Discussions on the Path of Precise Poverty Alleviation in Dongxiang County

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1.Institute of Agricultural and Economic Information, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730070, China; 2.Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730070, China; 3.Animal Husbandry, Pasture and Green Agriculture Institute, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730070, China; 4.Potato Research Institute, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730070, China

Abstract By means of questionnaire survey, household interview, conference exchange and field investigation, this paper makes a detailed investigation on the development status and existing problems of industry poverty alleviation and science and technology poverty alleviation in Dongxiang County. This paper puts forward the precise poverty alleviation path of Dongxiang County from the aspects of industry poverty alleviation, science and technology poverty alleviation, education poverty alleviation, poverty alleviation through ecology, relocation poverty alleviation and so on.

Key words Precise poverty alleviation, Path, Industry poverty alleviation, Dongxiang County

1 Introduction

From October 2017 to October 2018, according to the implementation of the project Research and Demonstration on theCultivationofIndustryforEnrichingPeopleinDongxiangCounty,PovertyAlleviationbySinopecthroughScienceandTechnologyintheBulengouWatershedofDongxiangCounty, andthePresentSituation,Problems,andMeasuresofPovertyAlleviationthroughScienceandTechnologyby the Counsellor’s Office of the Gansu Provincial Government, Dongxiang County Science and Technology Support Working Group of Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences went to 11 towns (Longquan, Chuntai, Wangji, Gaoshan, Dashu, Suonan, Pingzhuang, Dongyuan, Lanbu, Daban, Yanling) and 35 villages of Dongxiang County more than 10 times, to conduct field survey and research. More than 60 registered poor households were visited at their home. The working group made detailed investigation and learned the economic situation of poor households, livelihood patterns, planting structure, breeding scale, intention to become rich, scientific and technological needs. "The Questionnaire on the Ability of Farmers to Become Rich and the Demand for Science and Technology in the Poor Areas of Gansu Province" was filled in on a household-by-household basis. The working group went deep into six new agricultural business entities, such as Lijiagou Animal Husbandry Cooperative and Bulengou Breeding Cooperative, and investigated the management and operation mode of farmers’ cooperatives and the interest connection mechanism with poor households joining the cooperatives. The working group also held many symposiums with the Linxia Science and Technology Bureau, the Poverty Alleviation Office, the Dongxiang County Government and its relevant business management departments, and relevant villages and towns, and held in-depth exchanges on the situation of science and technology poverty alleviation and the cultivation of industries for enriching the people in Dongxiang County.

Dongxiang County, as a typical extremely poor county in Gansu Province, has the characteristics of deep poverty, various causes of poverty, multiple poverty elements and so on. There are not only the poverty of "people" (the main body of poverty), but also the poverty of "industry" (industry for enriching the people), and the poverty of "land" (natural environment and social environment). There is poverty caused by inharmonious and inadequate development of "people", "industry", "land"[1]. This is a complex comprehensive poverty formed by the three dimensions intertwined and deeply coupled.

From the point of view of "people", poverty is manifested in the low education level of the poor subject, the low quality of science, technology and culture, the lack of basic livelihood capital and the weak ability of self-development. From the point of view of "industry", poverty is manifested in the strong fragility of the industry for enriching the people, less industries for increasing income and becoming rich, the extensive operation and management, and the single source of income. From the point of view of "land", poverty is manifested in complex topography, arid and barren land, high population density, poor living environment, closed social environment and so on.

Dongxiang County is an extremely poor county in Gansu Province, and it has poor resource endowment and great population pressure. Culture is relatively backward, industrial development lags behind, and difficulties are various. At present, of 229 villages in the county, there are still more than 74 000 poor people in 133 key poor villages, with a poverty rate of 25.28%, the highest in Gansu Province. In order to fundamentally solve the problem of overall poverty eradication and sustainable and healthy development in Dongxiang County, strong measures must be taken for such an extremely poor area. Its core is to innovate the idea of poverty alleviation, focusing on industry poverty alleviation, material poverty alleviation and spiritual poverty alleviation are combined at the same time. Poverty alleviation should be seamlessly combined with cultural training and ambition. It is necessary to dig deep into the potential of resources such as people, industry, and land, and coordinate the measures of industry poverty alleviation, science and technology poverty alleviation, education poverty alleviation, poverty alleviation through ecology, and relocation poverty alleviation, so as to stimulate the vitality of the comprehensive development of county.

