This coming Wednesday (November 25), Chapter One will host a charity event featuring a wide selection of imported Australian beers on special and an outdoor barbecue.

Beer importers Just Beer have donated 240 Australian beers previously unavailable in Kunming, including Victoria Bitter, Cascade, Pure Blonde and Crown Lager, which will be sold at the special price of 10 yuan beginning at 7:30 pm. Beers purchased after the first 240 beers are gone will be sold at regular price. Non-Aussie beers will not be available, so if you're a die-hard Chinese beer fan, this event maybe isn't for you.

All money made from the sale of the donated beers and all profits from the beers sold afterward will go to the Chapter One charity fund, which is aimed at funding education opportunities for rural children in Yunnan.

Chapter One owner Liu Aihua's introduction to the fund can be found on the bar's website.

In addition to cheap imported beers, organic sausages from Green Kunming will be available hot off the grill on Chapter One's front deck. Sausages will be sold for the special price of 10 yuan.

For more information, stop by Chapter One at 146 Wenlin Jie or call at 536 5635.

China Study Group looks at alternative food networks in China, and in particular an organic co-operative in Anlong that delivers organically farmed produce to Chengdu residents.

China Hush reposts a beautifully shot photo essay on pollution in China and finds out that the prostitute with AIDS story from last week was a cruel hoax by a jealous ex-lover.

Danwei shares a foreigner's account of life in a Beijing jail.

ChinaSMACK features a post from ESWN about present-day university students' responses to the legend of the White-Haired Girl and Evil Landlord: "For some, this means that the sympathy that used to exist for poor and oppressed people in the 1940's has been replaced by blind adoration of money."

Aimee Barnes conducts long technical interview with two foreign experts on energy in China.

And Glen on the Lost Laowai blog takes issue with the idea of "real China."

Dr Jakob Klein is a lecturer in social anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London who has spent years studying food production in China, most recently investigating the production of organic foods in Yunnan for consumption elsewhere. Recently back in Kunming investigating Yunnan food culture, Klein spoke with GoKunming about the state of Yunnan's organic food industry and where it's headed:

GoKunming: What initially piqued your interest in the organic food market in Kunming?

Dr Jakob Klein: When planning research in 2005 on emerging organic food networks in China, Kunming stood out as an ideal place for several reasons. The province is promoted as a centre of biodiversity, and the city itself has an active and internationally well-connected environmentalist scene. Some of these groups have been actively furthering organic food consumption in Kunming and I was curious to learn more about them.

Furthermore, unlike Beijing and Shanghai, where markets in organics and other ecologically certified foods have been around for some time, in Kunming they have emerged more recently, giving me the opportunity to follow developments almost from the beginning. I was also excited by the recent development of Yunnan's export-led horticulture – the products being sold mostly to China's Eastern seaboard and increasingly to Southeast Asia – and was keen to learn about the possible role of organics in this, and whether this might have an impact on local consumption and debates.

GK: What are the main organic products produced in Yunnan?

JK: Tea is by far the most significant, whether in terms of acreage, market value or number of certified producers. Other important products include fresh green vegetables and green beans, root vegetables, rice, fruit juices, walnuts and honey. There is now also one certified organic pork producer in the province.

GK: During your research in Kunming, what did you find the prevalent concept of organic food among local residents to be?

JK: The term 'organic food' (有机食品) is not widely used beyond the industry and the small number of committed consumers. Many Kunmingers have not heard the term at all, and others find it awkward – it carries none of the positive connotations of the English term, if anything it is associated with organic chemistry. However, other terms such as 'green food' (绿色食品), 'ecological food' (生态食品) and 'no public harm food' (无公害食品) have become part of Kunmingers' vocabulary.

Indeed, it is not uncommon now to find food vendors, especially those who claim to have grown the foods themselves, referring to their (uncertified) vegetables as 'green foods' or 'ecological foods'. Several interviewees tell me that these terms, which many use interchangeably, imply that the foods have been produced without chemical fertilizers or pesticides, and many describe the foods as being 'natural' and 'healthy'.

