Sowing trust, reaping change

When a villager in Gusheng, Yunnan province, asked Bao Xuan how to grow eggplants, the 26-year-old researcher was caught off guard. "I felt embarrassed," she recalled. "It's not my area of expertise."

Bao, a postgraduate from China Agricultural University (CAU), arrived at the village near Erhai Lake in January 2023 to conduct soil research as part of the Science and Technology Backyard (STB) program. That brief exchange made her realize that academic knowledge alone wasn't enough to truly help farmers.

The encounter became a turning point for Bao — and a reflection of the STB program's core mission: bridging the gap between research and rural reality.

Initiated in 2009 by CAU's academician Zhang Fusuo, the program connects universities, researchers, businesses, and farmers to promote practical innovation and provide tailored technical support.

Today, more than 1,800 such hubs operate across China, with over 10,000 postgraduates working in rural areas. "In the Erhai Lake region alone, over 120 young researchers are stationed in various backyards," Bao noted.

For these researchers, stepping out of academia and into rural communities has become an essential part of their work.

After two months, Bao adapted to the dynamic lifestyle. As the "student director" of her backyard, she balanced her research with community involvement — organizing farmer training sessions, supporting rural education, and even helping villagers fix their phones.

"We build trust and form bonds through these small actions in their daily lives. This creates a foundation for communication and collaboration, especially when developing new farming technologies," Bao explained.

Li Guangda, a 24-year-old master's student at CAU, also faced his share of challenges when he arrived in Gusheng village in February 2023.

During the technical training sessions he organized, only a few farmers showed up, while most remained uninterested. "Our lab experiments aren't always practical for the farmers or easy for them to understand," Li said, referring to the "green planting techniques" introduced by the young researchers.

"The locals saw us as 'city kids with no farming experience', which made them skeptical," he added.

To gain their trust, Li began organizing field trips in 2024, taking farmers to trial plots where new technologies were being tested and to other regions in Yunnan to visit high-quality farmland.

"Seeing the results up close helped the villagers gradually accept our green approach," he said.

Wang Yuan, 30, a teacher at Yunnan Agricultural University (YAU), also recognized the value of field trips in making technology more tangible.

In October 2023, she led a group of students in a field trial with local farmers, comparing traditional farming methods to new techniques developed in her backyard. After just one season, the new methods resulted in a 5 percent increase in crop yields, reduced input costs, and better preservation of local water sources.

"By the second season, in October 2024, many farmers were coming to us, eager to adopt our techniques," Wang said. "It was incredibly rewarding to see our research truly help them."

According to Pan Yunfeng, a 29-year-old environmental science teacher at YAU, each STB project focuses on a specific research area. The participating students come from diverse academic disciplines, including the natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences like economics.

"They form a 'multidisciplinary team' that thrives on collaboration and innovation," Pan said.

New seeds planted

Gusheng hosts the first STB project in China with a focus on the social sciences, making it an ideal fit for Yang Nan, a 25-year-old student at YAU majoring in rural and regional development. She began a year-long field practice there in July 2023.

Under the guidance of her professors, Yang and her team have been working to revive traditional banquets as well as local folk songs and dances, aiming to develop cultural tourism resources for the village.

Additionally, because the village's elementary school lacked English classes, Yang and other students started a volunteer group to teach local children English every week.

"During my year of fieldwork at the STB, I became more determined to work at the grassroots level," Yang said. "I want to put what I've learned into practice and contribute to rural development in China."

Pan remembers her early days in the backyard when a farmer asked her about crop diseases — an area beyond her expertise in environmental science. "I quickly turned to research and reached out to other experts so I could give him useful advice," she recalled.

Grateful for her assistance, the farmer invited Pan to his home for a meal. "It was a memorable experience," Pan said. "The STB project doesn't just share knowledge — it helps build meaningful relationships with the local community."

Bao has also formed strong bonds with the local children. When she was preparing to leave Gusheng after completing her first round of fieldwork in 2023, several of her young friends woke up early to see her off.

"They don't have phones or alarm clocks, so they took turns sleeping to make sure they wouldn't miss the chance to say goodbye," Bao recalled. This heartfelt connection was one of the reasons she felt compelled to return to the backyard.

Bao also observed a shift in the villagers' attitudes toward education. In the past, it wasn't a high priority for many families, but a recent survey showed that over 46 percent of villagers now place greater value on their children's schooling.

"The presence of young researchers in the backyard has had a subtle but significant impact on them," Bao explained.

Now, she has applied for a PhD and plans to continue her research in the village.

"I grew up in the city, and it wasn't until I came here that I truly understood the challenges faced by rural communities living in less developed areas," Bao said. "But during my time here, I've found ways to put my knowledge to use and help make a difference."