Zhejiang Province in eastern China has been dynamically advancing rural revitalization and common prosperity initiatives, with strong support from the local government encouraging the active participation of private enterprises and young people.
In 2023, Zhejiang Province was home to over 1,800 large-scale private enterprises, the highest number in China. Increasingly, these enterprises have been collaborating with local farmers and the government to drive regional development.
Established in 1986, Transfar Group became a pioneer in Zhejiang by venturing into high-tech agriculture in rural areas in 2000. The company has collaborated with the local government and farmers to develop the Xiejing'an Agriculture-Innovation Village in Hangzhou, comprising three villages: Xiejia, Jingyou, and Anshan.
With Transfar's support, high-tech solutions have been applied to seedling research and plantation technology at the rural-based innovation park, which includes an agricultural science and innovation demonstration zone and an ecological zone.
"Leading enterprises including us have introduced high-tech to villages, and farmers can practice agriculture better after mastering high-tech skills. China’s rural areas need high-tech and innovation in agriculture. Technology and industries are vital for rural revitalization, and this is where the new productive forces lie in," said Xu Guanju, chairman of the Board of Transfar.
The company has also established a center for plantation science in the village, featuring experimental labs and fields, greenhouses, and a digital seedling factory. In collaboration with the local government, the group has invested nearly 1.4 million U.S. dollars to fund the incubation of 100 rural entrepreneurship projects over the next five years.
The high-tech industry has boosted farmers' income in the village by 1.8 million U.S. dollars and positively impacted the lives of over 10,000 local residents.
"Many private enterprises have joined the rural revitalization and this is how they carried out social responsibility. There are private enterprises everywhere in our country; so if they join the rural revitalization, we will see no technology gap," said Xu.
As of March this year, nearly 4,000 enterprises have engaged in rural revitalization efforts across 3,500 villages in Zhejiang.
Private enterprises bring innovation to rural revitalization in Zhejiang