2 Continuing to lay a solid foundation for precise industry poverty alleviation

Industry is the source of enriching the people and the basis for getting rid of poverty. The industry poverty alleviation is an important feature of the poverty alleviation and development model with Chinese characteristics, and it is the first of the eight key projects to eradicate poverty in the outline of the 13thFive-YearPlan. It is an important basis for the effectiveness of other poverty alleviation measures[2].TheDecisionoftheCPCCentralCommitteeandtheStateCouncilonWinningtheFightagainstPoverty^ also lists "developing characteristic industries to get rid of poverty"[3]as the primary anti-poverty measure. Cultivating the industry for enriching the people and carrying out the "blood-making" project is the main way to promote the long-term stable increase of farmers’ income. "Blood-making" must be followed by "marrow-making", and the development of industry for enriching the people should take the local characteristic industry as the breakthrough point. It is necessary to further strengthen scientific and technological support, extend the industrial chain, increase the added value of products, promote the integrated development of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries in rural areas, and cultivate new economic growth points.

2.1Planting

2.1.1Potatoes. (i) The status quo of the industry. The potato sown area of Dongxiang County is about 23 000 ha all the year round, and it is the largest crop in Dongxiang County, and has a good basis for development. "Dongxiang potato" is not only an important staple food for the local people, "Dongxiang potato chip" is also a characteristic recipe of the northwest catering industry. Potato is also an important concentrate for farmers to raise sheep in their families. At present, the main problems are variety degradation and aging, backward cultivation techniques, low and unstable yield. The average output is 1.88-2.25 t/ha, and the output value is 9 375-11 250 yuan/ha. (ii) Development measures. Longshu 7 and Longshu 10 were used as the main varieties, and the technical model of "new variety + virus-free potato seed + black film covering" was adopted. The average yield was 3.75-4.50 t/ha and the income was 18 750-22 500 yuan/ha. On the basis of relatively stable area, the yield and benefit can be doubled, and the goal of improving the quality and increasing efficiency of potato industry in Dongxiang County can be realized. If each household grows potato 0.2 ha, it can increase the income by 3 750 yuan, which is an important auxiliary measure to increase farmers’ income.

2.1.2Corn. (i) The status quo of the industry. The perennial sown area of corn in Dongxiang County is the same as that of potato. At present, the planting varieties are mainly Jiudan series, basically realizing the improvement of varieties and plastic film mulching. The average yield was 6 750-7 500 kg/ha, and the income was 9 750-10 950 yuan/ha (excluding straw income). It is the main source of forage for cattle and sheep. (ii) Development measures. Xianyu 335, Jixiang 1 and Longdan series hybrids were used as the main varieties, and "new varieties + increased density + plastic film mulching" was used as the main technique. The yield was increased to 8 250-9 750 kg/ha, and the income reached 12 000-14 250 yuan/ha (without straw). At the same time, the project of changing corn from grain to feed has been vigorously implemented, and it is regarded as an important measure to promote the development of cattle and sheep breeding industry. It can effectively promote the rapid development of cattle and sheep breeding industry while promoting the quality and efficiency of corn industry in Dongxiang County.

2.1.3Quinoa. (i) The status quo of the industry. Quinoa is a new type of high efficiency grain and feed crop, its grain is a very popular nutritious fashion food in the market. Straw is also a good forage for cattle and sheep. Longli series new varieties selected by Animal Husbandry, Pasture and Green Agriculture Institute, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences have been successfully planted locally. Quinoa planted in the regions at an altitude of about 2 000 m shows drought and barrenness tolerance. The average yield is 6 000 kg/ha, the income is about 30 000 yuan/ha, which is about 15 000 yuan/ha higher than that of planting corn. It is an effective measure to increase farmers’ income. (ii) Development measures. The planting area of quinoa was moderately expanded in the suitable area by using the main technology of "new variety + plastic film mulching", which was mainly based on the Longli series new varieties. The order production mode of "company + cooperative + farmer" is adopted. It provides some new forage sources for cattle and sheep breeding industry while increasing farmers’ planting income.

