Guanyinshan vegetable and fruit garden
Guanyinshan vegetable and fruit garden. [photo provided to Chongchuan Economic Development Zone]
Built by Qinglongqiao community in Chongchuan district, Nantong, the Guanyinshan vegetable and fruit garden is set up to help people with disabilities who want to make a living by their own hands. It provides them with free planting materials, facilities and training programs allowing them to both work and learn on site.
The garden serves as an incubator that offers work opportunities and promotes local economic development.
The community has promoted a model that integrates online grape-planting training and guidance from the Qinglongqiao community cooperative and exposure to market trends, so that farmers can get customized training from experienced technicians and be informed of changing market demands and prices, as well as other matters of interest such as land policies and broader market dynamics.
Based on the success of "Online Grape-planting Training", the community established their first e-commerce brand "Lv Nong Zai Xian" ("Farmers Online") in 2017 to help farmers expand distribution channels and improve their planting skills for higher quality. In 2018 more types of fruits were available online including Chinese gooseberries, yellow peaches and figs.
Grapes in Guanyinshan vegetable and fruit garden. [photo provided to Chongchuan Economic Development Zone]
Over the last decade, the Qinglongqiao community cooperative has grown to 376 members from an initial 15. The cooperative has reported over 20 million yuan ($2.8 million) in fixed assets and an annual profit of about 1.5 million yuan.
The Guanyinshan vegetable and fruit garden has proved the effectiveness of Qinglongqiao's model in poverty reduction and regional economic development.
The garden promotes a model that integrates online grape-planting training and guidance from the Qinglongqiao community cooperative and the exposure to market trends. [photo provided to Chongchuan Economic Development Zone]
