With more people becoming concerned about the origins of their food, eco-farms are gaining in popularity. Eco-farms aim to negate the adverse effects of agriculture on the environment, and produce food in a sustainable way that makes the most of natural systems. This usually involves aiming for a diversity of plants and animals on the farm to create an ecological self-sustaining chain.

Xingeng Farm

Located on Chongming Island, the 48.5-hectare Xingeng Farm mainly provides rice and products derived from it, including rice cakes and rice wine.

Owner Hou Xueying rented the land in 2009 because she wanted to grow safe food for herself. She did not immediately plant crops on it, but left it fallow for two years so the soil could be replenished. The productivity of the farm is far below that of a normal farm. Each hectare yields around 100 kilograms of rice. However, other ordinary farms that use chemicals and pesticides can see double this figure.

Besides growing rice, Hou also raises ducks and sheep, which help make up for the fact Hou has abandoned chemical fertilizer and weed killers. "The weeds can feed my ducks and sheep. In return, the animal waste can fertilize the land," Hou said.

Red glutinous rice from Xingeng Farm

She also teaches basic knowledge about farming and cooking, and has a classroom on her farm for young visitors. She provides training sessions for city children who rarely have the chance to see how crops are grown. Hou teaches children how to recognize crops, then how to cultivate and cook them.

Address: 281 Mihong village, Miaozhen town, Chongming Island

崇明岛庙镇米洪村281号

Tel: 5936-2571

WeChat ID: xggarden

Mile Farm

Mile Farm specializes in growing grapes. The owner, Yang Qinfeng, was an architect who bought the 4-hectare grape farm (pictured below) three years ago as a project for his parents. However, he didn't realize how much work was involved. His parents became overwhelmed, so he stepped in to run the farm.

Lacking in actual farming experience, the yield of Yang's farm is low. But the grapes that the farm does produce keep customers coming back for more, despite their high price of 40 yuan ($6.48) per kilogram.

Yang holds family days at his farm, although this does little to earn him extra money - he says many visitors are more into taking pictures than actually picking grapes with their children. Many leave soon after taking the pictures. But Yang also holds rice-cake cooking sessions, which prove a draw to parents and children. "Children can take the cakes they make back home for their grandparents," Yang said. Most of Yang's customers drive to his farm to collect the grapes themselves, as Yang has not developed a way of transporting his valuable produce to customers. This further limits his customer base, which mainly consists of friends and a few fans on social media.

Address: Xiaozheng Henglou village, Liantang town, Qingpu district

青浦区练塘镇小蒸横  村

Tel: 3981-2777

WeChat ID: milefarm

DESIGN Harvests

A team of former architects manage the DESIGN Harvests farm, which counts rice and strawberries among the output of its 8 hectares. However, due to the small yield, the produce is not for sale anywhere else except for at the farm itself.

Yuan Qinghua, the team leader, and his partners have created special vegetarian dishes to showcase their produce, and were even invited to cook a meal for the Consulate General of Sweden in Shanghai earlier this year.

The view from DESIGN Harvests farm Photos: Courtesy of the farms

The farm also holds training sessions to promote local crafts. "We wanted to protect local craftsmanship and help craftsmen live a better life," said Yuan.

They hold 2-hour-long craft sessions that cost 500 yuan per group of up to 15 people. The craft teacher is paid 100 yuan per session, which Yuan said is higher than the market price. During the sessions, parents and children learn a craft, such as how to make a bamboo basket, and they can take their creation home.

Address: 930 Xianqiao Road Middle, Xianqiao village, Shuxin town, Chongming Island

崇明岛竖新镇仙桥村仙桥中路930号

Tel: 3509-3205

WeChat ID: DesignHarvests