2.1.4Sweet sorghum. (i) The status quo of the industry. Sweet sorghum is a new type of forage crop with the characteristics of high grass yield, good taste, drought and alkali resistance and so on. The stem is juicy and sweet, so cattle and sheep like to eat it. The rate of weight gain is fast and the fattening period is short. It is an ideal new forage crop in concentrated breeding area of cattle and sheep. According to the experiment of Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences in the arid area of eastern Gansu Province, the photosensitive late-maturing sweet sorghum varieties were planted. It can be harvested more than once. The yield of fresh grass is 105-120 t/ha, and the cost is only 37.5-60.0 yuan/t (excluding labor and land cost). The green feeding time can reach 4 months[4]. In the past three years, sweet sorghum has been successfully planted in Dongxiang County. In 2018, the demonstration and promotion area in Wangji, Longquan, Dashu and other townships exceeded 80 ha. The result of field yield measurement is 97.5-117.0 t/ha, which is well received by farmers. It can be popularized as a high yield and good quality forage crop for cattle and sheep breeders or professional cooperatives. (ii) Development measures. "Daka", "Hainiu" were used as the main varieties, "new varieties + plastic film mulching" was used as the main technology, and the planting area of sweet sorghum was enlarged moderately. The combination mode of "planting sweet sorghum + raising cattle (sheep)" was adopted. The cultivation of high quality and high yield forage grass was used to promote the quality and efficiency of cattle and sheep breeding in Dongxiang County.

2.2Breeding

2.2.1Sheep breeding. (i) Industrial base. Dongxiang County is one of the big sheep raising counties in Gansu Province. In 2017, the number of sheep raised reached 1.25 million (of which 580 000 were sold from the farm). It is mainly scattered breeding by farmers’ families, which is the second economic source of farmers’ household income. And it becomes the county’s dominant characteristic industry and an important pillar industry for farmers to shake off poverty. Through many years of development, the county has basically formed a "small-scale, large groups" sheep industry development pattern. It has taken a development road combining breeding, fattening, processing, and marketing. However, at present, there are still many farmers who raise only 3 or 10 sheep, which is small in scale and low in income, and cannot be lifted out of poverty by raising sheep alone. In the case of no labor to go out to work, through the moderate expansion of the scale of sheep raising, it should become a feasible and effective first project choice for most of the local poor households to achieve poverty alleviation on schedule. (ii) Development model. ① Self-breeding and fattening model of part-time sheep farmers-1 260 or 1 390 model. One stud ram and 20 or 30 multiparous ewes were raised in each household. 60 or 90 lambs were fattened for sale in 2000, with a net income of 13 000-20 000 yuan. It can achieve the goal of lifting a part-time sheep farmer family of three to five people out of poverty.

② Pure fattening model of part-time sheep farmers-2 480 or 34 120 model. Each household raised 20 or 30 lambs per batch, four batches per year. 80 or 120 lambs were fattened for sale in 2000, with a net income of 17 000-26 000 yuan. It can achieve the goal of lifting a part-time sheep farmer family of four to seven people out of poverty.

③ Self-breeding and fattening model of professional sheep farmers-25 150 or 26 180 model. 2 stud rams and 50 or 60 multiparous ewes were raised in each household. 150 or 180 lambs were fattened for sale, with a net income of 30 000-40 000 yuan, to achieve the goal of a well-off life for professional sheep farmers.

The above six kinds of household sheep raising models are the typical experience summary and practical theoretical promotion result of part-time sheep farmers and professional sheep farmers in Dongxiang County. It is a model of sheep industry to get rid of poverty and become rich, suitable for different family situations. Based on the implementation, it can be demonstrated and promoted among the county sheep farmers. From the point of view of small farmers’ economics, the pure fattening model is more ideal. It has the characteristics of small investment, short cycle, quick effect, high benefit and so on, so it is a "short, adaptable and fast" project to become rich, and the prospect of demonstration and promotion is better.

