Sci-tech aids poverty alleviation in SW China’s Yunnan

Photo taken shows the Duoduo Orchard of Laowo Village in Laowo Township, Lushui County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (Zeng Yuan/Guangming Online)

Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, one of the least developed regions in southwest China’s Yunnan Province, is at a critical point in the battle against poverty. Fugong County and Lushui City are two of three poverty-stricken regions in Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, facing a severe challenge of alleviating poverty once and for all. Science and technology, among others, exerts considerable influence on this process as part of local authorities’ efforts in winning the battle against poverty.

Dr. Li in the Duoduo Orchard

On September 13, 2020, a young man was spotted instructing farmers in planting techniques, with an unmanned aerial vehicle spraying pesticide on the citrus trees, at the Duoduo Orchard of Laowo Village in Laowo Township, Lushui County.

Photo taken shows an unmanned aerial vehicle used to spray pesticide on the citrus trees at the Duoduo Orchard of Laowo Village in Laowo Township, Lushui County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (Zeng Yuan/Guangming Online)

He is Li Jinxue, the associate director of Tropical and Subtropical Cash Crops Institute of Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, who came to Laowo Township last year as a member of a working group aiding poverty alleviation. Noticing favorable conditions of Laowo Village for planting citrus fruits, Li tried to contact Pinduoduo, one of the main Chinese e-commerce companies, and convinced them to invest in citrus fruits planting in Laowo Village. The company, after in-depth investigation, decided to fund a poverty alleviation professional collective of citrus fruits planting in Lushui with 2.25 million, which will be equally assigned to 132 impoverished families as their equity funds. Covering an area of 334 mu (about 22.3 hectares) in the mountains, three planting bases with the title “Duoduo” (implicating more money, happiness and further development) have already been set up.

Photo taken shows the Duoduo Orchard of Laowo Village in Laowo Township, Lushui County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (Zeng Yuan/Guangming Online)

“The pattern Dr. Li told us is very different from the traditional way, so we did not buy it at the beginning,” said Zhang Lirong, a 33-year-old villager of Bai ethnic group. Dwellers here have lived in the mountains for centuries, most of whom had no idea about drop irrigation, land ploughing and other agricultural techniques.

Li did not give up, “The key is that we should also pay attention to management besides agricultural sciences.” With the help of local authorities, Li trained a group of new farmers, who are mainly local dwellers and would inform local farmers about the scientific planting techniques in ways they can better understand.

Photo taken shows drop-irrigation system applied at the Duoduo Orchard of Laowo Village in Laowo Township, Lushui County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (Zeng Yuan/Guangming Online)

One year later, villagers and farmers are stunned by the amazing growth of citrus fruits trees at the planting bases cultivated with the scientific techniques and advanced equipment. “Those trees grow so well as if it were fertilized with milk,” villagers said in astonishment.

Photo taken shows citrus fruits trees at the planting bases cultivated with the scientific techniques and advanced equipment at the Duoduo Orchard of Laowo Village in Laowo Township, Lushui County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (Zeng Yuan/Guangming Online)

“It’s better to cultivate a plot worth 10,000 yuan than one covering an area of 10,000 mu,” Li told villagers with a big smile on his face.

Online classes benefit local pupils

“Does anyone know what the object I hold is? It’s a traditional handicraft of Beijing called Mr. Rabbit.” Pupils of the Third Urban Primary School in Lanping County were staring at the screen and concentrated on the course, while a teacher of the Elementary School Affiliated to Renmin University of China was telling some basic information of various traditional handicrafts in every corner of China.

Photo taken shows students attend an online class at the Third Urban Primary School in Lanping County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (Zeng Yuan/Guangming Online)

In order to alleviate poverty in Lanping, local authorities attach significant importance to education and invest a lot of money in education. Under this circumstance, the school is put into use with the construction of resettlement sites nearby for ensuring the education of 2,020 children who moved to the Yong’an and Yongchang communities at the resettlement sites with their families.

“It takes only 10 minutes for pupils to go to the school,” the principal of the Third Urban Primary School told Guangming Online. “Ninety percent of our students cannot speak Mandarin last year, yet almost everyone here can speak Mandarin fluently.”

Photo taken shows students attend an online class at the Third Urban Primary School in Lanping County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (Zeng Yuan/Guangming Online)

Since it became paired with the Third Urban Primary School, the Elementary School Affiliated to Renmin University of China in Beijing has made great efforts in helping children here including online and offline classes, remote evaluation of local lectures, etc. “We want to try our best to help students here and modernize education here,” the principal of the Elementary School Affiliated to Renmin University of China Zheng Ruifang said in an interview. She came here for the second time to investigate education in Lanping as well as to aid teaching activities of the county with her colleagues.

“Taking classes now is more interesting than before, because we can actually see pictures or videos instead of imagining them,” He Yiyi, a girl at the fourth grade, shared her excitement after an online class.

Noticing their children become happier and happier since they acquaint themselves with new classmates and friends, villagers moved here are consoled and enjoy their new lives here. Their future is about to take off from now on.