In early March, winter wheat in the fields was entering the green-up stage and in need of moisture. A spring snow arrived in Yewang Village, Jinzhuang Town, Gaoyang County, Baoding City, Hebei Province. For Li Yanhong, the village Party secretary, this snow was truly a "timely rain"—it saved the effort of irrigating the fields at the start of spring. Farming is the business of individual households, yet it is also something she, as the village Party secretary, cares deeply about beyond her regular duties. Over the past two years, the success of farming has been directly linked to a major initiative: the land cooperative spearheaded by the village Party branch. Nowadays, many village Party secretaries across Baoding City are busy with similar efforts.
Baoding is a major agricultural city, but it faces a pronounced problem of rural population outflow. Most young people in Yewang Village work away from home, leaving the elderly to handle farming, and some land has even been left uncultivated. How to address this challenge? Baoding's approach is to consolidate fragmented plots into contiguous fields for unified cultivation and management. By transforming "small plots into large fields, and large fields into fertile land," the strategy aims to ensure both food security and stable farmer incomes. Land cooperative management has been explored for many years in various parts of China. Since 2022, Baoding has been promoting Party branch-led cooperatives to encourage appropriate scale management of land. Currently, nearly 300 such cooperatives are operational.
Li Yanhong's task is to pioneer a new path on Yewang Village's 1,800 mu of land, ensuring that land is pooled for cultivation and management with farmers' voluntary participation while steadily increasing their incomes.
In 2023, aside from routine village affairs, Li Yanhong was occupied with a major task: mobilizing villagers to contribute their land to the cooperative. "Joining the cooperative" is different from "returning land to the collective." Land contract rights remain with the households; they merely contribute their land management rights as shares to become shareholders in the cooperative. The cooperative consolidates fragmented plots and employs various models: self-operation, hiring skilled local or nearby farmers as professional managers, or entrusting large, capable agricultural enterprises to manage unified cultivation. Households joining the cooperative receive stable annual land rents as a guaranteed base income and also participate in year-end profit sharing. The village collective earns a small fee for coordination services, thereby increasing collective income. This model is known as "Party branch-led cooperatives."
That year, the Jinzhuang Town government in Gaoyang County decided to pilot the program in two villages, and Yewang Village was selected as one. The selection was based on three factors: its favorable location near the county seat; the high rate of land abandonment due to young people working away; and the village's low collective economic income, creating an urgent need to revitalize land resources and boost collective earnings.
After being chosen for the pilot, the most effective way to persuade farmers to join was to show them successful examples. Organized by the Mengdingshan Academy, the Jinzhuang Town government led village officials, major farmers, and villager representatives on a study tour to Ligusi Village in Dezhou, Shandong. This visit boosted Li Yanhong's confidence in running the cooperative successfully. According to Li Aijun, Director of Student Services at Mengdingshan Academy, over the past two years, the academy has held seven training sessions on doubling rural collective economic income and six advanced training sessions on Party branch-led cooperatives, organizing study tours for 300 village Party secretaries and cooperative chairs to Sichuan, Anhui, Jilin, and other regions. Many villages launched their cooperative initiatives after being inspired by these visits.
Starting in May 2023, Li Yanhong began preparing to establish the cooperative. Referencing Dezhou's guaranteed income standard of 1,000 yuan per mu, and considering the previous year's grain prices and local rental rates, she set the guaranteed income at 1,200 yuan per mu—a mid-to-high level within Baoding. Gao Guoxin, one of the villager representatives who visited Dezhou, strongly endorsed the cooperative model upon return and率先 mobilized his family to join. Initially, his brother had reservations, feeling uneasy about having nothing to do. Gao explained that with stable base income from the land, they could also work away from home for additional earnings. The 10 mu of land belonging to Yewang Village's Third Team, which Gao is part of, became the first plots to join the cooperative.
Subsequently, the village started with the Third Team and gradually expanded to adjacent production teams. During mobilization, Li Yanhong and village officials prepared promotional materials titled "Benefits of Forming a Cooperative," detailing cost and yield comparisons between individual farming and cooperative cultivation, and distributed them door-to-door. Addressing villagers' concerns was often the first step. Many villagers, with their straightforward understanding, struggled to distinguish between land ownership, contract rights, and management rights. For them, the allocated contract land was simply "their land." Discussing contributing "their land" to the cooperative often evoked historical memories of the 1950s' People's Communes and "eating from the same big pot." Common concerns included: Would the cooperative farm the land well? If management failed, could they get their land back? And a sense of loss: Having farmed all their lives, their land represented their value; not farming it anymore might make them feel useless. Some villagers believed their careful farming could match or exceed cooperative yields.
