Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.2, 2019

 

Theoretical Exploration and Poverty Alleviation Practice Based on Smallholder Production——A “Smallholder Poverty Alleviation Trial with Nested Markets”

(Abstract)

 

Ye Jingzhong and He Congzhi

 

The market-led alleviation of poverty through industry plays an important role in China’s precise targeting of poverty alleviation, but it faces many challenges covering smallholders in extreme poverty. We therefore have to seek new methods of industry poverty alleviation for poor smallholders. The project “Smallholder poverty alleviation trial with nested markets” conducted in villages in the Taihang Mountain area of Hebei over eight years started from “What means of livelihood do poor smallholders currently have?” and then took smallholder production of healthy farm products and local food specialties as an “industry,” ordinary urban consumers’ demand for healthy food as a “docking point” and “nested markets” as the organizational form of transactions and interaction. Through the trusting joint participation between poor rural dwellers and urbanities, this project successfully converted the means of livelihood and the resources of society into an income for the poor, achieving targeted, stable, and sustainable poverty elimination and highlighting the developmental concepts of innovation, coordination, going green and share of the fruits of development.