In the heart of the Qinling Mountains, the August landscape of Yunping, Liangdang County, is a sea of layered green. The corn in the fields has entered its grain-filling stage, with emerald husks wrapping tightly around the swelling cobs, signaling strong growth.

Early morning dew still clings to the cornfield halfway up the hill in Piliang Village. A slightly stout figure, Zhao Zhen, is already crouched on the field ridge. He peels back the husk of a corn cob, pinches the tip, and then bends down to scoop up a handful of soil, squeezing it in his fist before letting it crumble through his fingers, examining it closely.

"The filling isn't even; the tip is still a bit bare," he observes. A nearby farmer looks puzzled, asking, "But didn't we apply the enzyme compost as instructed?"

"You applied the fertilizer, but this plot has been continuously cropped, the soil is compacted, and the amount of compost you used was insufficient. The nutrients didn't penetrate," Zhao Zhen explains, grabbing another handful of soil. "To grow good crops, you must first nurture the soil." With that, he dusts off his hands and continues down the ridge.

A handful of soil, a single ear of corn, a test plot — this is Zhao Zhen's most familiar work scene as a village-based official in Piliang. These seemingly trivial tasks, however, hold the thoughts of a township official about the local economy. In Yunping, with its steep mountains and fragmented land, what can lift the people's incomes?

Zhao Zhen's answer is simple and resolute: start with the soil beneath your feet and forge a new path for organic industry development.

From "Fear of Trying" to "Taking the Initiative"

Yunping Town is nestled deep in the Qinling Mountains, with significant elevation differences. Farmland is mostly scattered on slopes and in gullies, where the soil is thin and organic matter content is low. In the past, local farmers were accustomed to the "chemical fertilizer push, pesticide protect" method for growing corn. This led to declining soil fertility, compaction, and diminishing returns from traditional farming practices.

Developing organic agriculture was the clear direction, but the real challenge was making the people believe in it. "If we use less chemical fertilizer, will the crops grow well?" "If we go organic, what if our yields drop?" These were the questions Zhao Zhen heard most often during his door-to-door visits and at "Civic Direct Talks" meetings.

He didn't rush to explain grand theories. "The people aren't afraid of hard work; they're afraid of working hard for nothing," Zhao Zhen would often say. Since they feared a wasted effort, he decided to let the land speak for itself.

To this end, Zhao Zhen proactively connected with the China Agricultural University practice team in Liangdang County to learn about the "dual-cycle" technology of bio-composting and organic enzymes. He then mobilized willing farmers to set up trial plots right where everyone could see them. He spent his days in the fields and his nights researching and recording data. He learned alongside the villagers everything from how to turn compost piles, when to add water, and how to judge when fermentation was complete.

From chopping straw and mixing livestock manure, to composting, turning, and applying the fertilizer, he demonstrated and taught each step. As steam rose from the composting piles, Zhao Zhen, wielding a shovel, would turn the materials, sweat dripping from his forehead. "Composting isn't just about piling the materials together and leaving them," he would say. He repeatedly explained to the villagers when to turn the pile, how to control moisture, and how to judge the fermentation level, until everyone truly understood.

The first farmers to try the trial plots were also nervous. Using the same seeds on the same hillside, could the corn treated with the enzyme compost actually grow better than in previous years? Zhao Zhen was also waiting, waiting for the crops to provide the answer.

When the ears began to emerge, the answer became clear: the corn treated with enzyme compost had thicker stalks, darker green leaves, and fuller ears, with less tip-bareness. What made Zhao Zhen even happier was a soil inspection at the start of this year's spring planting. He grabbed a handful of soil, clenched it, and let it go; the clump crumbled naturally. Brushing away the topsoil, he saw several reddish-brown earthworms wriggling. "Earthworms mean the soil is alive," he said with a simple smile while squatting on the ridge. "Once the soil is active, the crops will grow strong."

This time, the villagers understood. His title changed from "Captain Zhao" to "Area Chief Zhao." More and more people began to seek him out, asking, "Chief, can we use this fertilizer on our farm too? We want to try it next year." This one sentence marked a shift from "officials tell me to do it" to "the people want to do it themselves."

From "Test Plots" to a "Circular Chain"

Getting the people on board was only the first step. Zhao Zhen soon faced a practical problem. The mountainous terrain of Yunping is steep with fragmented plots, making it difficult for large machinery to enter. The cost of transporting organic fertilizer was high. The villagers calculated that for some villages located over a dozen kilometers from the main composting site, the fuel cost of hauling a load of fertilizer to the fields was more expensive than the fertilizer itself.