Li Yanhong didn't argue but pointed out the overlooked factor—labor cost. Villagers accounted for inputs like fertilizers and irrigation but not their own labor. Many elderly farmers needed their children's help during busy seasons, with children losing hundreds of yuan in daily wages from migrant work for tasks like planting, irrigating, and spraying, often requiring several interruptions per year. These lost earnings were hidden costs of farming.
Although the logic was explained, persuading villagers to hand over land they had farmed for decades wasn't achieved overnight. Here, the goodwill Li Yanhong had built over time proved invaluable. Originally from Changli, Qinhuangdao, she had lived in Yewang Village for over twenty years and was known for her helpfulness. Since becoming Party secretary in 2021, she had led villagers in cleaning up garbage, paving roads, and building sewers, resolving many long-standing issues. She even closed her own textile factory to focus on village affairs. When she visited homes to promote the cooperative, even hesitant villagers were willing to hear her out. Leveraging neighborly ties, through repeated explanations and promises, she gradually assembled an initial pool of land. In 2023, Yewang Village successfully integrated 700 mu for the pilot. Li Yanhong promised participating households a one-year trial: if yields and profits were good, they could continue; if dissatisfied, they could withdraw their land at any time.
That year, the village saw a bumper harvest. Previously, average wheat yield was 800-1,000 jin per mu. Under cooperative management, yield reached 1,100 jin per mu. Seeing tangible increases, villagers' attitudes began to shift, and more joined. Now, over 1,400 mu of land in Yewang Village are part of the cooperative.
With major households persuaded and land consolidated, Li Yanhong knew this was only the first step. Willing contributors needed willing farmers. The next task was finding suitable professional managers. Li Yanhong set criteria: candidates must have experience managing at least 100 mu continuously for over three years. Yang Guoqiang came to her attention. As a major farmer in Yewang Village, he had previously contracted 130 mu, possessed rich experience, and was familiar with village affairs through long-term work on the village committee, making him an ideal candidate.
Yang Guoqiang's farming journey began twenty years ago. Starting in 2005, he and five partners pooled 50,000 yuan each to contract 130 mu for growing yam, but overproduction led to losses. Switching to chili peppers the next year, rainy weather hindered drying, and over 30 mu were accidentally burned by village children. He then grew silage for five years, breaking even but not profiting significantly. Later, as wheat prices rose, he switched to wheat and corn, cultivating the village's poorest sandy land, yielding only 700-800 jin per mu, barely breaking even. After trying better-quality fertilizer, yields reached 1,200 jin, finally tasting success. Having grown various crops, Yang was a seasoned veteran familiar with the ups and downs of farming.
Beyond practical experience, Yang continuously learned improved methods. The Gaoyang County Agriculture Bureau organized three to four study tours annually, which he joined, visiting Dezhou (Shandong), Qinhuangdao, Chengde (Hebei), and others. Recommended by Li Yanhong, he never missed a trip. These experiences broadened his perspective and bolstered his confidence in large-scale farming.
In 2023, after consideration, Yang Guoqiang became the cooperative's professional manager. Under Li Yanhong's cooperative mechanism, the manager bears certain risks, paying a deposit per mu. If losses occur due to poor management, the deposit is forfeited; for natural disasters, losses are shared with the cooperative. After careful thought, Yang accepted. For him, being a professional manager offered scale advantages, land consolidation benefits, and support from agricultural facilities. Li Yanhong had approached other major farmers, but most withdrew upon hearing about risk-sharing. Two tractor owners were willing but only dared take 200 mu each. Now, Yang manages 1,000 mu for the cooperative. He believes the real profit growth lies in cost reduction. Large-scale operation allows bulk purchase of inputs and centralized scheduling of machinery, saving significantly on each expense. In 2025, the cooperative increased income per mu by 15% compared to 2024.
After the cooperative's establishment, how to reduce costs and increase efficiency was a constant focus for Li Yanhong. The Gaoyang County Agriculture Bureau's input对接 sessions provided a solution. The bureau holds two or three such sessions annually during the agricultural off-season. Deputy Director Wang Song explained that these are not mere procurement events but comprehensive service platforms: they include agricultural technical training with expert lectures, displays of inputs and machinery for farmers to learn about, and, importantly, facilitate communication among farmers and between farmers and suppliers, potentially leading to purchase orders or service contracts.
The choice of fertilizer brand isn't decided by Li Yanhong alone. She consults with five cooperative leaders. After good results in the first year, they continued with the same supplier. Li Yanhong emphasizes that every cent involves farmers' interests; contracts are signed for accountability and record-keeping.
