Crawfish change struggling farmers' fortunes

Liu Zhuquan's advocacy of aquaculture has improved livelihoods in Hubei village

For decades, water has been both a curse and blessing for rice farmers in low-lying villages in Central China's Hubei province. While an intricate web of waterways provides sufficient irrigation for crops, constant flooding makes life precarious for local villagers.

The situation worsened in Baowan village in the early 1970s when a major river was blocked and over 67 hectares of fields were submerged in floodwaters for years.