Xu Zhouda explains pest prevention and control measures to trainees on December 17, 2021 (COURTESY)

One afternoon last summer, Xu Zhouda welcomed his first visitor since arriving in Sao Tome and Principe. Osvaldo Lima Massago, a vegetable farmer mainly growing tomatoes, beans and peppers, came to seek help after hearing that Chinese agricultural experts were working on an agricultural cooperation project.

Xu immediately agreed. Early next morning, he went to Massago’s plantation to check out the pest situation. “He operates a large plantation, but the pest damage was severe and the plant growth was poor. He had used pesticides in a wrong way, which reduced the yield by more than 70 percent,” Xu said.

Xu spent nearly the whole morning introducing to Massago in detail various measures such as fertilization and branching of crops and vegetables, as well as the prevention and control of pests and the scientific use of pesticides, and gave him the pesticides and fertilizers for free. After two months, Massago had a good harvest.

A year ago, Xu was dispatched to Sao Tome and Principe to participate in the third phase China’s agriculture aid project in the country. Before that, Xu worked in the Agricultural and Rural Bureau of Qinhuangdao, north China’s Hebei Province, engaging in pest and disease control work, among others.

“A long time ago, it was my dream to participate in such a mission to Africa. I thought I was professionally qualified and had the confidence and ability to excel in the work,” Xu said.

Research and study

Located in the southeast of the Gulf of Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe has a tropical climate and is a typical agricultural country, with about 51 percent of the population directly engaged in agricultural production.

After arriving in the country, Xu immediately went deep into the fields, visiting agricultural research institutes and small and medium-sized farmers to gain an in-depth understanding of the basic situation.

“After systematic research, we found that there was a lot of room for development in both plantation methods, and pest and disease control,” Xu said. Problems included a lack of understanding among growers and technicians, low utilization rate of pesticides, and insufficient training of plant protection technicians.

“It is difficult to change the situation in a short period of time through a single measure. Therefore, we have to use an integrated pest control method that is in line with local reality, and based on new technologies and new ideas,” Xu said. Enriching the diversity of the ecosystem was essential to pest and disease control.

Diverse ecosystems provide abundant habitat, refuge, alternative hosts and food for natural enemies of pests, resulting in effective pest and disease control, Xu said.

In addition, Xu targets at corn, the most promising local crop, for advancing his plant protection work. With more grain and fodder produced from corn, a virtuous cycle can be created for modern agricultural development.

Xu Zhouda gives a lecture on prevention and control of corn diseases and pests in Lobata County on December 3, 2021 (COURTESY)

Demonstrations and training

Based on the firsthand information acquired from the research and practical experience, Xu and his colleagues worked together to carry out a variety of demonstrations in the local area, so as to create a foundation for the spread of the knowledge nationwide and improve the level of agricultural development.

In November 2021, the construction of the grain drying shed, a landmark demonstration project of the Chinese expert team, was completed. “The design plan for the grain-drying shed was created by a local agricultural science institute, and we completed the project, which is one of the important elements of our work,” Xu said.

In order to enhance the effectiveness of the demonstration, Xu promoted a green approach to pest prevention and control using physical methods such as light traps. By testing the methods for potato and pepper plants, he finally came up with a set of effective physical methods.

In addition, Xu actively researched the production of environmentally friendly, low-cost pesticides to replace some of the local ones in use, in order to reduce the pollution and cost of pesticides.

Xu also conducted technical training for local agricultural officials, small and medium-sized farmers, and agricultural students, so that his African counterparts could take full advantage of the Chinese expertise to be able to solve the main problems in the field of plant protection and crop cultivation on their own.

Xu carefully chose the training topics and contents, taking into account the problems in the field of plant protection in particular, which he learned during his research. He also developed different training courses for different levels of personnel.

For ordinary farmers, he taught them simple and clear methods for each step, such as how to correctly select pesticides for different pests and diseases, and how to achieve maximum cost savings.

For agricultural technicians, the focus was on the introduction of theories based on real cases. He mainly taught how to identify fungal, bacterial and viral diseases, ways of pest and disease transmission, and methods to effectively suppress pests and diseases.

“For participants from agricultural colleges and universities, I mainly introduce the current status of advanced agricultural development, using examples of famous agricultural scientists in China, such as the life story, contribution and prestige of academician Yuan Longping,” Xu said.

By the end of December 2021, Xu had trained a total of more than 200 people, and received high praise from students.

Sense of responsibility

When he was a child, Xu admired the military profession and believed that soldiers have a chance to serve their country. His wish of “wearing a uniform and defending the country” was never realized. But this assignment to Africa has given him a sense of mission and responsibility to serve the country.

“The greater the difficulties, the stronger the sense of purpose in me, and this sense of mission is the source of strength that makes me fearless,” Xu said.

For his two-year mission, Xu needs to make a lot of sacrifices, he said. “I have to give up all the family responsibilities. I was hesitant before signing up, but my wife and two daughters were very supportive, knowing that it had always been my wish to participate in the aid mission to Africa.”

After coming to Sao Tome and Principe, Xu felt the warmth and friendliness of local people. “You can hear the word ‘hello’ in Chinese everywhere you go. I was touched by a few African children near the site. They were about the same age as my daughter,” Xu recalled.

“I hope I can do more through my own efforts. They are our friends and they deserve a better life. I hope the agricultural development here will get better and better, and I wish our friendship will last forever,” Xu said.

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