Li Yanhong met Tianji Fertilizer agent Zhang Ping at one such session. Zhang recalled his first impression of her as "very shrewd" in a positive sense. She meticulously compared mainstream brands before selecting Tianji. In negotiations with suppliers, Li Yanhong focused on price discussions for reasonable costs and technical guidance—suppliers advised on fertilization timing and dosage based on soil types, even irrigation frequency. All cooperative purchases are formalized with contracts. Due to scale, Zhang offered substantial discounts. For topdressing fertilizer, the retail price was 135 yuan per bag, but the cooperative policy was "buy one ton, get two bags free," effectively lowering the per-bag cost. Bulk purchases also allowed direct factory deals, saving over 100 yuan per ton on transport from factory to field.
Zhang Ping also prefers dealing with cooperatives. With individual households, varying awareness levels made it hard to determine the best product value. But once a cooperative chooses a brand, concentrated procurement for thousands of mu is a clear benefit for suppliers. Nevertheless, Li Yanhong remains meticulous on pricing. Learning that prices were announced at sessions, she advised Yang Guoqiang to attend and check if offered prices were lower than the cooperative's.
Thus, every step from input procurement to field management is continuously optimized. Before harvest, the cooperative contacts combine harvester operators to compare prices, machinery advancedness, and efficiency. Now, harvesting 1,400 mu takes about three days. With contiguous fields, harvesters work continuously, stopping only when storage is full.
How much does the cooperative save compared to individual farming? Li Yanhong detailed the calculations: a difference of 180 yuan per mu. First, deep plowing: individual hiring costs 90 yuan/mu; cooperative consolidated operations get a bundled rate of 60 yuan/mu, saving 30 yuan. For sowing, individuals pay 50 yuan/mu on average; unified cooperative scheduling costs 20 yuan/mu, saving another 30 yuan. Fertilizer spreading: manual for individuals vs. drone use at 4 yuan/mu for the cooperative, saving more. Pesticide application: manual backpack sprayers for individuals cost far more than drones at 3-4 yuan/mu. Irrigation shows a bigger gap: individuals hiring labor for pipe laying cost 50 yuan/mu; cooperative uses sprinklers at 20 yuan/mu. With at least two waterings per season, this saves significantly in cost and labor. Harvesting is most evident: wheat harvest costs 70 yuan/mu for individuals vs. 30 yuan/mu for cooperative; corn harvest is 130 yuan/mu for individuals vs. 70 yuan/mu—a difference of 40-60 yuan alone.
Now, Li Yanhong and Yang Guoqiang are exploring further cost reductions. This year, they plan to experiment at topdressing stage—partially substituting compound fertilizer with urea. Urea is cheaper, and last year's winter wheat was planted late, having a month less growth, resulting in weaker seedlings. Urea acts quickly, showing effect within days, ideal for boosting weak seedlings. However, its effect is short-lived. The idea is to use urea initially to spur growth, then apply compound fertilizer later. If successful, it could strengthen seedlings and save costs.
Besides careful fertilizer management, the cooperative plans to purchase a drone this year. Renting for spreading and spraying incurs costs. While buying a drone requires a 30,000 yuan upfront investment, it is cost-effective long-term.
Beyond cost reduction, Li Yanhong is experimenting with cash crops for added income. In 2024, she bought Bibi pumpkin seedlings from Shouguang, Shandong, for open-field trial. From seedling to management, each step was carefully tended, and growth was good. But near maturity in May, intense heat and direct sunlight sunburned the pumpkin skins. Shouguang's pumpkins are greenhouse-grown, avoiding sun exposure. Although appearance suffered, taste was unexpectedly good, with a slight chestnut aroma, even richer than Shouguang's. Li Yanhong suspects local sandy soil is suitable. This year, she plans to try Bibi pumpkins in greenhouses to preserve appearance without losing taste. If successful, it could become a long-term crop. Additionally, she wants to trial olive oil and leeks this year. Essentially, what and how to plant on Yewang Village's land is being discovered step by step.
From initial mobilization to exploring profitable crops, tangible changes have occurred on Yewang Village's land over the past two-plus years. The farmers are the same, the land is the same, but the farming methods have changed, leading to gradually improved yields and slowly increasing farmer benefits. Importantly, the cooperative has generated collective income for the village. Beyond profit sharing, funds were used to purchase equipment like fertilizer spreaders. In the 2025 village committee election, Li Yanhong was re-elected as village committee director by an overwhelming majority.
Now, with the cooperative showing initial success, Li Yanhong's confidence is stronger. She has many plans for the new term, but ultimately, they boil down to three goals: ensuring farmers can farm with peace of mind, preventing land abandonment, and improving the village overall.