Govt project transforms lives of poor farmers in rocky Guizhou

GUIYANG - It wasn't so long ago that farmers of Jiangman village of Qinglong county were living in mud huts and having to survive by selling their own blood.

What hardy crops they managed to grow on their small patches of rocky scrubland were frequently washed or blown away. And if they had any livestock at all, there was little they could feed on.

But within the past 10 years, the landscape and lives of many residents in this area of Southwest China's Guizhou province have been transformed.

Although there is a long way to go, thanks to a local government project, rocky desert is turning to green pasture and once poverty-stricken people are beginning to enjoy a decent standard of living.

"I can earn more than 80,000 yuan ($13,000) a year now by raising goats," said Yang Hongmin, a farmer in Jiangman village, Qinglong county, as she bargained over 10 goats she was selling. The buyer ended up paying 10,166 yuan.

"The money will be enough for me to renovate my house," said 52-year-old Yang last Wednesday.

Last year, she spent more than 80,000 yuan to add a second floor to her house, which was built in 2003 with the money made from selling goats. Her son has bought a truck and can earn 10,000 yuan a month by providing transport services.

Raising of goats has become a key means of living for farmers in Jiangman village, Southwest China's Guizhou province. Yao Jianfeng / Xinhua