Special cooperatives

In recent years, a new work pattern has emerged via cooperative unions, umbrella organizations formed by large numbers of cooperatives banding together.

All participants plant the same crop, which helps them master specific cultivation techniques, and they all enjoy government subsidies. About 60 percent of members are officially classified as impoverished, according to Liu Zengguang, director of the Shanxi Forestry Bureau.

Moreover, every farmer who participates in the forest planting program is given a subsidy of 800 yuan, and the program's success has improved conditions for crop cultivation, which has resulted in farmers' incomes rising, the local government said.

Last year, 228 specialized cooperatives had been established in the province, benefiting 1,461 households, and each one involved 240 cooperatives according to Ma Xiangrong, deputy director of operations for the Shanxi Agriculture Department.

By the end of last year, 370,000 people in the province were forest rangers.

"The locally grown trees have basically become money trees for the farmers, compared with the area's traditional agricultural industry where crops were destroyed by drought and floods, leaving the farmers with nothing to show for their efforts, according to Liu Zengguang.

The financial success of fruit cultivation has prompted the farmers to grow more trees, raising their incomes while protecting the fragile ecological environment.