In Fenghuang County, Hunan Province, China, a technology-driven agricultural transformation—led by women—is quietly reshaping the rural landscape.
In 2012, Zhang Xiuxia and her husband Deng Baijun returned to their hometown for a visit, only to find local farmers struggling with fruit sales, aging varieties, outdated techniques, misuse of chemicals, and a lack of sales channels had left most orchards barely profitable or operating at a loss. Determined to change this, Zhang and her husband—an agricultural researcher—resigned from their jobs and founded the Minrui Fruit Cooperative. Rooted in the rural work, they committed themselves to revitalizing the fruit industry with science and innovation.
The cooperative has provided over 3 million high-quality seedlings to three villages and surrounding areas, covering more than 30,000 mu of planted area and training over 1,200 agricultural technicians.
Modern farming techniques like grass cover, organic fertilizers, and eco-friendly pest control have improved soil health and fruit quality. By improving the flavor of traditional Xiangxi red-fleshed kiwifruit, tackling kiwi canker.their innovation in vertical cultivation using single-column dual support structures and crop rotation with water-saving rice boosts rice yields by 275 kg per mu—achieving both ecological and economic gains.
Through the "Cooperative + Farmer + Order" model, the cooperative has generated employment for over 20,000 people, more than 60% of them women. Each person earns over CNY 20,000 ( about USD 2,776) annually.
Since 1999, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has implemented four projects in Hunan, with a total investment exceeding USD510 million. Notably, Xiangxi Prefecture has been highly involved in all projects supported.
In 2024, IFAD supported Minrui Cooperative with CNY 936,500 (about USD 130,000) in project support to improve cultivation quality and offer women’s technical training.
Today, the cooperative is moving toward digitalization and smart farming, aiming for higher efficiency. With ongoing collaboration between IFAD and China, rural revitalization is taking increasingly steady and confident steps forward.