Farmland handed over to the supply and marketing cooperative for management, and homestead land also handed over to the supply and marketing cooperative for management?

Editor of this issue | Tan Sijia

In recent years, as urbanization and industrialization continue to advance, rural populations have surged into cities. According to analysis data on China's urbanization process, it is estimated that currently more than 12 million rural people nationwide transfer to urban areas each year. Based on China's current per capita rural residential land of 153 sq m, each year an additional 183,600 sq m of rural homestead land may sit idle and unused.

183,600 sq m! With so many homes sitting idle, what can be done? Don't worry, the supply and marketing cooperative will manage them on your behalf, creating beautiful villages and generating a steady stream of income. How does it do this?

Chishang Supply and Marketing Cooperative, Boshan District, Zibo City, Shandong ProvinceManaging idle rural housing on behalf of owners and expanding rural tourism services

ProfileZibo Ziheyuan Rural Tourism Professional Cooperative, Shandong Province

Jointly established by the Chishang Supply and Marketing Cooperative of Boshan District and Chibu Village

Since its establishment, the cooperative has actively explored the entrusted management and leasing of idle rural housing, expanded rural tourism services such as agritainment, and solidly advanced cooperation and joint development between the supply and marketing cooperative and village-level organizations, achieving a solid win-win-win for participating farmers, the village collective and the supply and marketing cooperative.

Achievements

At present, the cooperative has leased more than 1,000 sq m of village collective facilities, taken on the entrusted management and renovation of 10 idle homes, built 12 standard guest rooms, received nearly 2,000 tourist visits, achieved an operating revenue of 600,000 yuan, generated more than 70,000 yuan in new income for the village collective, and helped farmers increase their income by more than 120,000 yuan. It has received full recognition from the local Party committee and government and a warm welcome from farming households.

Geographic advantages

Chishang Town in Boshan District is located in the southern mountainous area of Boshan at the source of the Zihe River. It falls within the Lushan National Forest Park scenic area and is an important water source protection area for Zibo City. It has a profound natural and cultural foundation, and developing rural tourism aligns with the town's industrial development plan. Chibu Village is located at the easternmost part of Chishang Town, with the Zihe River flowing through it and mountains on three sides. Its "small bridge, flowing water, and homes" comes together as naturally as if made by heaven, and it has long been known as a dreamlike mountain village. The natural conditions for developing rural tourism are highly favorable, but due to its relatively remote location and poor agricultural production conditions, it is a provincially designated poverty-stricken village. As the rural population gradually migrates to urban areas, more than 50 households in the village have idle homes, with a housing idle rate of 40%. The elderly care home and school managed by the village collective are also dilapidated from years of neglect and have long sat idle. However, these resources provide a good foundation for developing agritainment rural tourism.

Foundation of the supply and marketing cooperative's work

In recent years, the Chishang Supply and Marketing Cooperative in Boshan District has vigorously developed specialized cooperatives. Within the town, the number of specialized cooperatives in which it holds shares or controlling interests has grown to 20, with annual sales reaching more than 80 million yuan. For example, it jointly established the Boshan Chibu Edible Mushroom Professional Cooperative with Chibu Village, with 108 member households and registered capital of 3.2 million yuan. It mainly carries out edible mushroom technology promotion and shiitake bag substrate processing. All products are exported to South Korea, with annual export value of 16 million yuan, driving 500 farming households, providing more than 80 jobs, and generating 1.44 million yuan in annual labor income for local farmers at the cooperative. It is deeply welcomed by local people. The supply and marketing cooperative has established good cooperative relations with the village Party branch and village committee and the villagers, with a solid grassroots foundation.

Source market for visitors

In January 2014, the Chishang Supply and Marketing Cooperative in Boshan District joined with the Chibu Village Committee to establish the first rural tourism professional cooperative in the city's supply and marketing cooperative system: the Ziheyuan Rural Tourism Professional Cooperative. The cooperative has registered capital of 3 million yuan, of which the supply and marketing cooperative contributed 1.6 million yuan, with 13 member households. It has become one of the main forces in local rural tourism development and has strong appeal for visitors from Zibo's central urban area and surrounding cities such as Jinan, Dongying and Binzhou, with obvious visitor-source advantages and considerable market potential.

How did they achieve entrusted management of idle resources?

Carrying out various forms of entrusted management services

First, leasing village collective facilities. The cooperative takes on the entrusted management of idle village collective facilities such as the elderly care home and school in Chibu Village in the form of leases, builds and renovates 12 standard guest rooms and 24 beds, and provides accommodation and dining services for visitors.

Second, absorbing farming households into the cooperative with their homes. Farming households are absorbed into the cooperative along with their homes and become cooperative members. They use their own houses, courtyards and facilities to undertake reception service tasks, earn labor-based income and enjoy profit dividends from the cooperative.

Third, managing idle homes on behalf of owners. With active coordination by the village Party branch and village committee, the cooperative signs entrusted management agreements with homeowners and directly provides entrusted management services for the idle homes of member households, giving fixed returns according to the entrusted area and duration.

Fourth, signing lease agreements. The cooperative leases idle homes of non-member farming households, renovates them uniformly, pays lease fees, and uses them for rural tourism agritainment projects.

Uniformly implementing standardized renovation

First, unified planning and layout, inviting professionals to design guest room standards uniformly;

Second, a unified image and logo, uniformly creating the "Ziheyuan" image logo and placing it in prominent positions at each visitor reception site of the cooperative;

Third, unified publicity and marketing, leveraging the district and town tourism publicity resources and giving play to the supply and marketing cooperative's network advantages to carry out overall publicity and marketing for the cooperative across various media and expand its visibility;

Fourth, unified reception supplies and reception standards, uniformly distributing reception supplies printed with the "Ziheyuan" logo and providing services of a unified standard;

Fifth, unified management and training, providing skills training to members to improve their service level.

Carrying out rural tourism services

First, selecting professional teams to develop ecotourism. The cooperative cooperates with professional tourism development institutions such as Zibo Yitu Tourism Planning Company, and joins with professional colleges, radio and television stations, and outdoor tourism clubs to develop rural tourism products. It makes full use of the ecotourism advantage of being located in the Lushan National Forest Park scenic area and incorporates the cooperative's rural tourism agritainment project into the Lushan tour route, enhancing the cooperative's brand influence and visibility.

Second, carrying out sports and fitness services and agritainment activities. It makes full use of Chibu Village's good natural conditions to carry out activities such as mountain climbing, rappelling, hiking and rafting, adding to the fun of tourism. At the same time, the cooperative launches rich and varied agritainment experience projects such as making pancakes, grinding tofu and digging wild vegetables, meeting visitors' tourism needs to do farm work, eat farm meals and enjoy farm life.

Third, carrying out experiential education services. Using the cooperative's shiitake base, it integrates 200 mu of surrounding specialty fruit and vegetable picking orchards for strawberries, kiwifruit, chestnuts and more, launches outdoor activities such as fruit and vegetable picking, nighttime galaxy viewing and crab catching, and offers short-term room rental services for elderly consumer groups, providing rich parent-child education and leisure wellness services.