"Teach a man to fish” best way to relieve poverty

Tian Lan, Standing Committee member of the CPPCC, Vice Chairman of the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture Political Consultative Conference. [China.org.cn]

Tian Lan, a Standing Committee member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and vice chairman of the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture Political Consultative Conference, said in an exclusive interview with china.org.cn that learning skills is the fundamental way for farmers to rise out of poverty.

The Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture is located in the Wuling mountain area. As one of 14 contiguous poverty-stricken areas, the concept of "precise poverty alleviation" was first proposed here. President Xi Jinping has emphasized the importance of helping the poorer populations to develop on their own.

Tian Lan pointed out that the poverty alleviation measures in the past were usually material assistance and financial support. However, as a Chinese saying goes, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. To help the farmers learn skills, develop industries and get involved in economic construction is the most fundamental way to alleviate poverty. "The money will be used up no matter how much we give. Only when the farmers have the skills and ability to be part of the economic development can they truly rid themselves of poverty and become rich."

In terms of skill training for farmers, Tian Lan revealed that Xiangxi has combined short, medium and long-term measures together. On the one hand, it pays close attention to elementary education so that the children in Xiangxi can travel beyond their hometown and see a bigger world. On the other hand, some grown-ups can receive the training and learn certain skills in a relatively short time. Then they can work in a few ongoing projects or industries. These measures are aimed at improving the farmers’ capability to develop on their own so that the issue of poverty can be fundamentally addressed.