In Shanxi I met some really poor farmers. Without prior
arrangement we stopped by a courtyard in Kanghe village 康和村,
汾西县 Fenxi county, which is located about 17 km from the
county seat.
In Shanxi I met some really poor farmers. Without prior
arrangement we stopped by a courtyard in Kanghe village 康和村,
汾西县 Fenxi county, which is located about 17 km from the
county seat.
Ma Wei-ming, together with his wife, support a family of six, including two old folks and two children, a girl of 21 and a boy of 19. The 10 mu of farmland they possess were lean, reaping a low yield of 250 kg of corn per mu (instead of the usual 500 kg). Wheat yield is also in the 250 kg per mu category. Two years ago they planted 4 mu of fruit trees, but it will be four more years before they can market the fruits. (The children in the picture below belong to the neighbors.)
I met the Ma and his wife at a large courtyard where they were working diligently. It turns out that the courtyard did not belong to them. They came here to sun the wheat they just harvested. Their entire harvest consisted of just a few bags of wheat (loaded in a cart shown in the picture above), which would be barely enough for their own consumption. The 21-year old girl is no longer living with them, possibly married. The 19-year old son does some side-line work like firing bricks, with two months of work a year, bring home about 500Y.
Ma fell sick two years ago and spent 4000Y on medical expenses. They sold the cattle for 750Y, and borrowed from the Agricultural Trust to pay for the expenses at an unknown interest rate. Whatever they earned they spent on repaying the loan. They had no savings.
Kanghe village is a designated poverty village.