(iii) Improvement of crossbreeding techniques and construction of standardized breeding system for meat sheep breeds. It was found that at present, most of the fattened sheep farmers in Dongxiang County took the large sheep Saft and small-tailed Han sheep as stud rams. However, the source of the basic ewe population is more complex. Some adult ewes are small in size and "difficult delivery" is common, which seriously affects the survival rate of lamb. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a breeding base for improved breed of meat sheep. Based on the existing livestock breeding cooperatives, it is necessary to establish a meat sheep breed improvement and demonstration base. There is a need to carry out breed purification and hybridization technology improvement for some meat sheep such as Hu sheep and Dupo sheep, so that the cooperative is developed into an important meat sheep breeding and production base in Dongxiang County. It is necessary to establish a demonstration base for large-scale and standardized breeding of meat sheep to guide cooperatives to drive farmers to take the road of industrialization of meat sheep. Taking Hu sheep and Dupo sheep as the main varieties, the traditional brand of "Dongxiang Gong sheep" should be gradually revived.

2.2.2Cattle breeding. (i) Industrial base. Cattle industry is also one of the dominant characteristic industries in Dongxiang County. At present, the number of cattle raised has reached 40 500, there are two forms of centralized breeding and decentralized breeding. Centralized breeding is mainly driven by cooperatives or leading enterprises to form an interest connection mechanism with farmers. Decentralized breeding is mainly spontaneous breeding for each household. On the whole, the economic benefit of raising cattle is better than that of raising sheep. One cow a year for sale can help to achieve the goal of getting rid of poverty for one poor people, but the input cost is high and the demand for forage is large. Farmers who have the willingness to raise cattle and have a certain ability to invest can raise cattle as a major project choice to get rid of poverty and become well-off. (ii) Development model. ① Centralized breeding model. Taking cooperatives or leading enterprises as the main body of management, the management form of "company (cooperative, family farm) + farmers" and the technical mode of "growing grass+ breeding" were adopted. It is featured by centralized construction of sty, joint fund-raising, unified feeding and management, and group sales for benefits. Cooperatives or leading enterprises absorb poor households to become members or shareholders. Farmers and the new business entity establish a close interest connection mechanism through contract orders, shareholding dividends, trusteeship and other forms. Cooperatives or enterprises promote part-time cattle farmers and professional cattle farmers to develop cattle industry, which is a good form to get rid of poverty and become rich. If the farmer raises 5 or 10 beef cattle, the purchase cost of the Jiazi cattle is 7 500 yuan per head, and the cattle is raised for 8 or 10 months to be sold, the selling price is about 15 000 yuan per head, excluding the feed cost, the net income is about 4 000 yuan per head, and the total income is 20 000-40 000 yuan. The goal of poverty eradication can be achieved by a cattle farmer family of 5 to 10 members.

② Decentralized breeding model. Farmers choose their own breeding scale according to their own breeding wishes, the size of the sty, the source of forage, labor conditions, economic conditions and so on. If farmers raise 3-5 cattle and the total income is 12 000-20 000 yuan, the cattle farmer family of 3 to 5 members can achieve the goal of eradicating poverty.

2.3Agro-processingindustryAt present, the agricultural product processing industry of Dongxiang County is still in the traditional processing and primary stage, and there is no intensive processing enterprise. Potato storage is still mainly in the traditional cellar, the cellar conditions are poor, and the phenomenon of decay is more common. Large potato seed storage cellar and commercial potato storage cellar have not been effectively developed. With the implementation of measures to improve the quality and efficiency of potato industry, it is necessary to take the construction of storage cellar and the development of staple food products as the main measures to realize the sales in off-season and increase in value of the agricultural product. The number of centralized cattle and sheep slaughterhouses is insufficient and the equipment conditions are backward. Most farmers and cooperatives continue to sell live sheep (cattle) or fresh meat directly. Beef and mutton processing industry is not fully developed, and value-added processing benefits have not been fully reflected. Forage processing has only begun to popularize corn straw silage in the past two years. Some farmers even feed cattle and sheep directly with corn kernels, and the digestion and absorption rate is low. This causes an unnecessary waste to the already inadequate concentrate.

