李钧最初研究麒麟菜还是20多年前的事情了，当时，他追随导师在海南岛主要研究这种热带海藻的生态效应。他没有想到，这份研究麒麟菜的看家本领，20年后让他在东南部福建省的莆田市获得了麒麟菜市长的美誉。
如今，中科院青岛海洋研究所的研究员李钧作为科技副职，已经担任莆田市副市长有四年之久了。他把麒麟菜引种到莆田，让当地农民每年额外获得了2000万元的收入。
李钧担任莆田市副市长是中科院科技副职项目的组成部分。这个项目鼓励科学家作为科技副市长、副县长等职务到地方工作，用他们的科技技能为地方经济社会发展做贡献。
中科院副院长白春礼院士在成都召开的中科院科技副职工作会议上总结了科技副职的作用：“这些担任副职的科学家是联系中科院的科研院所和地方的桥梁，他们的工作让成百上千万民众脱贫致富。”
知识使者
从1985年科技副职工作被启动以来，先后已经有2000名科学家参与了这一项目，通常的程序是中科院向地方推荐，地方政府接收后，当地人大还要表决同意。科技副职工作的任期通常为两年。
科技副职在形式上与许多中央部委的干部下派锻炼相像。但是中科院人事局副局长兼科技副职办公室主任李和风对此有自己的见解：“这些担任科技副职的科学家既没有钱，也没有行政资源。他们只能用自己及其同事的发明创造来装备自己。”
李钧的经历就最好地说明了这一点。
在他担任莆田市副市长不久，就发现莆田密集的沿海养殖业造成了严重的污染。尽管沿海养殖业密布莆田，这个产业却并没有给农民们带来巨大的财富，因为同质化的产品供过于求导致了市价大幅下降。
就在这时，李钧想到了自己曾经研究过的麒麟菜。这种海藻吸收造成海水富氧化的磷和氮等污染物，在改善海水质量的同时，还能从中提取出珍贵的卡拉胶，用作食物添加剂。
但是，养殖麒麟菜的计划并非一帆风顺。麒麟菜主要生长在热带水域，而莆田的水温并不足够高。
而且，当地的渔民没有人听说过麒麟菜，对于初期的投入，没有人愿意带头。为了打消人们的顾虑，李钧亲自带队，带领一些养殖大户到海南考察，他还寻求海洋所(海洋研究所)研究麒麟菜的同事合作，共同研究利用麒麟菜的方案。
功夫不负有心人。经过多次往返海南、莆田和青岛，李钧和他的同事们开发了一套春夏秋三个季节种植麒麟菜的方案。莆田的养殖大户也被海南种植麒麟菜的场景打动，同意进行初期的投入。
但是李钧并不满足。“作为一个科学家，可能一两个项目的成功已经让人满足，但是作为一个市长，我还要考虑更多的事情。”
他的注意力被当地四处开花的鲍鱼养殖所吸引了。鲍鱼是粤菜名吃，但是对于鲍鱼饲养，莆田海水的温度又过高了。
得益于李钧在青岛海洋所研究的背景，他注意到山东青岛和辽宁大连的鲍鱼饲养产量也不高，多方请教，方得知这是因为当地海水温度过低。
一个大胆的想法在李钧脑海中浮现出来。既然如此，为何不让南北两地的鲍鱼饲养进行换季迁徙？
经过多方游走和艰难的谈判，李钧如愿以偿。每年冬天，青岛和大连的渔民把他们的鲍鱼苗带到莆田来过冬，春末，他们则和莆田当地的鲍鱼养殖户一起乘船北上，到青岛和大连为鲍鱼度暑假。
这个做法为莆田鲍鱼养殖带来了勃勃生机。莆田的鲍鱼饲养量，从2002年的200万头，增加到2004年的15亿头，莆田鲍鱼占据了中国大部分市场。
土豆安家
与在沿海富裕地区工作的李钧相比，中科院长沙亚热带农业研究所的曾馥平条件要艰苦得多，他需要为自己任科技副职的广西环江县的6万名移民找饭吃。这些移民来自广西各地贫瘠的喀斯特山区，自治区政府正在通过移民计划缓解最困难的山区居民。
早在1994年，曾馥平就作为扶贫专家小组的成员来到环江。他被当地极度的贫困震撼了。“庄稼种在石山的缝隙中，当地的人均年收入不过300元。”
1998年，曾馥平被选举为环江县副县长，从此开始了漫长的安顿6万山区移民的工作。这些移民被安置在山腰下相对平坦的土地上。
作为一位农业生态学家，曾馥平种庄稼既熟悉，又陌生。天天与庄稼打交道，但是在进行研究时，他对庄稼产量并不十分在行。如今，为了给移民们创造良好的耕作条件，他自己不得不广泛地尝试各种种植方案。
很快，他在同事们的帮助下制定了让移民们通过种植水果致富的方案。这套方案实施起来并不容易。山区的民众只会种玉米，其他的东西都得手把手一点点教。好容易普及了果树种植，曾馥平又为如何解决移民们的燃眉之急着急开了。毕竟，果树从种植到成熟，最少也要三年时间，而移民们眼下如何填饱肚子呢？
情急之下，他发现与其让村民们接着种玉米，不如让他们种土豆。土豆与玉米一样，对土质要求低，但是在当地的土壤条件下，产量却比玉米要高很多。
问题是，山里来的移民们从来没有见过土豆，不知道这土里刨出来的东西也能吃，更不知道怎么吃。
“为了说服移民们种植土豆，我首先学会了用土豆烹调，然后逐村邀请农民们品尝土豆烧牛肉。”曾馥平说，“对于我，这个活起初并不容易，因为我这双手更习惯实验室的工作。”
