What is the potential of a small courtyard from "square inch land" to "treasure trove"? Orchid | Courtyard | Potential

The latest data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs shows that the per capita disposable income of rural residents in the first half of the year was 10551 yuan, an actual increase of 7.2%. Thanks to the continuous growth of rural industries in China, the channels for farmers to increase their income are constantly expanding. Among them, the "courtyard economy", which was written into the No. 1 central document of the Central Government for the first time this year, is becoming a new path for all regions to explore and expand the source of farmers' income increase. So how does courtyard economy drive farmers to increase their income?

Creating an article in an inch of land, courtyard economy helps rural revitalization

Courtyard economy is an economy in which farmers use their residential courtyards and their surroundings as their base, and their families as production and business units, to provide themselves and society with agricultural specialty products and related services. Nanjing County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province is one of the four major orchid producing counties in China, with over 3000 orchid growers and a planting area of 4350 acres. In the past, most growers here planted orchids in the fields, but now there have been changes.

In Sanbian Village, Nankeng Town, Nanjing County, the anchor of Liuge Orchid Base is promoting orchids through the internet. In the garden, various types of orchids come into view, emitting a faint fragrance. In the delivery workshop, workers are quickly selecting, trimming, and packaging orchids for shipment.

Lai Runrong's orchid garden has a total of over 150000 orchids, with nearly a hundred species. The orchid company is located in their own courtyard, which covers more than ten acres of land including orchid plantations, operation team offices, warehouses, etc. However, in 2016, his orchid garden was originally only two or three acres. Due to the increasing sales of orchids, the area of the orchid garden has been continuously expanding in recent years.

Lai Runrong, the person in charge of the Liuge Orchid Base: If the land here is close to our house, it is all exchanged between ourselves and others. Over ten acres were rented here in the past, and my own home may only be over two acres. Later on, I gradually rented and expanded.

Lai Runrong told us that the company currently has a 25 acre planting base and sells about 1.1 million orchids annually through online sales, with sales reaching over 60 million yuan. Now in Nanjing, many villagers have opened up space in their courtyards to plant orchids.

Wu Guohai, Director of the Project Office of the Agriculture and Rural Bureau of Nanjing County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province: In the past, some of our houses had abandoned courtyards. We found this problem and encouraged farmers to plant some flowers and plants, mainly orchids. Because the orchid planting plot is relatively small, it can not only beautify the courtyard, but also have certain economic benefits.

Although the courtyard is small, it has great potential. At present, there are over 5000 households developing courtyard economy in Nanjing County. The courtyard economy industry mainly focuses on developing orchids, tea, lotus, grape trees, seedlings, etc.

Enterprise driven exploration of new paths for developing courtyard economy

Previously, local villagers in Nanjing County mainly planted orchids in their courtyards to meet their own needs. In recent years, with the deepening implementation of the rural revitalization strategy, courtyard economy has gradually become an important model for rural economic development. But during the development process, many villagers have also become confused.

The courtyard planting and breeding structure is relatively arbitrary, and the lack of unified planning for development makes it impossible to form economies of scale. To solve this problem, relevant departments in Nanjing County have proposed to collaborate with leading enterprises to guide villagers in planting, adopting a "company+farmers" approach, first benefiting some people, and then driving everyone to develop together. Zeng Qiuping planted over 2 acres of orchids in her courtyard. She told reporters that when planting orchids in Nanjing, the government will provide training and assign dedicated personnel to guide them. After years of development, a very professional division of labor has been formed, including the use of planting materials, greenhouses, and even the flipping of greenhouses, which can be done by specialized personnel.

Zeng Qiuping, an orchid grower from Nanjing County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province: Both the government and associations have professional guidance, as anyone who doesn't understand can ask, consult, and learn. There are those who specialize in selling sheds, those who specialize in selling plant materials, and workers can also hire gigs, which is very professional.

Liu Zhiyun, Vice President of Orchid Association in Nanjing County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province: There are many growers, some of whom are beginners. We usually guide them on planting techniques, such as sterilization, watering, and fertilization.

Under the guidance of the local government and leading enterprises, the variety and appearance of orchids in the hands of farmers are gradually increasing, and more and more new varieties are being cultivated. How to further strengthen the courtyard industry? A standardized, intelligent, and facility based three-dimensional courtyard planting and breeding model has been proposed in the local area.

According to local regulations, eligible growers can apply for unsecured loans from banks through government matchmaking, receive subsidies for constructing facilities and greenhouses, and enjoy a 30% reduction in agricultural electricity base when the electricity consumption for orchid planting is at its lowest.

In addition, the local government will provide a one-time subsidy of no more than 10000 yuan per household to poverty-stricken households, monitoring targets, low-income groups such as low-income households and marginal households who operate and start their own businesses to develop courtyard economy; For various business entities that drive the development of courtyard economy for more than 5 poverty-stricken households, a subsidy of no more than 5000 yuan will be given for each household driven, and the subsidy amount for each business entity will not exceed 500000 yuan. Under a series of policy measures, more and more villagers are opening up courtyards to plant orchids, and the industrial development is gradually growing.