At the same time, people are often sceptical of the various 'ecologically certified' foods found in supermarkets, and this has partly to do with a widespread distrust of labels and partly with the common perception that supermarket vegetables in general are 'not fresh'.

GK: What does it take to be certified as organic in China?

JK: Quite a lot of money and organizational capacity! This is one of the reasons why none of the certified producers in Yunnan are peasant farmers, but instead agribusinesses that either contract out production to farmers and/or hire workers. Usually it takes about three years to convert to organic production, and once certified, producers are inspected annually. Criteria include, above all, a rejection of the use of agrichemicals and GMOs [genetically modified organisms], but there are also other environmental criteria, for example to do with water quality and geographical distance from 'conventional' producers.

GK: How do Chinese organic standards compare to those in other countries?

JK: China's main domestic certifier, the Organic Food Development Center (OFDC), is accredited by IFOAM, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements, and the standards are comparable to those of other similarly recognized organizations, such as Eco-Cert or the Soil Association.

At the same time, whether we are talking about China, California or Italy it is important to recognize that organic certification schemes, even assuming that rules are consistently adhered to, actually allow for a great variety of 'organic' farming practices with different philosophies and different environmental and social effects.

GK: What is the difference between foods certified as 'Green Food' and food certified as organic in China?

JK: Green Food and Organic Food are certified by two different organizations affiliated with different government bodies. Green Food allows for the limited use of certain chemical fertilizers, pesticides and other agrichemicals. However, a second tier of Green Food, labelled 'AA', is produced mostly for export markets and is internationally recognized as 'organic'.

GK: Demographically speaking, what types of Kunming residents are likely to spend extra grocery money on organic foods?

JK: There are no reliable data on this. Some organic producers and retailers have described the typical organic consumer as 'well-educated' and earning a high income. My own research with Kunming food shoppers, which is largely qualitative, suggests that regular consumers of organics tend to be found among the 'new rich', and also that some Kunmingers associate such foods with elite consumption habits and practices of social distinction.

According to some retailers, organics are particularly popular among women and among the elderly. Again, this is to some extent supported in my interviews with shoppers, and among these 'segments' organics fit into wider strategies of health – not only for themselves but also for their families. After all, women are often the main food shoppers in Kunming households, and in many multi-generational households elderly members do a lot of the family's shopping and cooking.

GK: Have food safety problems such as the recent melamine scandal brought more attention to organic produce?

JK: Undoubtedly. The melamine scandal is only the most recent in a series of food safety scares, which have been widely reported in the Chinese media since the 1990s. My interviews with Kunmingers suggest that in recent years their main food safety concerns have shifted from risks associated with spoilage and poor hygiene in kitchens or markets – which they describe as more manageable – to worries about 'contamination' (污染) in the production process itself, including adulteration, industrial pollution and – especially – the use or overuse of chemical pesticides, fertilizers and growth hormones.

Those informants who do purchase 'organic' products invariably cite these concerns as a key reason for doing so. For their part, purveyors of organics market their products as 'natural', 'healthy', 'hygienic' foods that can help consumers manage food safety risks, and environmental activists promoting organic food consumption convey similar messages.

GK: Most of Yunnan's organic produce leaves the province for markets such as Beijing and Shanghai; when do you see a significant portion of Yunnan's organic food output being consumed in Yunnan?

JK: Not anytime soon. Even producers that have previously focussed on the Kunming market are increasingly looking to the more lucrative domestic coastal and export markets. Having said that, the two developments are not necessarily mutually exclusive, and some observers argue that China's growing importance as an exporter of organic foods is having a knock-on effect on domestic markets, and the same may happen in Yunnan.

GK: What impact is the consumption of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and hormones in non-organic food having on China's health?

