It was with a great hope that I read an NPR story this weekend about Little Donkey Farm, the first Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm in China. As has happened in the U.S. and other parts of the world, China’s youth are moving away from the country and into cities for higher paying jobs and better opportunities.  What this means is better living through chemistry for China’s farmers who are using millions of tons of synthetic fertilizers and other modern technologies to grow enough food to feed the world’s largest population. As this technology abounds, so too do food safety threats and environmental perils.

So you can understand why it was refreshing to read about a Chinese graduate student, who after working on a CSA farm in Minnesota, was inspired to start her own in a remote village northwest of China’s capital. The farm is completely organic, and according to NPR, more people in China are seeking organic food. The CSA program has grown to a whopping 700 members. Little Donkey Farm’s success has been followed by more than forty additional CSA farms sprouting up in China indicating that as with other western trends, many of China’s citizens are looking to return to their roots.

I’ll eat this week’s Full Belly share with our friends at Little Donkey in mind.