Building platforms to extend the development space of courtyard economy

Liu Zhiyong, a villager from Cunya Village in Nanjing County, started planting orchids in his own courtyard in 2016, covering an area of over 2 acres. In 2017, during the sales off-season, there was a situation where tens of thousands of orchids could not be sold.

In 2018, under the leadership of the local government, Liu Zhiyong began to cooperate with the Liu Ge Orchid Base. Through online promotion, more than 8000 pots of orchids were sold throughout the country that year. Due to not worrying about sales, Liu Zhiyong has now expanded the orchid planting area to nearly eight acres.

In addition to implementing the "company+farmer" model, the government also encourages eligible large-scale enterprises to pair up with poverty-stricken households for assistance, and helps sales by building purchase and sales platforms. Liu Zhiyun, Vice President of the Orchid Association in Nanjing County, told reporters that the local orchid association has 8 WeChat groups, and the sales needs of farmers can be posted in the groups at any time for communication.

Liu Zhiyun, Vice President of the Orchid Association in Nanjing County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province: What flowers do they have to sell? Someone posted them in the group. If anyone wants to buy any flowers in business, just post them in this group. He will send it out immediately, you see it has already been sold.

Nowadays, the courtyards here not only generate benefits but also improve the environment of the village. Many local growers have carefully arranged a part of their courtyard space as a place for investment promotion. Customers can experience it when they come, and they can also do online live broadcasts. With the unique courtyard landscape, they have attracted more and more customers.

During the interview in Nanjing County, we found that in the process of actively exploring the development of courtyard economy, the local area has formed replicable and promotable experiences, and has extended this experience to courtyard style tea processing.

These days are the season for summer tea harvesting. Early in the morning, Jian Renyong from Fenglin Village is busy in his own tea factory.

Jian Renyong, the person in charge of Fenglinchun Tea Factory in Nanjing, Fujian: Below our entire house is our own small factory, with people living upstairs. I also have all the machines that a family style factory should have, so although the sparrow is small, it has all five organs.

Jian Renyong told reporters that the tea he processed can not only be sold by himself, but also be coordinated and sold through cooperatives or companies. Due to the small size of the tea factory and its more flexible processing, he has also opened up a business of customizing high-end tea in recent years.

It is understood that currently, the number of farmers developing courtyard economy in Nanjing has reached over 5000, and has also attracted more than 1000 young people to return to their hometowns for entrepreneurship. The annual output value of courtyard economy industry is over 300 million yuan, and the per capita annual income of farmers is about 6000 yuan. In Fujian Province, 4305 characteristic planting courtyards have been developed, with an average annual income increase of nearly 10000 yuan per household.

Building an upgraded courtyard economy based on local characteristics

Tulou is a large-scale rammed earth residential building in the mountainous areas of Fujian Province, with a long history and unique design. Leveraging the popularity of local tourism and the charm of intangible cultural heritage, many villagers have started developing their own Tulou courtyards under the unified planning of the government.

The local government vigorously promotes the development of Tulou tourism in accordance with the concept of "Tulou leading, cultural and tourism integration, and blooming flowers throughout the region". By using characteristic building materials and traditional building techniques, appropriate repairs and modifications are made to ancient buildings to ensure that the architectural style is coordinated with the town and village style, and to maintain the ancient charm of the village.

Lv Minliang, the person in charge of Jingwei Xiaodiao Folk Customs in Nanjing County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province: Decorate the interior a bit, and the rest remains unchanged. This must be preserved in order to have its historical value.

Lv Minliang told reporters that the earthen building at home has now been converted into a homestay, with 6 restaurants downstairs and 7 guest rooms upstairs. During the peak tourist season, supply often exceeds demand.

Tourist Xu Hantao: We can now touch it with our own hands and feel the heaviness of history very intuitively.

Tulou has sparked tourism and also attracted many young people to return to their hometowns to start businesses. Liu Xinwei's homestay is a house left behind by her great grandfather. While preserving the style of earthen buildings, they have built a new one for the collapsed old house in the back. The current courtyard is full of the interweaving of ancient and modern culture. Liu Xinwei told reporters that all the guest rooms in her homestay are fully booked, and the daily room fee is over 7000 yuan. With the addition of catering, the total turnover can reach over 30000 yuan.

Liu Xinwei, the person in charge of the 1949 homestay in Nanjing County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province: If we go out to work, we may not be able to balance taking care of children and work. Therefore, when we are at home, we can also accompany our children and their growth, and also the elderly. I think this is also a better option.

It is understood that there are currently over 420 homestays in Nanjing County. Through the establishment of tourism enterprises and support for the development of cultural and tourism economy, the local area has attracted approximately 25000 young people who have gone out to start businesses in their hometowns. Next, Fujian will focus on promoting the integration and development of courtyard economy and rural cultural tourism industry in the province, guiding farmers to use their own courtyards to develop characteristic homestays, family hotels, small picking gardens, etc., and promoting cooperation between cultural tourism operators and courtyard economy operators to create a number of experiential rural tourism points and routes.