Empty-nest elderly in Sichuan realize their dream of prosperity through e-commerce
"I can earn about 60,000 yuan this year, and I keep expanding my planting every year," said 64-year-old fruit grower Song Wanguo, full of confidence when talking about the future.
Jianyang Village and Feishui Village, located in Jianshan Township, Mingshan District, Ya'an City, Sichuan Province, are rich in kiwifruit. Chen Puqing, chairman of the Dongjian Kiwifruit Planting Farmers' Professional Cooperative, told reporters that when the soil temperature at the roots of kiwifruit reaches above 25°C, the plant enters a dormant state, and soluble solids precipitation and nutrient transport are impeded. Ya'an's Mingshan District has a hilly terrain and is also a rain city, so there are fewer days when the soil temperature is above 25°C. The growth cycle is a full 20 days longer than kiwifruit from other places, the sugar accumulation is higher than in most production areas, and the taste is sweeter and more refreshing.
In fact, in Jianshan Township, those who have long tended the fruit trees at the foot of Mengding Mountain are mostly empty-nest elderly people over fifty years old. Most of their children work elsewhere, leaving the elderly alone in the villages. For these elderly people left behind in the countryside, the red-fleshed kiwifruit that ripens in August carries their hopes for a better life. These elderly people, who have worked hard for most of their lives, have only one wish: while they are still in good health, to earn a bit more money to supplement the household income and not become a burden to their children.
In 2014, as part of a series of post-disaster reconstruction projects, the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation explored the "Internet plus poverty alleviation" model in Ya'an, using cooperatives as the carrier to work deeply upstream and organize scattered farmers together. Subsequently, the e-commerce brand "Shanpin Gongshe" was born. In August this year, the commune made a new move: together with 58 certified fruit growers from the cooperative, it sent part of their high-quality kiwifruit out of Sichuan to be tested by the market, while also expanding the market influence of Jianshan Township's kiwifruit.
Among the 58 certified fruit growers in the cooperative, most are empty-nest elderly people, and 64-year-old Song Wanguo is one of them. Song Wanguo and his wife Chen Jixiu have one son and two daughters. Their children all work in the city, and their daughter sells vegetables in the township. On ordinary days, only the two elderly people live in the ancestral home. This is a wooden house commonly seen in western Sichuan, low, old, dark, and damp, with a history of more than 100 years. The 10 mu of kiwifruit behind the house, planted in 2005, has been the main source of income for this poor family ever since.
At the beginning of this year, a four-day heavy snowfall caused large areas of kiwifruit in the village to suffer from canker disease. Song Wanguo's fruit trees were no exception, and a reduction in yield was inevitable. After learning of this, Yang Zhicong, production technology director of Shanpin Gongshe, brought technical staff to help him minimize the losses.
In August, the season for ripe kiwifruit arrived. Under the eaves of the ancestral home, Song Wanguo told reporters that Shanpin Gongshe organized cooperative members to help him pick the fruit and contacted merchants to come and purchase it. This year he can earn more than 60,000 yuan, nearly 10,000 yuan more than last year. For Song Wanguo, kiwifruit carries his hopes for a better life and his longing for his children far away, and it also symbolizes the hope and reconstruction of the villages in Jianshan Township.
A set of data provided by the Party branch secretary of Jianyang Village shows that among the village's 1,541 people, 351 young and middle-aged adults work elsewhere, and there are as many as 55 left-behind children; Feishui Village is a national-level poverty-stricken village, where 270 of 1,029 people work elsewhere, and there are more than 20 households receiving minimum living allowances.
By helping empty-nest elderly people pick and sell kiwifruit, as well as providing necessary technical guidance, Shanpin Gongshe helps them increase their income. At the same time, it also hopes that through such visible returns, it can attract young people who have left their hometowns to work to return. "Let them see that growing kiwifruit in their hometown can also earn money and bring prosperity," relevant person in charge Wang Luyuan told reporters.
As the reporters were about to leave Jianshan Township, they visited the kiwifruit packaging base. In the packaging box, a postcard featuring Song Wanguo and his wife Chen Jixiu on the cover was particularly eye-catching. The two elderly people stood under the fruit-bearing kiwifruit trees, smiling especially happily. With the help of Shanpin Gongshe and the cooperative, their dream of prosperity through e-commerce is gradually becoming a reality.