Tang'ao Village Agricultural Park.

On March 11, the Municipal Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau announced that this year our city will launch the construction of agricultural parks, aiming to build more than 10 such parks. Agricultural parks will primarily be located at urban–rural junctions, in the grain and vegetable production zones along both sides of the roads, and in areas with advantages in specialty agricultural products.

Relevant departments will fully seize the opportunity presented by land space reorganization, applying a park-oriented concept to inject artistic elements into contiguous farmlands. This will upgrade the rural landscape, landform beauty, water system aesthetics, and community environment—showcasing both traditional and modern farming culture, effectively inheriting rural historical heritage, optimizing the ecological environment, and nurturing urban agricultural parks that integrate rural scenery, suburban farmlands, agricultural culture, and production. The goal is to transform farmlands into parks and production areas into scenic zones.

How should an agricultural park be built? Some regions in our city have already explored this approach. In Tang'ao Village, Tuci Town, Xiangshan County, an agricultural park themed “Spring Blossoms and Autumn Harvests” is nearly complete. Located at the village entrance, a contiguous 50-acre farmland has been equipped with a 470-meter field walkway, a rainbow bridge, a thatched pavilion, a windmill, and seven other rural landscape features, as well as a “Bears on the Loose” checkin attraction.

With the continuous improvement of agricultural park infrastructure, Tang'ao Village has effectively integrated agricultural culture and tourism by hosting a series of cultural and tourism activities that attract visitors. Farmland now serves not only for food production but also as a family playground, study venue, and livestreaming base—significantly boosting the income of villagers and the collective economy. Last year, Tang'ao Village achieved a collective economic income of 2.481 million yuan, including 705,000 yuan from operating income.

In Jiaochuan Street, Zhenhai District, the second phase of the Ningbo Urban Agriculture Park · Jiaochuan Modern Urban Agriculture Park is under construction, focusing on establishing an agricultural research center, a cultural creativity center, urban farmlands, an ecological fishing park, and a seasonal forest station.

As one of the first modern urban agricultural parks in our city, the Jiaochuan Modern Urban Agriculture Park covers a planned area of 3,258 acres, with a core area of 1,500 acres, and is divided into four zones: an urban agricultural research zone, a technological agricultural production zone, a technological agricultural leisure zone, and a future rural living zone.

According to reports, Jiaochuan Modern Urban Agriculture Park will be guided by the “Agriculture + Technological Innovation” principle, striving to become a modern, highend comprehensive agricultural hub in northern Ningbo’s metropolitan area and the backyard of the Yongjiang Science and Innovation Zone.

Officials from the Planting and Seed Industry Management Office of the Municipal Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau stated that an agricultural park is an upgraded form of rural leisure and agricultural tourism. It is distinct from an urban park as well as from agritourism, rural sightseeing spots, and rural folk attractions, as it must center on the living areas of local residents and encompass ecofriendly suburban farmlands, scenic agricultural culture, and modern agricultural production.

Moving forward, localities will integrate farmland environment improvement, idle land remediation, and farmland construction to transform “small fields” into “large fields,” supported by the development of sightseeing walkways and rural service stations—achieving the transformation of farmlands into parks and production areas into scenic zones.