但是，这项工作最终得到了回报。移民们通过种土豆度过了初期的难关，而曾馥平则练就了一手烹调的好手艺。如今，种植水果已经产生了可喜的效益，这些移民们的人均年收入从刚刚移民到山外的人均500多元，增长到2005年的1626元。
在帮助移民们致富的同时，曾馥平没有忘记自己的科研。在工作中，他发现，亟须建立一个喀斯特熔岩地形的农业生态研究站。于是，他联合了桂林的另一家中科院研究所，向院里申请，在环江建立了中国唯一的喀斯特农业生态观测研究站。
这个生态站建立几年来，已经发表了30多篇有关喀斯特地形生态和农业潜能的论文。生态站也被确定为国家级科研站，获得了100万元的科研经费。
“不过比起发表论文来，生态站更加实在的地方是，这里的科研成果能很快应用到当地农民的生产之中。” 曾馥平说。
与李钧和曾馥平引进新品种相比，来自中科院南京湖泊地理所的56岁的张文华，则以另外一种方式帮助着广西的地方扶贫事业，那就是以一位科学家的严谨求实态度，帮助修正地方的某些政策。
自从1997年以来，张文华一直担任着广西河池市金城江区的科技副区长。2000年，金城江区政府决定大规模种植甘蔗，当时甘蔗的市场价非常高，区政府认为种植甘蔗能够迅速帮助当地农民提高收入。
但是张文华发现，这项政策初衷虽好，却有一定的缺陷。“甘蔗需要大量灌溉和施肥，也需要很仔细的耕作，而这些与当地比较粗犷的种植方式不太符合。”张文华说。
张文华决定向区和河池市政府打报告，反复陈述甘蔗种植的利弊。经过他的努力，当地的甘蔗种植量从计划中的1000公顷，降低到333公顷。同时，当年全国甘蔗因为供过于求价格大幅下跌，而当地的甘蔗则不出所料，没有取得好的收成。这样，张文华的报告为当地农民减少了很大的损失。
单位：刊登：《中国日报》2006年3月7日第十四版
Scientists Go Handson in Remote HamletsJia Hepeng
Li Jun first began to study eucheuma a kind of tropical seaweed and its role in protecting the ocean environment in Hainan Island 20 years ago.
Today, he shares this knowledge with farmers and fishermen in East China’s Fujian Province, who fondly call him Mayor Eucheuma.
Li, a senior researcher of ocean environment at the Qingdao Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), took up his position as vicemayor of Putian city of Fujian in 2002.
His introduction of the growing of eucheuma has brought in annual revenues of 20 million yuan (US$24 million) to coastal farmers in Putian.
Li’s new job is part of a CAS scheme to encourage scientists to work as vicemayors or vicecounty chiefs and apply their scientific and technological knowhow to jumpstart the local economy.
“These scientists are the bridges between research institutes and local governments, and their work helps millions of people shake off poverty,” said Bai Chunli, CAS vicepresident.
Knowledge warriors
Since 1985, 2000 scientists and officials have participated in the scheme, many taking up their positions after winning approval from the local legislature the people’s congresses. Their term of service typically runs for two years.
