Modern agriculture lifts Guizhou farmers out of poverty

President Xi visits Jiufeng's greenhouse in Huamao village, Zunyi county, Southwest China's Guizhou province, on June 16, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

Farmers in a remote southwestern Chinese village who left their hometown to work their way out of poverty in big cities are coming back home to build an even better life and also stay with their family thanks to the development of modern agriculture.

More than 95 percent of the picturesque province of Guizhou is covered by mountains and hills, which lack the natural conditions for the development of traditional agriculture, and the ensuing poverty drove many farmers out of their villagers to work in big cities for a better life.

Shu Changying, a 46-year-old farmer in Huamao village, Zunyi county, worked in big cities for 20 years and returned home in 2014 after she found a job with decent pay at Jiufeng Agriculture Technology Corp, which was visited by President Xi Jinping on his trip to the village in June.

"I earn a monthly base salary of 1,780 yuan ($270.56) and the company covers my board and lodging," said Shu. "It's not as much as a I was earning – 3,000 yuan – working as a waitress in the city, but the company has just started and it takes time to grow the customer base and staying at home also means I don't have to pay the rent."