In promoting the development of agricultural product processing industry, priority should be given to supporting processing enterprises and cooperatives that absorb the registered poor households to make them become bigger and stronger. It should be urged to embark on the one-stop industrialization development road of production, processing and sales as soon as possible, so as to effectively realize the value-added processing of local agricultural products. It can make poor households share the value-added benefits of processing and marketing. Based on the actual development of planting and breeding, emphasis is placed on the development of staple food product processing of potato, beef and mutton fine processing, forage processing and distribution and other forms of industry. Efforts should be made to create a brand of local characteristic agricultural products represented by "Dongxiang house special mutton". It is necessary to adopt strong measures such as cold fresh vacuum packaging, intensive processing of characteristic cooked food, alliance of agriculture and supermarkets, electronic commerce, CCTV public service advertising for poverty alleviation, and so on, to achieve brand premium sales of superior characteristic products, and obtain rich value-added processing benefits. Drawing lessons from the experience of Qinghai Province, it is necessary to continue to use loans to support local farmers in Dongxiang to set up a "Dongxiang house special mutton restaurant" inside and outside the province. At the same time, it is encouraged to give priority to the employment of poor households in the county to work or cooperate with poor households to open the restaurant, and give preferential support to form the development model of "Dongxiang house special mutton restaurant + poor households".

2.4LaboroutflowThe outflow of labor is the first source of economic income for farmers in Dongxiang County. If the rural household has a young and middle-aged labor force who goes out to work and has a relatively stable employment position, he can earn 20 000 to 30 000 yuan a year, and the goal of "one person in labor, whole family out of poverty" can be achieved. If they have a skill, they will earn more, not only to get out of poverty, but also to get rich. In recent years, Dongxiang County has taken "Muslim catering" and "East-West help" as the starting point, and labor outflow industry has achieved initial results. And it has a "million" labor outflow plan. However, in the field research, we still encountered a lot of young and middle-aged surplus labor force working around their farmland. Therefore, the county, township and village governments should further take the outflow of labor as an important industry for farmers to get rid of poverty and become rich. It is necessary to actively do a good job in ideological mobilization of the young and middle-aged labor force who do not want to go out to work, and try their best to solve their worries about the future. For farmers who have labor but have not found a job, it is necessary to organize labor teams in a unified manner, set up labor companies, cultivate labor brokers, and concentrate on holding professional and technical training courses. And through various channels or intermediary organizations, we should expand the labor market, solve the problem of migrant workers, and promote them to achieve the goal of getting rid of poverty and becoming well-off.

Speeding up the transfer of labor force is a convenient channel to rapidly increase the economic income of poor families[5], and it is a "short, adaptable and fast" industry to increase farmers’ income and become rich. Dongxiang County is rich in human resources, and has a certain degree of reputation especially in the catering industry. Further increasing the proportion of wage income of poor households should become an important channel for farmers in Dongxiang County to increase their income sources. In the in-depth development of human resources and the development of rural secondary and tertiary industries, we can explore to provide insurance and other subsidies for stable migrant workers (such as more than one year), and encourage enthusiasm for going out for employment. We can cooperate deeply with social poverty alleviation institutions (such as mutual aid between east and west, enterprise assistance), develop characteristic industries with the help of social forces, and increase jobs. At the same time, we should seize the good opportunities for the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy, vigorously develop local public welfare posts (such as rural cleaning, road maintenance, orphan and disabled care), and give priority to the employment of the registered poor households.

