In view of the situation, the county determined to plan its land use and develop high-standard farmland to increase the villagers' income. It has sought to do a good job in land consolidation in 12 villages, and improved infrastructure and farmland ecological greening through annual land inspections. The potholed fields have been renovated into standard fields with unblocked roads and canals, and patches of farmland also have been transformed into a paddy park.

 

After renovation, the fields can have yields in every season. In the paddy park, thedouble-season rice and the single-season rape are planted, which can not only make rape planting possible in the county, but also bring a bumper harvest for farmers. In addition to rape, the county also actively encourages farmers to plant traditional Chinese medicine, strawberries, grapes and other agricultural products so as to increase the industrial scale and optimize the industrial structure. The county has made full use of "natural economic development" to increase its economic benefits in just a few years.

 

 

The green economy has led to a booming tourism. For example, the paddy park brings additional income for local villagers. The villagers have changed themselves from farmers to the builders of rural tourism and created brands of characteristics agricultural products for sale. The local products like "Anren Pizza", Tangpi, rice wine, etc. bring an income of more than 500 million yuan for the villagers. At present, more than 1,300 farmers in Anren County work near their homes, and their per capita income has increased by more than 30 percent.

 

Zeng Ke, head of Anren County, said the county creates the Vernal Equinox Festival, Rape Festival and other festivals based on own characteristics. The unique rural tourism has attracted more than 10 million tourists a year from all over the country. During the National Day holiday this year, it received 160,000 tourists, with an income up to nearly 4 million yuan, and saw high yield and income in the tertiary industry. The county has steadily entered the "fast track" of development.

 

 

He Xianglan, a local rice farmer and director of Baofeng Rice Farmer Cooperative in Xinfeng Village, gains great benefits from the paddy park. He used to work in other places and returned to hometown when he heard the news that the village needed someone to transfer land for the construction of the paddy park.

 

At first, he transferred a land area of 1,000 mu (66 hectares) for rice cultivation and tourism development in the paddy park, which brought him considerable economic benefits. At present, the fields of the whole village have been transferred with the joint efforts of the villagers. The annual net profit of Baofeng Rice Farmer Cooperative amounted to more than 800,000 yuan.

 

 

“I used to earn 30,000 yuan a year, but now I can earn 200,000 yuan a year through tourism of the paddy park,” said He Xianglan. He is confident about the future of the paddy park, so he plans to continue to promote land transfer in the surrounding areas through cooperatives, expand the paddy ecotourism industry, in an effort to promote the common prosperity of the villagers.