“These scientiststurnedofficials have neither financial nor administrative resources,” said Li Hefeng, deputy director of the Personnel Bureau, CAS.
Instead, they are armed with their own or their colleagues’ inventions, to help local communities.
Shortly after his appointment as Putian vicemayor, Li was dismayed to discover the serious seashore pollution at Putian from intensive aquatic farming.
However, the industry did not really bring huge profits to coastal farmers as the glut in supplies kept market prices low. “I thought of eucheuma as a way out,” Li said.
The algae absorbs pollutants and farmers can extract valuable glutinous starch, an important ingredient in the making of jello.
But things were not easy. The algae grows in tropical seas but temperatures in Putian were not high enough.
Moreover, no one was prepared to lead and take the risk. Li had to pay people to travel to Hainan Province and see the eucheuma firsthand. He also enlisted the support of his colleagues.
Gradually, they worked out a plan to grow algae in Putian in spring, summer and autumn.
“As a scientist, the success of one project is reason to be satisfied, but as a local mayor, I have to think of something more,” said Li.
His attention was drawn to the local farming of abalone an edible Mollusca popular in Cantonese dishes. The high local temperature was posing a problem.
Li studied abalone farming along the coast in Dalian in Northeast China’s Liaoning Province, Qingdao in East China’s Shandong Province and Putian.
After hard work and negotiations, he was able to get private abalone farmers to join hands. In the winter, abalone farmers in Qingdao and Dalian would ship their young abalones to the Putian coasts for cultivation, while in summer, Putian farmers would go to Dalian.
As a result, Putian’s abalone farming saw an immediate boom, with the number of abalones raised surging from 2 million in 2002 to 150 million in 2004.
Potato trick
In contrast to Li who works in the wealthier coastal regions, Zeng Fuping of the Changshabased Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, CAS, has struggled to feed 60000 local residents relocated from the barren Karst mountain areas.
Zeng first came to Huanjiang County in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region as an expert to help fight poverty in 1994.
“I was shocked by the extreme local poverty. Grain was planted in the seams of rocky mountains and annual per capita revenue was just 300 yuan (US$373),” said Zeng.
In 1998, Zeng was elected as the deputy governor of Huanjiang County, and tasked with relocating 60000 people from the infertile mountain areas to relatively flat upland.
Having trained as an ecologist, Zeng had to first study the options himself before advising the locals on what crops to plant.
Under the guidance of Zeng and his colleagues, the farmers, who had previously known only corn farming, learnt to grow rice, fruit and potato.
Zeng found that it was difficult to persuade the locals to try something they had never met before.
Growing potatoes posed one such challenge. Revenues from fruit cultivation would take three years to realize, but in the meantime the newly relocated farmers had to feed themselves. Potatoes provided an ideal choice for cultivation.
“In order to persuade immigrants in our trial area to plant potato, I first learned to cook potato with beef and then invited all of them to taste it.” said Zeng,“It was not easy because I had used my hands only inside the laboratory.”
But it paid off. “While I myself became a good potato cook, the farmers overcame their initial reservations.”
Also, fruit growing has increased the average annual revenue to 1626 yuan (US$20199) in 2005.
He did not forget his research specialty while helping farmers try new crops. “I found there was no field study site for Karst ecology in the country, so I lobbied my institute and another institute of CAS to jointly set up a trial site for this.” he said.
In the past 10 years, Zeng and his colleagues have published 30 papers on Karst ecology and the agricultural potential of that region.
Thanks to their efforts, the Karst field study station was named a nationallevel exemplary site and given 1 million yuan (US$120000) in funding.
While Li and Zeng have contributed their research to improve local revenues, 56yearold Zhang Wenhua of CAS’ Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology has helped local communities deal with wrong policies.
He has been working as a deputy director of the Jin Chengjiang District in Hechi city, Guangxi, since 1997.
In early 2000, the district director decided to introduce sugarcane cultivation on a massive scale to improve farmers’ incomes.
“But after careful studies, I discovered this might not be a wise idea.” said Zhang.
While a highly profitable crop that year, sugarcane needs large amounts of water and fertilizer. Most arable land in the district is on hills and did not meet these requirements.
He sent his report to the city government. This resulted in the planting area being reduced from the planned 1000 hectares to 333 hectares, said Zhang.
“The losses were reduced greatly.” he said.
单位：China Daily
刊登：China Daily03/07/2006page14
