How Big Data Revitalizes Rural Communities in Guiyang, China

Published : Apr 26, 2021 - 11:50 Updated : Apr 26, 2021 - 11:50

GUIYANG, China, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- "You have a new order!" An e-commerce platform pushed this notification. He Jiao immediately responded by sorting, packing and sending the commodities.

He Jiao and her husband Huang Qi are local peasants in Libei Village, Xifeng County, Guiyang. The mentioned scenario has become the norm for the couple.

In 2015, this couple returned to their hometown and started an e-commerce business. They mainly sell special agricultural products such as chili, spicy chicken and tofu.

Huang told the journalist of Huanqiu.com, "There are nearly 300 orders every day, and our monthly revenue has exceeded 200 thousand yuan(31 thousand US dollars). To cope with the increasing workload, we have also hired 5 villagers to deliver customer service and pack. "

In August 2015, Xifeng County announced that it would take advantage of e-commerce to fight poverty. The government launched a two-way interactive information service platform to analyze sales trends in the shopping malls, supermarkets and convenience sites throughout the county. The ensuing database has consolidated the foundation of the online retail business.

Huang said, "Thanks to the big data solution, it is easier to plug the lacunae in the supply and demand gap. We can adjust our production based on market demand, or rather, cut excess waste by growing fewer products in low demand and use the space to grow alternatives."

Equipped with big data, peasants can better track the consumer trend and cushion themselves against the vagaries of markets. "It is obvious that the living standards of the local farmers have been continuously on the increase," he added.

According to official statistics, most of the villagers in Libei Village were migrant workers before 2015, with a per capita income of less than 6 thousand yuan(918 US dollars). In 2017, the annual online retail sales of Libei Village reached 10 million yuan(1.6 million US dollars), which enabled the village to be certified as the first "Taobao Village" in Guizhou province.

In 2019, the per capita disposable income of Libei Village exceeded 20 thousand yuan(3 thousand US dollars). E-commerce, directly and indirectly, increased the revenue of 28.4 thousand rural households(72 thousand people) in the county.

In addition to boosting sales, the local government also harnesses big data to optimize logistics management in the farming industry. In Guiyang, the Agricultural Products Logistics Park is just a 30-minute drive from the city center.

The journalist could observe a steady stream of trucks and vendors. Boxes of fresh vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and ginger were unloaded, sorted, packaged and transported to a wide range of destinations.

Lei Zezhong, the CFO of Guiyang Agricultural Products Logistics Development Co., Ltd., told the journalist, "The logistics park launched a smart agricultural wholesale big data platform, which has enabled the intelligent supply chain management."

He continued, "This data-enabled platform can trace the origin of agricultural products, provide online transaction channels and financial services. Due to the big data solution, local peasants have not only improved the operational efficiency, but also reduced management and logistics costs."

According to statistics, this logistics park has been the hub of 4 thousand tons of vegetables and fruits, and the daily transaction volume exceeds 30 million yuan(4.6 million US dollars).

It notes that Guiyang is leveraging big data to boost productivity and profitability in the farming industry. The ensuing revenue growth has hauled more and more local villagers out of poverty.

In recent years, the local government has attached great importance to the intersection between big data and rural revitalization. Guiyang has taken pains to build e-commerce platforms, improve the communication infrastructure and expand the talent pool.

By 2019, Guiyang has built 8 county-level rural e-commerce operations centers and over 600 rural e-commerce service stations. The coverage of town-level express delivery has reached 100%. Additionally, the government has funded training programs for rural sellers, and recent years also witnessed the development of Alibaba College of Guizhou Institute of Technology.

According to the official website, in 2020, the total value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery in Guiyang surpassed 30 billion yuan (4.59 billion US dollars).

A head of the Guiyang Municipal Agriculture and Rural Bureau said, "The continuous development of big data has enabled precision agriculture and smart farming."

"In the future, the government will utilize big data to unlock new drivers of economic growth," he added. According to Guiyang Municipal Government, during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), Guiyang will continuously promote the integration of big data and rural revitalization.

To be specific, Guiyang will introduce new intelligent agricultural equipment and optimize the infrastructure. By 2025, the coverage rate of 5G network in key rural areas is projected to reach 100%.