Kiwi industry provides a path out of poverty for Shibadong village

Located in the remote mountainous county of Huayuan in Hunan province’s Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture, Shibadong village was impoverished until it embarked on a new path a few years ago.

In January 2014, the Huayuan county Party committee created a targeted poverty alleviation team for Shibadong village, and a man named Long Xiulin was its leader. He recognized the importance of pursuing a sustainable method of escaping from poverty.

Discussions were held with Shibadong’s villagers, and kiwi orchards were visited. The village eventually decided to grow its own kiwi. It lacked land, capital, and farmers with requisite experience, however.

Outside experts were brought in to provide assistance and introduce new techniques to Shibadong’s agriculturalists. The Miaohanzi Fruit Company was established, and about 67 ha of land was leased from another village. Controlling the land management rights to this land helped the company secure a loan of about 10 million yuan.

Shibadong’s residents thought the undertaking would take a while to yield results. Two hundred tons of fruit were harvested at the start of 2017, however, and the village escaped from poverty that February.

In 2018, Shibadong’s kiwi sales revenue reached 7.82 million yuan, and its residents each received dividends worth an average of 1,200 yuan.

A villager named Shi Bazhuan stated that she earned a 3,200-yuan dividend in 2019 and the kiwi industry has made her life better.