Zhang Shasha, 33, manager of Lüyuan Vegetables Cooperative (in Dailiuzhuang, a village in Cangzhou, a city in North China's Hebei Province), is somewhat of a celebrity in Suning, a county in Cangzhou. Why? As she has made tremendous efforts to develop the cooperative during the past few years, she has helped many farmers escape poverty by helping them increase vegetable production and sales.
Zhang quit a high-paying job in Langfang, another city in Hebei in 2015, and returned home to her village to grow newly introduced varieties of vegetable seedlings with Wang Xuemeng, her husband. The couple also encouraged villagers to grow the seedlings.
"At that time, we put much effort into studying how to grow vegetable seedlings. We also explored new ways to improve the cooperative's management," recalls Zhang.
While conducting research, Zhang discovered fine varieties of vegetable seedlings were in short supply. Therefore, she suggested the cooperative establish high-standard seedling greenhouses, and she introduced precision seeders and an advanced, automatic seeding assembly line to the cooperative. She also introduced more than 20 varieties of vegetables, from well-known seed companies, from both home and abroad, to the cooperative.
During the past several years, Zhang has invested much time and energy in testing new varieties of vegetables. Also, she has applied for nine technological patents. As a result, many villagers have considered her "an expert in cultivating seedlings."
Read more at womenofchina.cn