One family, one official and one policy

Fuyuan Village, of Dailing She-nation Ethnic Township in Cangnan County has been successfully lifted out of poverty. Its 500 mu of mandarins has boosted local tourism, while its non-woven fabric processing business is also thriving.

Cangnan County assigned its officials to directly be responsible for its poverty-stricken villages and dispatched 114 party cadres from county affiliated organizations to work as first secretaries in those poverty-stricken villages. Other than farmers on low-income benefits, all the 1,417 families and 3,698 people were included in the “one family, one policy and one official” poverty alleviation plan.

By the end of November 2015, all 8,949 farmer households and 19,008 people were lifted above the 4,600 yuan annual per capita income poverty line.

Cangnan County created poverty alleviation files for the poverty-stricken population and reviewed their situations in the poverty alleviation work to make sure they were indeed lifted out of poverty. According to Lin Zengkuo from Cangnan Poverty Alleviation Office, detailed information such as the subject’s income level, assets, poverty cause, employment intention and skills were all recorded to ensure help was given accordingly. The record must be signed by a village official, a live-in-village official and a one-on-one assistance official, and the information must be made public on the village column board to ensure the information was accurate.

Once categorized, a specific person in charge would be assigned and poverty alleviation assistance would be given to the subject according to his or her actual condition. Low-income farmers with the capability and intention to work received assistance such as capital supply or skill training.

The county set up 23 farmers’ education bases, and initiated free skill training services according to people’s demands. So far 2,500 people received the training.

A special loan was created to help farmers to set up their businesses. Farmers with the intention and capability to engage in characteristic agriculture, processing and other business operations received discount loans up to 50,000 yuan, while a total of 2 million yuan was allocated as poverty alleviation fund to specifically help them to develop their businesses. In the meantime, the county encouraged villages to set up poverty alleviation fund self-help associations, give free shares to low-income farmers so that they can kick off their businesses and enjoy dividends benefits.

The County set up a platform for free employment recommendations and found jobs for 337 low-income farmers. It also required enterprises listed to help boost economic development in mountainous areas to employ at least 10 low-income farmers to increase their earnings. It created 100 processing factories in 100 villages, employing more than 1,000 people, and set up a 700,000 yuan bonus for processing rewards. Altogether it found employment for 150 families and 475 people through industrial promotions.

Low-income farmers that could not work due to illnesses and disabilities were given social support and government benefits. A total of 7,532 families and 15, 310 low-income farmers were included in the subsistence allowance list and the Five-Guarantees System. In the meantime, social organizations such as the Communist Youth League, the China Disable Persons’ Federation and the China Charity Federation all played an active role, helping a total of 177 families and 382 people in Cangnan County.