Harvest season brings prosperity to Niuzhuang village in Linqing

Harvest workers move through the fields, busy picking gourds.  [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

As early autumn breezes usher in the harvest season, the gourd fields of Niuzhuang village, Linqing, Shandong are flourishing. On Aug 23, the gourd plantation in Daiwan town showcased its bounty of ripe gourds, including white-skin and sweet varieties, ready for harvest. The heavy gourds, bending the branches with their weight, point to a successful growing season. Five diligent workers moved through the fields, gathering the ripe produce and creating a vibrant scene of abundance.

A person picks gourds in Niuzhuang village, Daiwan town, Linqing city, Shandong.  [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The gourd plantation has had a transformative effect on the local economy. It has not only increased the wealth of individual villagers but also bolstered the village's collective income. Additionally, it has generated local employment opportunities, allowing villagers to work close to home. Building on this success, Niuzhuang village is now encouraging the expansion of gourd cultivation on personal plots and scattered land around homes. Agreements with companies for gourd recycling have been put in place, further boosting farmer incomes and contributing to a more robust local economy.

A villager uses machines to peel and polish freshly harvested gourds. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]