Jiang Liangbiao is the Party chief of Gaoxigou village, Yulin city, Shaanxi province. For decades, this village has done well in managing environmental protection, but the economic benefits of maintaining the forests were not so good in the 1980s and '90s. In 2006, Jiang learned that farmers in Luochuan county were planting apples for profit, which prompted him to invite agricultural technicians from there to visit Gaoxigou.
That's how the apple orchards of the village came to be, and they have since done quite well. Gaoxigou has further capitalized on the success of the growth by offering fruit-picking as a leisure activity, and the village honours the best apple farmers each year.
By planting apple trees and forests, Gaoxigou has not only raised villagers' incomes, it has also preserved its environment and has prevented more clay and sand from going into the nearby Yellow River.
Source: global.chinadaily.com.cn