POVERTY REDUCTION BRIEFING
2014.No.01（1-10 January，2014）

1. 400,000 people in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region shook off poverty in 2013, bring down poverty incidence by a large margin. In 2014, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region will continue to improve the integration and increase the investment of poverty reduction funds. Relevant government departments require poverty-stricken areas to consider the improvement of living standards of poverty-reduction targets as one of the major performance indicators. During the Twelfth Five-Year Plan, the Region will increase the annual per capita net income by over 15%, reduce the poor population by over 300,000, raise the annual per capita net income to 6,000 yuan by 2017, and generally eradicate absolute poverty.
Source: xinhuanet.com, 05-01-2014

2. Yichang, Hubei Province integrates over 300 million yuan to lift 30 “extremely poor villages” out of poverty. Yichang has selected 30 “extremely poor villages” with the weakest infrastructure and the lowest per capita net income. Aside from striving for financial support from the superior government, the municipal government budgets 15 million yuan for poverty reduction (500,000 yuan per village) each year. Municipal leaders have established “one-to-one” contact with extremely poor villages, and stationed working teams in the villages to make and implement poverty reduction plans. Meanwhile, corporations, caring persons and various social forces are involved in poverty reduction. It is expected that after two years of endeavor, infrastructures such as road, water, electricity and communication will be largely improved, farmers’ housing condition will be transformed, and public services and living standards will be significantly improved.
Source: xinhuanet.com, 09-01-2014

3. 65,400 people in Luoyang shook off poverty in 2013. In 2013, Luoyang municipal government has spent 740 million yuan on poverty reduction. As a result, 39,399 people in 9,561 households have moved out of remote mountainous areas, 67 administrative villages have been incorporated in the contiguous-village-promotion plan, and local infrastructure and industries have been improved. With the initiation of “Golden Fruit Tree Project” and “Love and Dream Fulfilling Project”, a trinity poverty reduction pattern has been established—special projects, industries and community. A sound social atmosphere has also taken shape, marked by the public’s concerns, support and attention to poverty reduction.
Source: Luoyang Daily, 09-01-2014

4. Sichuan Province promotes poverty alleviation and plans to reduce targets by 1.2 million people in 2014. Sichuan Province has established a new target to reduce poverty reduction targets by 1.2 million people, including 600,000 in contiguous areas with particular difficulties, and to ensure that the growth rate of rural per capita net income in poverty-stricken areas exceeds the average level of the province. The annual tasks of regional development and poverty alleviation are to advance comprehensive poverty alleviation in Daliang Shan and Xiaoliang Shan, build 247 new villages of Yi nationality with 21,200 households, implement 500 contiguous-village-promotion projects in places including new residences in Tibetan and Bashan areas, carry out contiguous poverty alleviation projects in 51 counties and advance poverty alleviation in “four big areas”.
Source：www.huaxia.com, 09-01-2014

5. Agriculture industrialization helps eradicate poverty in Xiangxi and rural per capita income grew by 12.3% in 2013. In order to get rid of poverty and become better-off, with the support from the Poverty Relief Office of the State Council and the Ministry of Agriculture and concerns from the provincial party committee and the provincial government, Xiangxi Prefecture Committee and government have been developing the production of ponkan (Chinese honey orange) based on local resource advantages. After 30 years, its ponkan cultivation area has reached one million mu with an annual output of 700,000 tons, making it one of the pillar agricultural industries in Xiangxi Prefecture. Currently, Xiangxi Prefecture has made significant achievements in agriculture industrialization. New agricultural business entities grow rapidly, with 263 newly increased specialized cooperatives, 111 leading enterprises at and above the prefectural level, and rural per capita net income has reached 4,749 yuan with a 12.3% growth rate.
Source: www.rednet.cn, 06-01-2014

6. Guizhou develops education to reduce poverty. Guizhou Province is determined to focus on improving the educational development level in three contiguous and particularly destitute areas—Wuling Shan area, Wumeng Shan area and Dianguiqian rock-desertification area, in an attempt to lift them out of poverty once and for all. Through the implementation of the “9+3” educational project, the government works to increase the gross kindergarten enrollment rate to 70%, keep the primary and secondary school dropout rates below 1.8% and 2.8%, and raise the nine-year compulsory education consolidation rate to above 85% in each county of the three areas. By the year 2020, the level of basic public education service is expected to be close to the national average.
Source: www.ce.cn, 06-01-2014

7. The security industry establishes its first poverty reduction special fund. Recently, the Securities Association of China (SAC) and China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) held the cooperation agreement signing ceremony of the poverty reduction special fund of the security industry. It is reported that the special fund is jointly managed by SAC and CFPA. The fund mainly comes from donations from the industry and relevant persons to run industrial poverty alleviation projects.
Source: www.ccstock.cn, 09-01-2014

8. Hunan Province plans to practice “cultivating northern crops in southern areas” in poor mountainous areas. Hunan Province will cultivate sorghum of more than 200,000 mu to ensure that farmers in poor mountainous areas can increase both production and income even in dry season. Last year, Longping Zhongji Sorghum Specialized Cooperative introduced quality sorghum breed and promoted its cultivation. Farmers earn over 1,600 yuan for each mu of sorghum. On Jan. 8th, Longping Cooperative signed sorghum cultivation contracts with major growers as well as purchases and sales contracts of 60,000 tons with Guizhou Huagui Group. According to contracts, Longping Cooperative will cultivate 160,000 mu sorghum in 20 counties and cities in the province this year and provide all-round services including seeds, science and technology and purchase and sale for 70,000 farmers.
Source: Hunan Daily, 08-01-2014

9. 234,000 poor disabled people in Guangxin Province were incorporated into the subsistence allowance system. In 2013, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has taken various measures to help and support poor disabled people in rural areas to improve their income, living conditions and development capabilities. In 2013, 17,000 households with poor disabled people have been matched and supported in the entire region. The “Sunshine Helping the Poor Poverty Alleviation Base” has settled, mobilized and guided over 10,000 disabled people to develop production and increase income; 29,000 rural poor disabled people have received practical technical training; 234,000 poor disabled people have been covered in the subsistence allowance system; 3,600 poor disabled individual businesses and flexible employment personnel have received basic endowment insurance subsidies.
Source: Guangxi Daily, 02-01-2014
Organizer: Beijing Normal University China Poverty Reduction Research Center