Family farms foster new momentum for rural development in Wudang

Since last year, Xinbao village in Wudang district, Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province, has been mobilizing local residents to participate in exchanging farmland, reclaiming fallow land, and merging small plots into larger fields to build family farms.

This model not only addresses the issue of fallow land but also transforms small-scale development into large-scale operations. Additionally, it reduces costs. On one hand, villagers can negotiate among themselves to reduce land rental costs. On the other hand, machinery such as plows can be used in contiguous and consolidated fields, reducing labor costs as well.

Lin Zhengfu, a 51-year-old local farmer, has experience in the grain and oil business, raising pigs, and working in construction. He returned to the village for agricultural pursuits over a decade ago. However, his orchard was limited to just 20-30 mu (1.33-2 hectares) until last year, when it sharply increased to over 100 mu through land exchanges.

Xu Chengbing, head of the Xinbao Village Family Farm Association, said that more and more people are now starting family farms. The association is making efforts to help farmers coordinate subsidized loans, find organic fertilizers, provide technical support, and expand marketing channels, fostering prosperity together.

As the village is approximately an hour's drive from Guiyang's urban area, many people visit it on weekends and holidays. He said that villagers have been striving to turn the village into a district-level research and learning base this year.

This initiative aims to attract more visitors, connect the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries, and stimulate rural industries.