Free-range chickens help farmers in Liangdang County, Gansu, get on the road to prosperity
Driving through the deep mountains of Zhan'erxiang Town in Liangdang County, the land of Mazhuang Village was bursting with green in May. Following the winding mountain road toward a secluded patch of hillside, the crowing of chickens could be heard before we even arrived. Arriving at the chicken farm, we saw Fang Zhilin calling out as he scattered feed on the ground, and the flock of chickens quickly gathered around, scrambling for the feed on the ground.
Fang Zhilin, 54, is a capable large-scale farmer and a "chicken-raising expert" in Mazhuang Village, Zhan'erxiang Town. "I started farming last year and have done pretty well. This year I've put all my energy into it." Speaking of his farming experience, Fang Zhilin opened up. In April 2016, as the director of the Mazhuang Village Committee, after learning about the subsidy policy for developing specialty industries, he had the idea of engaging in farming to help villagers increase their incomes and escape poverty. After setting his sights on the chicken-raising industry, he built chicken coops on more than ten mu of his own barren hillside land, bought 5,000 chicks, and together with five poor households invested 200,000 yuan to establish a professional cooperative, beginning his farming journey.
The beginning is always the hardest, and the early days of chicken farming were not as smooth as Fang Zhilin had imagined. "Because I had just entered the chicken-raising business last year, I couldn't keep up with a lot of the techniques and took many detours." Fang Zhilin told reporters about the hardships of the farming process. Sometimes when the chickens got sick, he had to frequently identify the problem by observing their feather color and droppings, and had to go into the chicken farm at least four times a day. Later, with the help of township officials and technical guidance from county experts, the chicken farm gradually got on track.
After a year of exploration and accumulated experience, Fang Zhilin's chicken farm reached a certain scale, and he also became the village's leader in getting rich. "This year the chicken farm was expanded, with the coops alone taking up more than 800 sq m." Fang Zhilin said that as sales continued to increase, he expanded the chicken farm and added more chicken varieties. At present, the farm has over ten thousand chickens, and many of them are sold to Sichuan, Shaanxi and other places.
In recent years, Liangdang County has supported and guided poor people to vigorously develop specialty industries, creating the "Liangdang model" in which moderately prosperous mutual-aid groups drive poor households forward. According to Wang Da, deputy secretary of Zhan'erxiang Town, Mazhuang Village, as the village with the largest poverty area in Zhan'erxiang Town, has helped poor households increase their incomes and escape poverty by developing industries with policy support. Driven by the development model of moderately prosperous mutual-aid groups, a "cooperative + farmers" model has taken shape. The cooperative established by Fang Zhilin developed under exactly this model. When the cooperative was first set up, he invested 150,000 yuan, and each of the five poor households contributed 10,000 yuan in policy subsidies as shares, totaling 50,000 yuan, with dividends distributed every year.
"Thanks to the good policies, we finally have something to look forward to." Fang Zhilin could hardly hide his joy. In 2016, the chicken farm generated more than 200,000 yuan in income. Each of the five poor households that held shares could receive more than 5,000 yuan in dividends. In addition, some poor households also worked at the farm, with the highest earning more than 6,000 yuan.
Next to the chicken farm is a 10 sq m prefab house, which is Fang Zhilin's "guard post." Now he has resigned from his post as village committee director and devoted all his energy to the farming cooperative. "This is my home. I can't sleep at night without hearing the chickens." Fang Zhilin sat at the door, looking at the lively chickens, his eyes full of joy.