The lives of villagers in Xixinzhuang village of Yangliuxue town in Binzhou, Shandong province have improved due to their increasing household income since they built greenhouses to grow fruit and vegetables a couple of years ago.

The village has a history of more than 20 years of greenhouse cultivation of fruits and vegetables. At present, it is home to more than 330 greenhouses, covering an area of about 2,300 mu (153.33 hectares), with an annual output of about 16.5 million kilograms.

The fruits and vegetables produced in the village have been sold in Jinan, Beijing, Tianjin, Jiangsu province and other areas, while also supplying the local market, making it a famous professional vegetable village.

Relying on greenhouse cultivation, the village has succeeded in its poverty alleviation efforts to become prosperous.

According to Zhao Fuguo, the village Party branch secretary, a greenhouse covering an area of about 2 mu can generate income of about 80,000 ($11,632) to 100,000 yuan annually. As the price of cucumbers is relatively good this year, a farmer can earn up to 120,000 yuan.

Gao Yongxia, a farmer in Xixinzhuang village of Yangliuxue town in Binzhou, picks cucumbers at her greenhouse on July 11. The freshly picked cucumbers will be sent to the local market by 9:00 in the morning. [Photo/dzwww.com]

Cucumbers are cultivated in a standard greenhouse in Xixinzhuang village of Yangliuxue town in Binzhou, Shandong province. [Photo/dzwww.com]

An aerial photo shows the greenhouses in Xixinzhuang village of Yangliuxue town in Binzhou, Shandong province. [Photo/dzwww.com]

Xixinzhuang village of Yangliuxue town in Binzhou has more than 330 greenhouses, covering an area of about 2,300 mu (153.33 hectares). [Photo/dzwww.com]

A farmer picks cucumbers at her greenhouse in Xixinzhuang village of Yangliuxue town in Binzhou, Shandong province. [Photo/dzwww.com]

The greenhouse facilities have become increasingly popular among farmers, which can make use of sunlight resources, as well as cut water consumption by half compared with grain plantation. [Photo/iqilu.com]