use by 70%, local authorities said. Liu Ping, director of the local ecology and environment bureau, said agriculture is a major source of water pollution in China, with nationwide fertilizer use efficiency hovering around just 40%. “Normally, 55% to 60% of water pollutants come from farming,” he said. However, in Qianjiang the rice-crayfish model has had no negative impact on the water and even, to some extent, realizes the recyclable use of water, he said. The recycling of rice straw, which is plowed back into the fields instead of being burned, improves soil fertility and air quality. Today Qianjiang’s fields are dotted with bases of every size — 13 large-scale sites spanning more than 1,647.38 acres each, and 70 mid-sized bases over 164.74 acres. Yang Yungang, deputy director of the Qianjiang Crayfish Industry Promotion Center, said the city has built a full industrial chain around its paddies. Some 19 processing companies and dozens of smaller factories turn raw crayfish into packaged dishes, snacks and condiments. “Shrimp Valley, China’s largest crayfish trading center, funnels hundreds of varieties of prepared crayfish to restaurants, supermarkets and e-commerce platforms across the country,” Yang said. The center produces more than 100 products such as oil-braised crayfish, frozen packs for online delivery and health supplements, he said. Many younger villagers once eager to leave for factory jobs in cities are coming back to try their hand at co-cultivation, said Zou Yudong, head of crop management at the local agriculture bureau. Local authorities said the city is promoting the standardization of seeds, inputs, farming practices, field management and harvesting to improve the quality of crayfish. Researchers continue to refine the model by testing composite systems, adding other marine life such as mandarin perch and eels, or planting aquatic vegetables alongside rice and crayfish to balance ecosystems and ease overcrowding, Yang of the crayfish promotion center said. Breakthroughs have been made with winter crayfish farming in ponds that can achieve year-round supply, such as the ability to produce seed stock by separating breeding and farming areas within the same pond, Zhang Yun, head of the center, said. “The new system improves survival rates and enables rotational stocking and harvesting, ensuring a steady supply of crayfish.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/farmers-diversify-field-work-to-double-rewards/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/farmers-diversify-field-work-to-double-rewards/"},"headline":"Farmers diversify field work to double rewards","datePublished":"2026-06-18T14:28:40.224Z","dateModified":"2026-06-09T07:28:05.030Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/farmers-diversify-field-work-to-double-rewards/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[],"articleSection":"Paid Content","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/farmers-diversify-field-work-to-double-rewards/","name":"Farmers diversify field work to double rewards"}}]}] ```