Shared prosperity workshop allows farmers to thrive outside of agriculture

An initiative known as the shared prosperity workshop is revolutionizing the lives of farmers in Bizhuang village, Xiajin county.

With the elderly in the village forced to spend most of their spare time on mundane chores, the project aims to foster local employment and generate additional income.

The project operates under the framework of "Party organization + enterprise + farmers." A company has been established to support the endeavor, providing raw materials to villagers who assemble and create products.

A shared prosperity workshop in Bizhuang village, Xiajin county. [Photo by Huo Qizhi for chinadaily.com.cn]

Villagers are compensated based on the number of pieces they complete, offering them a unique opportunity to supplement their income during agricultural downtime.

The impact of the project on the community has been overwhelmingly positive.

The Yingjie Silk Flower Cooperative, located in Bizhuang village, recently secured a substantial order from a client in Hebei province. Villagers are enthusiastically assembling and creating the products within the comfort of their own homes.

The success of the Bizhuang village initiative has inspired neighboring villages and various industries in Xiajin county to follow suit.

Currently, the county is home to 68 handicraft factories and 37 food processing factories, all of which are establishing their own shared prosperity workshops to extend the benefits to their local populations.

In total, over 120 individuals from Bizhuang village, along with 16 neighboring villages, have found employment during agricultural downtime through the initiative.

Moreover, the continuous innovation in sacrificial silk flower varieties and colors has resulted in an increasing number of orders, leading to significant financial growth. Sales exceeded 2.3 million yuan (about $321,839) in 2022 and have already surpassed 6 million yuan (about $839,580) this year. (Edited by Cai Liting)