JK: This is a complex and hotly debated issue, and not one that I am especially qualified to answer. Let me just say a few things about pesticides. First, although underreported there is growing documentation of the health effects on appliers of pesticides, i.e. farmers. These involve both acute pesticide poisonings, in some cases leading to deaths, and various chronic effects including cancers.

When it comes to consumers the effects of currently used pesticides are less well known, although this obviously does not mean that they do not exist, not least if we consider the frequent reports in China of vegetables being sold with illegal amounts of pesticide residues. Again, there is an issue of acute poisonings often going unreported or undetected, and there is insufficient knowledge about the cumulative effects of low-level exposure through food consumption to a variety of agrichemicals and pollutants.

Yesterday, Kunming's Food Safety Commission made its mid-year report on food safety and inspection. According to the briefing, 62,192 establishments were inspected under special regulations regarding misuse of food additives and non-food additives.

Recent food safety scares, most notably the melamine cases of 2008, have raised the profile of food safety issues.

According to the report, this year the Kunming Agriculture Bureau carried out special monitoring of veterinary drugs and illegal animal feed additives. Samples from Kunming's 14 counties and city districts all gave negative results for Clenbuterol, a pig feed additive that has been implicated in food scares in other parts of China. Fresh eggs and milk in the samples showed no signs of Sudan red or melamine residues.

Tests for vegetable pesticide residues at selected locations including Wal-Mart and the Chenggong Longcheng Vegetable Wholesale Market gave a 98.4 percent pass rate.

Yunnan is renowned for its wide range of wild mushrooms, which are widely seen as being safe due to their natural growing environment. The report stated that 15 samples of edible fungi had a pass rate of 100% for pesticide residues. However, three of the samples showed traces of fluorescent whitening agents.

From 32 stores selling hot water pot foods (for example, tripe), nine out of 73 samples (12.3%) tested positive for formaldehyde. Similar products at large-scale supermarkets and chains didn't fare much better – here the detection rate was 11%.

Tests of preserved meat products in 38 establishments detected sodium nitrite in 7.7% of samples. Sodium nitrite's usage is carefully regulated in the production of preserved meat products in westernised countries, due to concerns about its toxicity, especially when exposed to high temperatures.

The report makes particular mention of companies specialising in tableware disinfection. Some restaurants in Kunming bulk outsource washing of their chopsticks and crockery – often noticeable from the plastic shrink-wrap these items are packed in before they're opened for customers. Currently, Kunming has more than 60 of these businesses, of which only 25 qualified. The report advises consumers to look for an oval logo issued by the city hygiene department on the wrapper of disinfected tableware.

Last Friday in Beijing, Yunnan provincial party secretary Bai Enpei (白恩培) told reporters that if the province's environment is destroyed "Yunnan will have absolutely nothing".

One of the major environmental issues in Yunnan is the widespread use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, whose runoff is one of the main contributors to the severe pollution of Dianchi Lake in recent decades.

With this in mind, GoKunming, Salvador's Coffee House and The Oasis Gift Shop (in between the eastern end of Wenhua Xiang and the middle of Wenlin Jie) have come together to create GreenKunming, a new organic food distribution system.

Beginning this Friday, there will be two weekly deliveries of pesticide-free, certified organic vegetables from Kunming's Haobao Organic Farm (pictured above) to the new Tianjundian Xiang shop (map here) where members can pick up their orders.

GreenKunming currently operates on a credit system, in which credit equaling 200 or 400 yuan can be purchased online via PayPal or at The Oasis Gift Shop. The credits can then be used to book delivery dates online. Initially deliveries from Haobao will consist of five kilograms of assorted seasonal vegetables for 40 yuan.

As the GreenKunming site and distribution system evolve, it will be looking for new partners to provide organic or green products for GreenKunming members. If you work for or know of potential partners for the GreenKunming network, please contact GreenKunming via its contact form.

