Agriculture and rural development have always been fundamental for China and we from HPP China are especially committed in supporting small scale farmers in the southwestern part of the country. Through our Farmer’s Clubs project in Zhenkang County and Yuanyang County in Yunnan and Wanzhou and Fengdu county in Chongqing, HPP China aims to promote sustainable farming and poverty alleviation in rural China. We have started implementing our Farmers’ Clubs project in China since 2008 and we have made great progress and achieved good results in recent years.

Dendrobe is a traditional Chinese medical herb and has become a special product of Zhenkang.  In 2011, HPP China introduced the planting of dendrobe to small scale farmers in Zhenkang to help them increase their income and improve their living standards. The cultivation of dendrobe requires special care and techniques throughout the whole growing period and HPP China Farmer’s Clubs project locally trains farmer instructors who then provide continuous instruction and support to the farmers.  
    
In March 2013, the dendrobe began to sprout. The dendrobe needs special care and requires a lot of water in its early germination period, making artificial watering necessary to guarantee the survival of the plant. Therefore, the locally trained farmers’ instructors went from household to household and instructed farmers face to face on how to handle dendrobe during its early germination period.

Farmers’ Instructor teaches farmers how to carefully manage the early germination period of dendrobe

The dendrobe’s sprouts