County hotline helps farmers resolve problems in Shandong

In Jiangdian township in Gaotang county, Shandong province, a special hotline was set up in 2019 for farmers to provide agricultural technical support to each other and address questions and difficulties they encounter, a local media outlet reported.

The person behind the hotline is Zhang Caiyun, head of the agricultural technology station in Jiangdian and a member of Du Lizhi's agricultural technology office.

Seeking assistance from the Caiyun hotline is now common among the farming community in the township.

"With the guidance of a specialist, I feel more confident in growing greenhouse vegetables," said farmer Zhu Aibin, whose tomato greenhouses have benefited from Zhang's expertise.

Though Zhu had spent years growing greenhouse tomatoes, most of his fruits were of lower quality, categorized as second-grade. Feeling disheartened, he called the Caiyun hotline for help.

Upon learning about the situation, Zhang promptly arrived at Zhu's greenhouse to offer advice. She discovered that the temperature of the greenhouse was too low, hindering the growth of the tomatoes.

Zhu made the necessary adjustments in accordance with Zhang's suggestions to improve the temperature conditions inside the greenhouse. As a result, the quality and yield of his tomatoes significantly improved.

Zhu's case is just one of many instances in which the Caiyun hotline has played a crucial role in supporting local farmers.

By providing on-site agricultural consultations and technical guidance, the hotline has become an indispensable resource for farmers seeking solutions to their problems.

The hotline is one of the endeavors Gaotang has made in recent years as it looks to achieve rural vitalization through the establishment of an agricultural technology promotion system to boost its agricultural yields.

In 2018, the county established an office for agricultural expert Du Lizhi to help her develop techniques and cultivate more experts in the area.

The office now boasts over 90 agricultural specialists selected from the county's agricultural departments, with Zhang Caiyun being one of them,

The specialists provide agricultural technical services to farmers by regularly visiting fields throughout the year. At the same time, efforts have been made to cultivate a group of 1,395 field experts.

The specialists also focus on providing efficient services to people by solving technical problems farmers encounter through a combination of online and offline services.

From the experts at Du's office, Gaotang has established three-tier agricultural technology volunteer service networks across the county. Twelve agricultural service stations at the township level and 746 village-level service points have also been set up.

Gaotang's efforts to offer rural technology services have played a significant role in promoting rural vitalization, improving agricultural productivity and increasing farmers' incomes.