Returning Home to Plant Peas: The Shi Brothers Busy in the Fields

Tall pea trellises, sturdy chili peppers, cauliflower buds about to bloom... Shi Yanhong and Shi Yanfei, the two brothers from Daxing Village Committee, Panjiang Town, Zhanyi District, are busy in the fields, thoroughly enjoying their work. Looking at the pea pods about to be harvested and the chili peppers about to bear fruit, the two brothers wear broad smiles.

The brothers Shi Yanhong and Shi Yanfei used to work elsewhere. With the support of the Zhanyi County Government Office, they returned home in 2014 to start a business, transferring more than 70 mu of village land and investing more than 100,000 yuan to develop vegetable cultivation, including 30 mu of small-pod peas, 15 mu of chili peppers and 25 mu of cauliflower. Each year they also provide employment for local laborers 1,700 person-times, increasing local people's income by more than 200,000 yuan.

Small-pod peas can be planted twice a year, with a net income of more than 3,500 yuan per mu; chili peppers bring a net income of 5,000 yuan per mu, and cauliflower about 4,000 yuan. In just two years, Shi Yanhong's family doubled its income and also encouraged neighboring villagers to grow vegetables together. At present, Daxing Village grows more than 300 mu of small-pod peas and more than 500 mu of chili peppers.

The Party Committee and Government of Panjiang Town actively promote industrial assistance. Relying on the Caihong Food Co., Ltd. in Daxing Village and through the development model of "company + base + farmers + poor households," they help neighboring poor people shake off poverty and become prosperous, and intensify training in agricultural science and technology measures. This year, a total of 20 training sessions were held, training more than 2,000 person-times.