First, the basic situation
Yuma County (Arizona) is a county in the southwestern state of Arizona in the United States, bordering Mexico to the south and California to the west. It has an area of 14,294 square kilometers. As of 2000 , the population was 160,026. The county is Governed by Yuma. Founded on November 8, 1864, it was one of the original four counties in the state. The name of the county commemorates the Yuma people.
Yuma County has mild winters, is barely in danger of frost, and has more than 350 days of sunshine a year, making it the county with the longest growing season in the country. While large patches of vegetable patches are dotted with emeralds and rubies in winter, in the fields of Yuma County, something grows even during the hottest months of the year.
According to a 2013 study by the University of Arizona, agriculture generates about $2.5 billion a year in revenue for the Yuma economy. In fact, Yuma County's agriculture brings a total economic return of $3.2 billion a year, more than a third of Arizona's $9.2 billion.
In the early days, although the mighty Colorado River flowed nearby, less than 3 inches of rain fell annually, and the water shortage was severe. Construction of the first dam was completed in 1912, and in the same year Arizona became a U.S. state.
Now, 100 percent of yuma county's 230,000 acres of land used for agriculture is irrigated by the Colorado River water provided by one of the county's seven irrigation districts. Every piece of farmland in the county is laser-graded using GPS technology, making Yuma's irrigation network one of the most efficient in the world.
All of this makes Yuma County number one in vegetable production in the state and third in the country.
For Yuma, Arizona, the economic importance of lettuce is quite important. Agriculture is Yuma's largest private sector of the economy, and the Yuma region provides a third of Arizona's agricultural revenue, generating more than $3.2 billion in revenue. At peak production, nine salad processing plants process more than 2 million pounds of salad a day.
Second, the characteristics of industrial resources
The production and processing of agricultural products is the leading industry in Yuma County. The county has plenty of sunshine, fertile soil, an abundant workforce, and high-quality irrigation water.
Lettuce production, processing, cold chain logistics one-stop service
The Yuma region is home to nine vegetable salads. Production of bagged lettuce and salad mixes. At peak production, these factories process more than 2 million pounds of lettuce per day.
There are 23 refrigeration plants in the Yuma area, where powerful refrigeration transport equipment can transport truck-sized vegetables from the field to the transport site in less than half an hour. The products harvested here in the morning can reach Phoenix in the afternoon, and the East Coast takes three to four days.
Fruits, beef cattle
More than 175 different crops grow in the Yuma region because of the perfect growing conditions. For example, Yuma County's production of lemons, citrus, watermelons and cantaloupes ranks first in Arizona; A local cattle company typically owns more than 120,000 beef cattle.
food crops
The area is also home to more than 40,000 acres of wheat. Two-thirds of Arizona's wheat production is exported to Italy, mainly to make quality pasta. Yuma's desert conditions and controlled irrigation make it the perfect location to grow this particular crop.
Jujube
The Yuma region now produces around £10 million a year, with a production value of between $30 million and $35 million, employing more than 2,000 people a year.
festival
The Yuma Lettuce Festival is a festival held annually in the city of Yuma, Arizona, in late February and early March. Due to its sunny desert climate and the colorado River's water source, Yuma has become a major supplier of U.S. winter produce. It includes vendor and exhibitor displays, live entertainment, children's exhibitions, agricultural presentations, annual harvest dinners, and cooking demonstrations. Over the past few years, the festival has seen more than 50,000 attendees, making it an important source of tourism revenue for the region. Many local agribusinesses sponsor events, and Yuma Tourism Actively seeks to sponsor specific festivals.
Third, the development model
Specialized and modern production. Appropriately concentrate production factors such as land, labor, and agricultural machinery, and adopt specialized and modern production methods to effectively improve labor productivity, land output rate and economic benefits.
Commercialization and branding. The products produced by farms are not mainly self-sufficient, but as a commodity, they are transferred from the production field to the consumption field through certain sales forms and circulation links.
Fourth, experience to learn
1. Rationally plan industrial positioning and implement unified support policies
Under the conditions of market economy, there is a contradiction between agricultural industrialization and organic agriculture; Organic agriculture is basically impossible without pesticides and fertilizers; Organic farming equals low-yield agriculture, organic farming is the agriculture of the rich, etc. As an environment-friendly agricultural development model, we should accelerate development and construction, adhere to local conditions, and follow the path of regional layout, specialized production and market-oriented development.
2. Promote international exchanges and cooperation and expand overseas markets
Accelerate the process of international mutual recognition and improve certification standards. We should learn from foreign experience, integrate the domestic green food and organic food certification system into one, and accelerate the integration of organic standards with international standards such as Europe and the United States to cope with the green trade barriers of agricultural products.
Agricultural Planning and Design Institute of China Agricultural University
One village, one product research group
Agricultural Planning Service Platform of China Agricultural University