"If the people are willing to do it, we can't let them lose money on the deal," Zhao Zhen thought. He began to recalculate, but this time, he looked at the entire industry's economics. He traveled to all 11 villages in the town, surveying their industries, labor force, livestock, and straw resources. His single question was: how to make organic agriculture truly suitable for Yunping's mountain conditions?

His answer was "localized circularity." He decided to build composting sites directly within the villages. Livestock waste would be collected on-site, crop straw would be used locally, compost would be fermented locally, and the organic fertilizer would be used on nearby fields. Small composting sites were gradually set up in Piliang, Yuanshan, Huangya, and Huaping villages. This effectively shortened transportation distances, reduced the cost of using organic fertilizer, and turned previously overlooked livestock manure and crop straw into valuable "raw materials" for agricultural production. Some composting sites also provided additional employment for nearby villagers.

"When you make the numbers clear to them, the people know they can earn more money, and they don't need to be pushed; they'll do it themselves," Zhao Zhen said while checking the corn seedlings in a field in Yuanshan Village. This statement reveals his simple philosophy for developing industry: don't make choices for the people, but rather make the numbers clear and pave the way, so they will choose to walk it themselves.

From "Good Crops" to a "Strong Industry"

The transformation of a single plot gave Zhao Zhen hope for the organic industry. But he wasn't satisfied with just a few successful test plots. In his view, organic farming is not simply about replacing chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer, nor is it about "setting up a few demonstration sites and hanging a few nameplates." The land must be nurtured, the industry must cycle, and the people must benefit from it.

Using enzyme composting as a starting point, he gradually linked the "crop-livestock integration, on-site composting, organic farming, and green manure return" into a cycle. In Piliang Village, farmers participating in organic farming were enrolled in a points-based management system. Green production behaviors, such as using organic fertilizer and returning straw to the fields, earned them points, which could be exchanged for daily necessities at the village's "Women's Home" points store. This seemingly small initiative made green farming shift from "something everyone is told to do" to something the people are willing to do, and which neighbors encourage each other to do.

What Zhao Zhen is doing now goes beyond just teaching farmers how to compost a pile or grow a field of corn. He is turning an industrial development concept into a practical, understandable, and profitable path that the people are willing to participate in. From a few rows of test plots, the project has grown to include 200 mu of organic corn, industrial bases for 45 mu of sweet flag (calamus), 80 mu of Sophora flavescens (a medicinal herb), and 80 mu of forsythia. From a few pioneering households, the initiative has spread to Piliang, Yuanshan, and Huangya villages, gradually connecting these areas. A path of organic farming and crop-livestock circulation suitable for the mountainous region is steadily taking root in Yunping.

From the "Path Underfoot" to the "Path to Prosperity"

Zhao Zhen often says, "The people aren't afraid of hard work; they're afraid of working hard for nothing." So, he doesn't rush to "make them fat in one bite." Start with a few test rows, then expand to a larger slope. Nurture the soil first, then talk about yields. Calculate the costs clearly first, then discuss scale. Let the people see the change first, and then they will join in on their own.

This is his understanding of industrial work. An industry is not a number written on paper; it's a mu of land, an ear of corn, a production cost, and the income of a single household. An official's job is not to stand on the ridge and command the people, but to first blaze a trail that is worth walking.

In recent years, Liangdang County has leveraged its ecological resources to promote the development of agriculture towards green, organic, and integrated models. Yunping Town, considering its mountainous conditions, has integrated the "All-Organic" concept into its industrial development. It has extended the "Six Micro" initiatives from grassroots governance to industrial practice, using micro-improvements to enhance production conditions, micro-services to solve people's problems, and micro-industries to expand income channels, gradually translating ecological advantages into industrial ones.

Zhao Zhen is just one example on this "organic" path. But it is through countless home visits, trial plots, composting sites, and industry accounts that the county's industrial development plans have truly taken root in the soil of the mountain hollows and in the people's production.

Today, more and more villagers are asking Zhao Zhen, "Can we try it on our farm next year?" His answer remains the same: "First, nurture the soil." With that, he lowers his head and grabs another handful of earth.

The land cannot speak, yet it is the most honest witness. It records the growth of a season's crops and the path a local official has walked. Starting from a few rows of land, Zhao Zhen hasn't rushed to tell a grand industrial story. Instead, he has led the people, step by step, to solidify small tasks, solve difficult problems, and forge a clear path to increasing income.

As the mountain wind rustles through the cornfields, creating waves of green, the Yunping valley will soon turn a golden yellow as the corn ripens. "Next year will be even better," Zhao Zhen says. This is a promise made to the crops, and to the people who work this land.