Volunteer undertakes mission to preserve vanishing heirloom seed varieties

"We must find, collect and plant as many landrace seeds as possible from different villages to enable them to adapt to various climates," she said.

Shen believed this is an alternative to relying solely on seed banks.

"Because you have no idea whether the seeds can adapt to the climate after being frozen for centuries," she said.

The organic farm she works at has set apart several experimental plots for planting the seeds they have collected. Nearby farmers can also get these seeds if they wish.

Shen and her coworkers also teach local farmers the essential skills to refine the seeds from harvests to encourage them to conserve as many seed varieties as possible.

She felt that organic farming is somewhat like rock music, given that both emphasize independence and freedom.

"Farmers who own seeds that are able to reproduce no longer need to rely on others for seeds. They enjoy greater certainty and autonomy," she said.

Shen also spends a lot of time writing articles to encourage people, especially urban youth, to embrace sustainable organic food.

She recalled that when she was presenting a lecture at the Beijing farmers' market and asked the audience, "where does food come from", the children shouted "supermarket shelves" or "delivery boxes".

Shen said that rapid development has severed younger generations' connection with the land.

"If the youth don't know how food is naturally produced, how could the following generation know?" she pointed out.

So, she shares her life at the farm through photos, videos and written posts on social media platforms.

On her WeChat, people see freshly picked mushrooms and lettuce and zongzi, leaf-wrapped rice dumplings made with a local heirloom variety of rice.

Shen typically cooks simple, organic meals at home.

She recalled that some of her friends asked her how to grow bean sprouts when they had to stay at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic and didn't have enough vegetables.

Cooking at home is a step toward understanding our food system, whether the food is organic or not, she said.

"Maybe we can't change our food system's industrialization, but our efforts at least provide an alternative for the future," Shen said.

"This is especially important in a world of growing uncertainty."