3 Strengthening poverty alleviation through science and technology

The industry poverty alleviation must rely on strong scientific and technological support, so that the role of the primary productive forces of science and technology can be brought into full play, in order to achieve improvement of industrial quality and efficiency, and promote the rapid growth of farmers’ income. Poverty alleviation by science and technology is "endogenous" poverty alleviation, with "blood transfusion", "treatment" and "quick-acting" role[6]. Its goal is to use advanced science and technology to promote the development of agricultural and rural economy, improve the scientific, technological and cultural quality of farmers, improve labor productivity, and speed up the pace of getting rid of poverty and becoming rich. In order to do a good job in poverty alleviation through science and technology, we should start with the three dimensions of "farmers", "industry" and "region". The main objectives and key directions are the economic income growth and skills upgrading of poor farmers, the precise cultivation and improvement of quality and efficiency of people-enriching industries, and the ecological construction and comprehensive development of poor areas. We will increase farmers’ income as the starting point and foothold of poverty alleviation through science and technology. The cultivation of the industry of enriching the people is regarded as the starting point and breakthrough point of poverty alleviation through science and technology. The effective linking between scientific and technological personnel and farmers, the effective dissemination and popularization and application of agricultural technology and information are regarded as the breakthrough point of poverty alleviation through science and technology[7]. According to the main line of "increasing the income of poor farmers-cultivating the industry of enriching the people-building a well-off society in the poor areas", the work of helping the poor through science and technology should be carried out.

Helping poor farmers master the skills of getting rich is the fundamental way to quickly lift the poor out of poverty and become rich. The slow improvement of the ability of poor households to become rich in Dongxiang County and the lack of farmers’ ability to become rich are still the main problems in tackling the key problems of poverty alleviation at present. We must take the improvement of self-development ability as the core of poverty alleviation through science and technology, and the development of characteristic industries as an effective carrier to enhance the self-development ability of the poor[7]. It is necessary to vigorously implement the project of cultivating new professional farmers and gradually form a good social atmosphere of advocating science and technology. The questionnaire survey shows that with the gradual development of the characteristic breeding industry and the needs of migrant workers, farmers hope to get more professional technical guidance and production skills training. In the form of training, farmers are more willing to accept on-site guidance, remote observation and other ways. However, in the practice of science and technology training, most of the trainees are left-behind elderly and women, and their ability to accept new knowledge is weak, which affects the training effect. Therefore, on the one hand, we must innovate the training methods, and realize the innovation from "training" to "cultivating", from "running classes" to "educating people" by means of "point-to-point", "face-to-face", "hand-to-hand", "one-on-one" and so on. It is necessary to strengthen the innovation from traditional training means to modern and information-based training, and strive to improve the training effect, so that poor households can truly master the skill to get rich and live a well-off life. On the other hand, the key objects of technical training should be properly transferred, it is necessary to step up the training of local talents such as "township sages", "capable people", "local experts" and "farm experts" as well as responsible persons of the new type of agricultural management, village cadres, and so on. It is necessary to carry out "fixed-point, directional, order" training, and give full play to the role of these skilled technical personnel.

4 Strengthening education to help the poor

The true meaning of poverty is the poverty of the poor in terms of income-generating capacity and opportunities[8]. From the specific point of view of poverty phenomenon and the nature of poverty, material poverty is only the external appearance of poverty. Weak capacity for self-development, on the other hand, is an internal source of poverty[9]. At the end of 2016, the consolidation rate of nine-year compulsory education in Dongxiang County was 51.4%, the enrolment rate in high school education was 38.02%, and the average number of years of education for young adults in Dongxiang County was only 5.2 years. The average education level was the lowest among 86 counties and cities in Gansu Province and 56 ethnic groups in China. The questionnaire survey shows that the educational level of poor households in Dongxiang County is generally low. Among them, 38% of the farmers are illiterate, and 56% of them have a primary school education, all of which are the highest in the province. Moreover, some young adults in their 40s are still illiterate, and some middle-aged women do not even understand Mandarin. Poor families do not pay enough attention to the basic education of their children. In 2017, the first case of officials suing the masses in the history of Dongxiang County (the township government sued the parents of dropouts) was heard in public. And then more than 8 000 students dropping out of school returned to school in Dongxiang County. For this reason, Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture has launched a special campaign to "control dropout" in the past two years. Low level of education and backward ideas are not only the appearance of poverty, but also an important cause of poverty[5].

