Cooperatives drive employment, income growth

Xihenggouya village of Lanling town, located in Lanling county, Linyi, Shandong province, fully leverages the social governance model of Party Leadership, encouraging rural Party members who are leading figures in wealth creation to take the lead in pairing assistance. 

Cao Hongbing, the village Party branch secretary and also the head of a local grape planting cooperative, said: "Through recruitment at our plantation, we are able to address the employment issues of impoverished households, boost their income, and effectively reduce their risk of falling back into poverty."

Due to the proximity of the workplace and relatively light labor intensity, Cao's grape plantation has been able to provide employment opportunities for many impoverished households.

"We rely on them for work, which helps us earn money. Even those who pick grapes slowly can earn 1,000 yuan ($138), while those who work faster can earn two to three thousand yuan!" said one villager.

Moving forward, Lanling town will continue to make good use of its strong planting resources, assist in the development and growth of cooperatives, and effectively link poverty alleviation achievements with rural vitalization efforts. (Edited by Du Xiaping)

Villagers of Xihenggouya village work at the local grape plantation. [Photo by Li Xiuming/For chinadaily.com.cn]