Wang Yonglun, 63, is an impoverished resident of Yewang village, Penglai, Shandong province. He lost his left arm in an accident when he was young, causing all sorts of difficulties and inconveniences. 

However, after joining the local cooperative, he now manages 3,000 square meters of farmland and works in a village factory during his down time.

"It's so convenient to get all the heavy farm work done with just one phone call," said Wang. 

"The cooperative has purchased the necessary farm machinery to help complete our farm work. Last year it helped me harvest corn and delivered it to my door by tricycle."

Yewang is an impoverished village in Shandong province with 176 households and 481 villagers. It has a very old population, with more than 240 people over the age of 58.

The majority of young people in the village have left for work and many farmlands and orchards have been left uncultivated.

Finding people to farm the land has become a major issue facing the village.

In order to increase the incomes of villagers and lift the village out poverty, the Party branch of Yewang village established a professional cooperative in 2017. The villagers' share of the cooperative was worth 160,000 yuan ($22,621), while the village collective's share was worth 440,000 yuan, which was used to purchase more than 20 sets of machinery, including tractors and harvesters.

According to Wang Jintian, the village Party secretary, the cooperative includes all poor families in the village and offers agricultural machinery services and technical support to help them increase production and income.

Wang Yonglun (middle) works at a sweet potato processing plant in Yewang village, Penglai, Shandong province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Last year the cooperative started planting sweet potatoes and a processing plant was built. The baked sweet potatoes proved popular among customers and more than 7,500 kg of products were sold in just one month.

"I now work in the sweet potato processing plant and earn about 3,000 yuan a month," said Wang Yonglun.

Wang Jintian said that the cooperative also sells agricultural products such as dried apples, dried figs, and selenium-rich flour, bringing in additional income for villagers.

In recent years, Penglai has been promoting the construction of village cooperatives to boost rural development and poverty alleviation.

The Penglai finance department has allocated nearly 40 million yuan in special support funds over the past three years to support the development of village cooperatives, and 14 agriculture-related departments have jointly issued a series of documents to ensure the smooth development of the cooperatives.

Penglai is now home to 204 village cooperatives.