In order to get rid of poverty materially, we must first lift ourselves out of poverty spiritually. Poverty alleviation through education should start with basic compulsory education and vocational training. In particular, in order to block the intergenerational transmission of poverty, we must make up for the shortcomings of compulsory education, and comprehensively improve the attention of poor households to culture and education. UNESCO studies have shown that the ability to improve labor productivity is 43% for primary school students, 108% for secondary school students and 300% for university students. According to estimates from developed countries, a primary school graduate is 24% more efficient in agricultural production than illiterate farmers. The study of American economist Jamison in the poor areas of our country found that the agricultural production of each rural household member receiving one year of education can increase by 8%, and the output of each household head receiving one more year of education can increase by 3%[9]. Dongxiang County’s basic education is relatively weak, the overall scientific and cultural quality of poor households is low, lacking in ability and enthusiasm to absorb scientific and technological achievements. Poverty alleviation through education is a project of "supporting the will", "supporting the foundation" and "supporting the root", and "supporting the will, supporting the intellect and helping the people" must be regarded as the key strategy for precise poverty alleviation. First of all, we should strengthen rural basic education and vigorously implement the "spiritual poverty alleviation" project. It is necessary to give full play to the "blood-making" and "long-term" role of education in poverty alleviation, stimulate farmers’ confidence in becoming rich, revitalize farmers’ "spirit" in pursuit of happiness, and start the internal driving force of poor farmers. It is necessary to abandon the dependence thought of "poverty gives rise to no desire for change" and "want me out of poverty", set up the ambition of "thinking about changes when he is in extreme poverty" and "I want to get rid of poverty", and realize the transformation of thought and behavior from "passive poverty alleviation" to "actively becoming rich"[7].

5 Paying attention to poverty alleviation through ecology

The purpose of poverty alleviation through ecology is to improve the environmental situation in ecologically fragile areas and enhance the function of ecosystem services, so as to achieve a lasting effect of getting rid of poverty and becoming rich. The main goal of poverty alleviation through ecology is to explore a new model of poverty alleviation through ecology and green poverty reduction, and to take the road of industrial ecology and ecological industrialization. The emphasis is on the ecological transformation of traditional dominant industries in agricultural and pastoral areas by using circular agriculture and efficient agricultural technology. Through the application of circular agriculture technology, we can make full use of all kinds of agricultural production resources, so that the ecological environment can be protected from pollution and the economic benefit can be improved at the same time. Through improvement of agricultural efficiency in exchange for the space of ecological development, we should gradually achieve the goal of ecological protection and increase in income of farmers and herdsmen.

The ecological environment of Dongxiang County is very fragile. From the aspects of the healthy and sustainable development of county economy after realizing a well-off society in an all-round way and the implementation of rural revitalization strategy, we must take into account the three aspects of "ecology, production and life", and improve the ecological, economic and social benefits in an all-round way. According to the need of ecological environment protection and the present situation of ecological resources development and utilization in Dongxiang County, the following measures should be carried out in the aspect of poverty alleviation through ecology:

5.1OrganiccombinationofgrowinggrassandbreedingAt present, many farmers and cooperatives in Dongxiang County are short of forage grass. Each year, wheat straw needs to be purchased at high prices from Hexi and other places to replenish it. This not only increases the cost of breeding, reduces the efficiency of breeding, but also fails to meet the needs of expanding the scale of breeding. Therefore, the conversion of cropland to forest and grassland should be carried out step by step on sloping land above 25°. It is necessary to appropriately expand the planting area of alfalfa, common sainfoin, oatgrass, forage barley and other high-quality forage grass. It plays an important role in improving vegetation coverage and strengthening ecological conservation in the basin. It is necessary to promote the organic combination of forage planting with regional ecological protection and cattle and sheep breeding. While effectively promoting the healthy development of breeding, ecological restoration and ecological improvement are gradually realized.

