"I hope agriculture will become a promising industry, rural areas will become farmers' beautiful homes, and farming will be a respectable profession," says Zhao Zhao, General Manager of Yamin Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd., in Nanyang, a city in Central China's Henan Province. Zhao is also president of Benben Breeding Cooperative, in Nanzhao, a county in Nanyang. During the past two decades, Zhao has made persevering efforts to turn her dream into reality. 

Painful, But Joyful 

While she studied in Henan University of Technology (in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province) from 2002-2006, Zhao conducted a survey regarding beef consumption in China's urban and rural areas. Through the market survey (on beef consumption), she discovered Nanyang's great potential for developing a cattle-raising industry. 

In 2006, Zhao was employed by a company, in Zhengzhou, as a white-collared employee. Two years later, she quit her job. Within a short time, she returned to her home village, Fengzhuang, in Nanzhao, to establish a cattle farm. 

Many villagers wondered why Zhao, a university graduate, returned to her poverty-stricken home village. She wanted to help rural residents attain wealth by raising cattle in their home village, so they would not have to leave home to work elsewhere. 

Zhao often recalls the hardships she encountered during the first several months after she began running her cattle business. For example, she lacked capital, and the technologies and experience, needed to develop her business. Despite such difficulties, Zhao and her employees carried on. 

In addition to reading books and teaching herself about cattle-raising skills, Zhao sought advice from many agricultural experts on how to improve her cattle-raising skills, and on how to prevent and treat the animals' diseases. 

Throughout the years, Zhao has provided reliable, trustworthy services to her customers. She has used quality corn, soybeans and other crops to make cattle's feed. 

While expanding her business, Zhao has developed an industry chain of ecological circular agriculture — a system where agricultural biomass, waste and leftovers from food preparation are kept as reusable resources. That helps save natural resources, and it helps achieve the sustainable development of modern agriculture. Zhao was aware that cattle manure pollutes the environment, and it takes up space. She also realized treating the manure as garbage would increase her production costs. She read books, and she sought advice from agricultural experts and villagers, who specialized in raising cattle, on how to turn cattle manure into a valuable resource. Zhao learned in addition to fertilizing farmland, the manure could be used to produce biogas, used as a substrate for growing mushrooms. 

"To start a business, you must be strong-minded and spare no effort to realize your dream. Your heart will be filled with joy as you strive to realize your potential (as a businessman / businesswoman)," says Zhao. As a result of having experienced numerous difficulties and setbacks, including market fluctuations and financing difficulties, Zhao grew stronger, and took delight in being a "cowherd." 

Zhao's cattle farm has evolved into a cattle-breeding base in Nanzhao. During the past several years, she has devoted much effort to developing circular agriculture. "Don't blindly follow others ... You should find a career you truly love and strive to achieve success in your career," says Zhao. She adds she hopes more young people, who love both the countryside and agriculture, will do their bit to build their home villages into better places. 

Joint Efforts

In 2012, Zhao established Benben Breeding Cooperative, in Nanzhao. Three years later, she set up Yamin Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd. She prioritized elderly villagers and left-behind women (whose husbands had left home to work elsewhere) when she recruited employees for both her cooperative and her company. Given the sound development of her enterprises, Zhao has been able to employ many rural residents of Fengzhuang, and neighboring villages, to work for her cooperative and company. 

"I'm emotionally attached to my home village ... I will strive to expand my business, so rural residents can share the benefits of our hometown's rapid economic development," says Zhao. 

During the past few years, she has tried her best to help rural residents live better lives. Zhao is pleased to note, given the promulgation of Nanzhao's preferential policies to attract excellent talents to return to their hometowns to start their own businesses, and the county's rapid economic development and the great improvement in its infrastructure in recent years, an increasing number of young people, who had left home to work elsewhere, have returned home to establish their own enterprises. Zhao is also pleased to see many young people have joined her in working hard to build their hometown into a better place. 

Given her outstanding achievements, Zhao has received many titles and awards, including being named a National March 8th Red-Banner Holder, an outstanding rural entrepreneur (in China), who has helped villagers escape poverty by developing production, and the Henan Youth "May Fourth" Medal. 

"I believe those who devote their lives to promoting rural areas' agricultural development will have bright futures .... Farmers should be proud of themselves," says Zhao.

Photos from Interviewee

(Women of China English Monthly January 2024)