Enclosed by mountains on three sides, it is easy to forget that Kunming has much to offer beyond the city proper. Over the hills but still relatively close to the city there are temples, villages, caves, mountain peaks and more waiting for anyone willing to make the journey.

This past weekend, GoKunming hopped on our mountain bikes with the goal of getting out of the city for some exercise, clean air, wholesome food and good rest. We took a familiar route to the Bamboo Temple (筇竹寺) just a few kilometers northwest of the city and well above the city skyline. After climbing past the temple we continued past the turnoff for Qipan Shan (棋盘山) and on toward Tuanjie Town (团结乡).

On the way to Tuanjie, we were reminded of the diversity of Kunming's outdoor activity options when we passed the caves at Da Moyu (大墨雨) and Xiao Moyu (小墨雨) – Xiao Moyu being one of the more interesting spots for rock climbing around Kunming.

After a couple of welcome downhills, we rolled into Heping Village (和平村), a small community located on a turnoff a few kilometers past Xiao Moyu. Most of Heping Village's residents are members of the Bai ethnic minority – the village even has a small reservoir with three Bai-style pagodas reminiscent of Dali's three pagodas.

Heping Village has a large number of vegetable farms and fruit orchards. Small markets along the main road through town offer sweet apples, crisp pears, fresh vegetables and even pine nuts. We picked up a bag of apples to munch on at the top of the next mountain we had to climb, which was a seemingly unending chain of steep switchbacks.

By the time we had summited our second small mountain, we'd covered thirty kilometers since leaving Kunming – no major feat, but as the ride was almost all uphill, the short distance had taken more than two hours to cover. A short five kilometers and several stunning vistas later we had arrived at our destination: Haobao Organic Farm (昆明好宝有机农场).

A 96-hectare farm and quasi-resort at the top end of a meandering valley, Haobao (contact info) is covered with a wide spectrum of vegetables, with Brussels sprouts a surprisingly well-represented crop. Walking through the farm, which is flanked by ridges of densely-forested hills, it's difficult to not think about where most of one's food comes from and how much things like pesticides, pollution and other toxic elements enter into the equation.

Upon our arrival at Haobao we checked into our rooms (standard two-bed rooms with bathroom and tv run 80 yuan/night) and headed straight for the showcase greenhouse, which houses a rather diverse collection of vegetables, melons, greens and herbs. It is also home to a restaurant working with some of the best ingredients in the city - even meats such as chicken, pork, duck, mutton and rabbit are organic. We devoured our late lunch and went for a hike in the hills around the farm before coming back for dinner.

In between sips of green tea and Haobao's homemade corn liquor (nobody's gone blind yet) we devoured a tableful of Yunnan-style dishes, which we washed down with bowls of mint and egg soup. Exhausted, we headed to bed early – our rooms were very cold but luckily the beds came equipped with electric blankets.

Returning to Kunming the next morning was literally a breeze as most of the trip was downhill and with the wind at our backs. What had taken two-and-a-half hours to cover going uphill the previous day took an hour to finish. Rolling into Kunming, it had felt like we had been gone for much more than the 24 hours we had been out of the city. Enjoying a celebratory lunch, it was hard not to talk about where to bike to next weekend.

Highly popular in the US, Europe and other Asian countries, organic food is still a relatively new concept in China. However, it seems to be gaining favor among a growing segment of Chinese who out of health and/or environmental concern are willing to spend a little (or a lot) more on certified organic food.

Last week Migrant Worker's Even Pay took us on a visit to Kunming Haobaoqing Organic Farm (昆明好宝箐生态农业园), about 35 km northwest of Kunming, near Tuanjie Village. Located at the east end of the Haobaoqing valley, the 110-mu (96-hectare) farm produces several dozens of varieties of organic-certified vegetables plus organic meats including chicken, rabbit, mutton, pork, duck, goose and even turkey. The farm sells its products in Kunming under the name 'Haobao' (好宝), which means good treasure.