5.2VigorouslyexpandingagriculturalfunctionsDongxiang County is at the intersection of the Yellow River, Tao River, Daxia River and Guangtong River, which is rich in tourism resources. There are 10 townships and 107 administrative villages in the county with good conditions for the development of leisure agriculture and rural tourism. It is necessary to make full use of the location advantages of the county close to Lanzhou City and apply the new concept of "functional agriculture" to do a good job in the development of the whole tourism county. It is necessary to invigorate county landscape resources, hilltop tourism resources, and actively develop leisure agriculture, suburban agriculture, sightseeing agriculture, and other new business types. It is necessary to cultivate new momentum of economic growth and gradually form a county tourism development pattern promoted by the government, driven by enterprises, driven by the market, and actively promoted by farmers. It is necessary to hold Dongxiang cattle racing meeting, sheep racing meeting, farm fun, national art festival, folk culture festival and other rich, diverse, distinctive ethnic regional leisure tourism activities as the starting point. At the same time, it is necessary to highlight landscape agriculture and establish agricultural landscape belts of Danxia landform, forest and grass, quinoa and so on. Through the development of tourism, more employment opportunities will be created for poor households, and more poor households will go out of deep mountain areas to form residential and employment zones along the river, along the reservoir, and along the main road, thus fundamentally changing the population layout and industrial layout of Dongxiang County.

5.3Activelydevelopingtheforest,fruitandflowerindustry

The forest, fruit and flower industry in Dongxiang County should be promoted step by step in accordance with the principle of "suitable location, reasonable layout and scientific development". First, along the river, along the reservoir and along the main road, we should carry out greening and beautification, to build the colorful flower, forest and fruit industrial belt along the reservoir area and the first fishing base. Second, it is necessary to do enough work around the "Apricot Flower Festival" along the Tao River Basin to extend the apricot industry chain. The third is to build a high-quality pepper production base and fruit production base, especially introduce thorn-free pepper and establish seedling production base, moderately expand planting area, and increase the income of poor households. Fourth, it is necessary to properly introduce greenhouse fruit trees, carry out the cultivation of grape, nectarine and other fruits, and develop agricultural experience gardens.

6 Increasing the intensity of migration and poverty alleviation

Dongxiang County is the only national minority autonomous county with Dongxiang nationality as the main body. It is also the birthplace and main settlement of Dongxiang nationality, one of the three unique ethnic minorities in Gansu Province. The total population of the county is 309 400, including 87.12% of Dongxiang nationality, 3.00% of Hui nationality and 9.78% of Han nationality. The total area of the county is 1 510 km2, the total area of cultivated land is 24 500 ha (87.3% of dryland), and the per capita cultivated land area is only 0.085 ha. The population density of the whole county is 202 people/km2, calculated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the land carrying capacity is 9 times of the critical number of people carried by land in the same area. 289 200 of the county’s agricultural population is scattered in 1 750 ridges and 3 083 gullies. Traffic is very inconvenient, information exchange is not smooth, living conditions and basic conditions are poor. The county is 1 735-2 644 m above sea level, and most of the townships are located in the mountains about 2 200 m above sea level. The altitude difference between different cooperatives in the same village in some townships is more than 400 m. The average annual precipitation is 350 mm and the annual evaporation is as high as 1 783 mm. It has undulating mountains, and vertical and horizontal gullies. There is drought and water shortage and sparse vegetation, natural resources are very scarce.

The natural conditions of Dongxiang County are harsh, and the resource endowment is relatively scarce. The population density is high and the living environment is poor. Land carrying capacity has been difficult to meet the needs of sustainable development, and the unreasonable national structure and other issues have gradually emerged. Although the relocation bureau in Linxia Prefecture and Dongxiang County’s reservoir area have made a lot of efforts in recent years, the solution to these problems still needs to be dependent on strengthening the relocation of residents. Based on the implementation of rural revitalization strategy, we should first do a good job of top-level design. From the point of view of the overall and balanced development of the whole province and even the whole northwest region, we should jump out of Dongxiang to carry out the relocation of the whole village community, which is relatively remote, has too large a population density, is very inconvenient in transport, lacks educational facilities, and lacks land resources, so that they can really "move out of their poor nests". Through the relocation of villagers, a number of poor people will be resettled, and this part of the poor population will be relocated nearby to areas with better development conditions, which protects the ecological environment and fundamentally addresses their livelihoods[10].