Xianju officials offer one-one assistance to lift farmers out of poverty

Qi Yucai, a farmer from Xiaqi Village, Danzhu Town, Xianju County was very pleased about his income in 2015. Qi used to be living under the low-income line but in 2015, he made 3,000 yuan planting rice paddy, 5,000 yuan growing peaches and 2,000 yuan making tofu.

Low-income farmers like Qi in Xianju County saw their livelihood improved and were now much more motivated. By October 2015, all 4,719 households and 10,997 farmers were lifted above the poverty line, now making more than 4,600 yuan a year.

“We set up a mechanism, used combined efforts, and created a work environment that put every government official under pressure,” said Zhu Zhiming, deputy county mayor of Xianju County.

The county pinpointed responsibilities and tasked village officials, instructors and cadres to help the 2,011 households and 5,245 people. By means of industrial support, employment recommendation, village employment creation and developing the processing industry, farmers found ways to increase their income.

The county offered both assistance and relief. Xianju was keen to develop filial piety among its residents. Some of the senior residents were living in poverty due to a lack of family care. The county urged such family members to perform their duty and give better care, which effectively reduced the percentage of senior citizens in the low-income population.

In July in 2015, the county launched a 100-day campaign to increase the per capita annual income to above 4,600 yuan for all low-income families.

Xianju set up an assessment and evaluation mechanism to ensure the job was done. Local officials were required to report progress on a regular basis, and incentives were given to those who passed evaluations. All kinds of resources were utilized in the campaign, and efforts were given to remove key obstacles. Each low-income household was given a plan and a supervisor to make sure one or two targeted measures were executed. The county also quickly expanded the coverage of low-income allowance to make sure those in need were indeed reached in the campaign.

The county tracked the campaign and provided continued service to low-income farmers. The county poverty alleviation and development office conducted verification and supervision work in Xianju;s towns and villages each month. Wechat communication platforms were set up among officials at different levels for smoother information exchanges and policy consultation.

Towns and villages acquired a number of methods, such as the Poverty Alleviation Explanation Card in Dazhan Town, the Work Manual in Anling Town, the Five Steps Ten Measures in Danzhu Town, the Three Reviews in Pantan Town and so on. The towns also used new media tools, exchanging their views through Wechat and QQ groups online, promoting their experience across the county to help more places to design targeted measures in poverty alleviation.

Xianju paid high attention to public interaction in poverty alleviation. It invited civil administrations, charities, the China Disabled People’s Federation, educational departments, as well as all kinds of volunteering organizations to participate in the campaign. LvDiwu, a low-income farmer from SilianVillage, Anling Town received one-on-one technical assistance, to increase efficiency of his two-mu tea growing land. With the assistance, he created added values to his tea leaves, expanded the sales channels, and increased the unite price of fresh leaves, which enabled his income to increase by 8,000 yuan.