Haobaoqing Farm began applying for organic certification in 2003, which it received in 2005. The stringent requirements of organic certification mandate that the farm re-apply for organic status every year. Over a delicious all-organic meal, Haobaoqing's management discussed the challenges of being an organic farm in Yunnan, the primary difficulty being consumer awareness and understanding of organic food.

According to our hosts, the word organic in Chinese (youji, 有机) is a bit too technical for most consumers, who often think that this chemistry term means the produce has been treated with special fertilizers or is genetically modified. China's 'Green Food' (绿色食品) certification is also a bit confusing for consumers. A-level Green Foods are simply foods whose production meets minimum government standards. Government-approved fertilizers and pesticides can be used in the production of A-level Green Foods. Organic food in China is designated as AA-level Green Food, which requires meeting strict air, water and soil standards.

Five years ago, few Chinese felt compelled to spend extra money on produce and meat that looked similar to what they bought in their local markets. Events in recent years such as SARS, avian flu and a slew of high-profile food safety incidents involving both Chinese brands and international giants including KFC, Nestle and Haagen-Dazs have made hygiene and food safety increasingly important criteria to Chinese shoppers. This shift in priorities has helped propel growth in China's organic market. Organic food also stands to benefit from China's increasing environmental awareness.

As it stands now, there is greater consumer awareness and appreciation of organic foods in China's richer coastal regions. Despite Yunnan being a bit behind the organic curve in China, Haobaoqing's management seemed upbeat about the potential for organic produce and meats in Kunming and Yunnan. One of the most important steps in marketing organic food to the local market is getting people to eat it. To that end, the farm features a restaurant and offers rooms and some basic tour services. Rooms are around the three-star level and run from 88-128 yuan/night. Nobody at the farm speaks English, worth keeping in mind if you are thinking about visiting.

For more information about development of the organic market in China, the United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service has published an informative South China Organic Food Market Brief that is well worth reading.

For contact information for the farm, please click here.

Migrant Worker aka Even Pay, a fellow at the Pesticide Eco-Alternatives Center here in Kunming, was recently interviewed for this story, entitled 'Why the stink over China's organic food?' in US-based business magazine BusinessWeek.

The story is a masterpiece of alarmism that inexplicably gives more credibility to unnamed sources than to cited experts in the field, including Even and the head of the US Department of Agriculture's organic department. Here are the major offenses:

1. The piece starts off stating China is 'getting skewered for churning out cheap organic food', yet nowhere in the article does a person with a name say anything negative about China's organic produce. There are numerous references to 'critics' of China's organic agriculture, but none are named.

2. The first quote, attributed to an unnamed US consultant working in China who considers China meeting US Department of Agriculture standards 'a joke': "U.S. laws do not work in China."' One: anybody can call themselves a consultant. Two: Unless there is a plan to impose US law on the world, (cough, cough), why would it be imperative that US laws 'work' in other countries?

3. The closing sentence: 'Even with these safeguards in place, however, making sure that every carrot, cabbage, and strawberry imported from China meets USDA standards is impossible.' Hmm, so even though the USDA says there have been no problems with organic produce from China, Americans should not trust organic food from China because every single item of produce cannot be accounted for. It's good to see that in modern American journalism kneejerk suspicion of everything Chinese trumps those pesky 'experts' and 'facts' that can often clash with one's prejudices.

We don't want to talk too much trash, we understand that China can seem frightening over in New York -- where the story was written.

The money quote in this story comes from Barbara Robinson, head of the USDA's National Organic Program, who said her department had received no complaints about Chinese organic produce that had entered the US, adding: 'I don't know why everybody picks on China.' We'd fare to say that scaremongering articles such as this one could explain some of the distrust of China on the other side of the Pacific.

For her part, Even - who unlike BusinessWeek's unnamed consultant is a true expert on agriculture in China - eloquently explains her stance on organic agriculture in China in this post which BusinessWeek should have run in place of its fear-fuelled propaganda, which almost borders on bioxenophobia.