Yinji Township, Linxia County, Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province, native He Haitang examines some of the plants in one of her greenhouses.

Yinji Township, Linxia County, Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province, resident and native He Haitang, 29, is one of the many people who generate a sizeable portion of their earnings growing produce in greenhouses in her local area. The four that she currently operates generate over RMB50,000 of profit a year in total, or more than 40% of her family's annual income.

Haitang had previously been living elsewhere with her husband and was engaged in the aluminium alloy-based decor business, which was going well. She had left her aging father, three young children, and another family member(s) behind in her hometown, however, and thus longed to do business there but had not found a suitable opportunity in which to do so.

In 2021, Haitang learned that a greenhouse industrial park had been established in the village that she is from in Yinji and that greenhouses were being sublet after visiting in order to help harvest wheat. She also became aware of the fact that the World Food Programme (WFP) Preschool Nutrition Improvement Pilot Project was coincidentally being implemented in Linxia County and that ingredient suppliers were being selected.

The family woman ultimately decided to return to her hometown, sublet two greenhouses, grow zucchinis and other vegetables, and apply to become such a supplier after discussing the matter with her husband so as to seize the opportunity that had presented itself.

Haitang knew little about greenhouse farming, however; since she had mostly been engaged in non-agricultural work. Determined to learn more about it, she began attending agricultural science and technology training courses for smallholder farmers that covered both theory and practical skills that were provided by the WFP and consulting with agricultural technicians and experienced farmers.

In October 2021, Haitang bought some greenhouse farming reference books and began growing zucchinis and tomatoes under the careful guidance of agricultural technicians, who provided assistance with aspects such as temperature and humidity control, pest prevention and disease mitigation. Her hard work ultimately paid off – the vegetables grew well during their first season and generated more than RMB20,000 of revenue at this time – and she felt more avid about greenhouse farming when she saw the vegetables she grew being served to children in nearby kindergartens.

Linxia County's greenhouse farmers had previously tended to worry about sales before they got involved with the WFP pilot project and were heartbroken when they saw unharvested produce that they had put a lot of effort into taking care of decaying as a result of insufficient sales channels and demand. The pilot project has helped smallholder farmers become more connected to the market, however; and they no longer experience these kinds of problems.

Haitang prunes plants in one of her greenhouses.

Haitang and other rural women have been contributing to children’s nutrition improvement and the development of local industries, increasing their incomes, improving their understanding of business management, becoming more confident, skilful, self-reliant, and tenacious, and expanding their horizons as they have gotten involved with the WFP project.

In July 2022, she began subletting two more greenhouses and growing chili peppers and other fruits and vegetables that are more profitable than what she had been cultivating thus far.  The Yinji native began hiring other women from her village and taught them the essentials of transplanting, pollination, pruning, and other aspects of greenhouse farming, and their incomes and skill sets have continued to improve.

“I often visit other people who grow produce in greenhouses in my free time and share my methods and experiences with them,” Haitang mentioned in the summer of 2023.

“The World Food Programme Preschool Nutrition Improvement Pilot Project has given me hope,” the supplier concluded. “I plan to gradually expand the scale of my operation and establish my own family farm so that my husband can return to our village and grow fruit and vegetables with me. We will be able to manage our family and the greenhouses better together and make it possible for more children to eat produce that is fresh, safe, and locally grown.”

For more information, please contact WFP China COE (wfpcn.coe@wfp.org)

Related Links:

Digital School Meals Monitoring System: Promoting Children's Nutrition and Inclusive Rural Development

WFP Preschool Nutrition Improvement Project In Hunan

WFP Preschool Nutrition Improvement Pilot Project Furnishes Meals and Boosts Agricultural Development in Linxia County