Yao Xiaohong is fighting polluters to protect her vegetable farm in Dianshang Village, Xianyang, Shaanxi Province in northwest China.

Every day the 34-year-old farmer takes pictures of her vegetables and records what she finds in her diary when she returns home.

Initially she photographed her vegetables and recorded their growth to show businessman who came to buy her products they were environmentally friendly.

Now, however, the diary entries are being used as preparation for a suit against a nearby factory that she claims is polluting her vegetables.

"I have made some 80 diary entries and taken 180 photos to record how the nearby factory polluted my vegetables. I hope all farmers have greater environmental awareness and protect their rights," Yao said.

After graduating from middle school, Yao returned to her village and started farming. She went to the local tomato research institute to learn planting techniques and read agricultural science and technology papers.

She wanted to grow environmentally friendly vegetables and therefore used manure instead of chemical fertilizers. She built a fence to control pests rather than use poisons. She even put milk on the leaves and roots to increase the sweetness of her tomatoes.

Last year the yield of Yao's environmentally friendly tomatoes was 7,500 kg for every 0.07 hectare and her largest tomato weighed 2 kg. Business was good.

"We invested more than 20,000 yuan (US$2,661) in vegetable production and the first harvest of tomatoes in early May sold very well," Yao said.

The tomato batch in late May, however, was stunted and Yao found there was a yellow-white powder on the leaves of the vegetables.

"I asked agricultural experts to check my vegetables and they said the dust covering the leaves was affecting (photosynthesis) and was stunting the plants. At this time, a ceramics factory just 5 m from my farm started operations," Yao said.

Li Jing, an official from the Weicheng Branch of the Xianyang Environment Protection Bureau, said a number of enterprises were introduced to the district where Yao's village is located. Pollution-control facilities were being improved, he said.

"Because of the rainy weather in May and June, the installation of pollution-control facilities was delayed and we have urged the firm near Yao's farmland to take more effective pollution-control measures," Li said.

Yao's efforts to fight polluters have been lauded by residents in the area. As a result of her campaigning, the local environment bureau ordered the factory to build an anti-dust shelf and install automatic sprinklers to control dust.

The factory offered to pay Yao 10,000 yuan (US$1,282) in compensation, but Yao refused.

"I don't think that sum of money can pay me back for my loss, but I do want our clean air back," Yao said.

(China Daily October 14, 2007)