Online trading of land output rights gives farmers more motivation to work the land

Cao Keqin, a villager from Changshou Village, Mianshan Town, Jiexiu City, Shanxi Province, transferred 13 mu of farmland to a cooperative and began working for the cooperative, and villagers followed suit one after another. "The land is pooled into the cooperative and then 'put online' for people to plant separately, and the returns are much better than planting it yourself," Cao Keqin said.

The "online" farming Cao Keqin speaks of is a farm project of the "Xiangtian Farm" agricultural cooperative in Jiexiu City. The cooperative consolidated 1000 mu of land around Changshou Village in Jiexiu City, then divided it into 6000 shares and sold them online through the Alibaba "Xiangtian Farm" channel. After consumers place an order, they obtain the right to one year's millet output from the farm's land. Customers can see the farm's planting conditions at any time through mobile phone video, and the farm's farmers plant according to the customers' requirements.

Changshou Village is a small village with 220 households. Most villagers work odd jobs in their spare time and farm when busy. The village's 1500 mu of farmland has no low yields, but the problem is that the products cannot be sold. Farming is enough to eat, but supporting a family still requires working odd jobs. Village Party secretary Cao Lixin said helplessly: "Running back and forth between the city and the village, I put in no less effort, but neither side makes money."

Now, nearly 120 households in Changshou Village cooperate with the agricultural cooperative, either transferring their land to the cooperative or renting their land to the cooperative and then working for the cooperative. "I sent all three of my sons to work in the county, rented my own land to the cooperative, and then work at the cooperative. The cooperative has mechanized equipment and expert guidance, and most importantly, the land's output rights were sold online long ago, so there is no need to worry about sales," said villager Niu Yusuo.

Niu Yusuo did the math: although millet is valuable, growing too much of it means it cannot be sold, so it can only be eaten at home. Corn, although low in price, is purchased by buyers, so they had no choice but to mainly grow corn, and in a year the income from one mu of land was only 400~500 yuan. Now, by joining the cooperative, online sales mean there is no need to consider the sales channel. Transferring one mu of land brings an income of 660 yuan, and the cooperative signs a minimum purchase price with farmers before planting. Add the money earned from working, and annual income at least doubles.

Young people can go out to work with peace of mind, while those who stay in the village have both a fixed income and can earn money by working, and they do not have to worry that their products have no market. The people of Changshou Village have found a new path to prosperity.

Zhang Zi, head of the agricultural cooperative, said that with the help of Alibaba's platform, the cooperative "went online" to sell land output rights, and sold 176 shares on the first day alone, earning more than 100,000 yuan. After one day on the Taobao Juhuasuan platform, it sold 12,900 orders, with sales exceeding 250,000 yuan. "The cooperative 'goes online' to sell products, and farmers 'go online' to farm. This new planting model first solves farmers' worries about farming, lets farmers roll up their sleeves and work, and also raises farmers' spirits," Zhang Zi said.

Farmers in Changshou Village can also strengthen communication with the people who subscribe to the land output rights. This remote and isolated small mountain village not only promotes its high-quality agricultural products, but also continuously strengthens exchanges with the outside world, giving rural life "vitality." Wang Jinyu Gao Zhu