Interview

After investigating Foping, I’ve heard from the locals and confirmed with the governmental officials that there is another nearby county that is suffering from poverty. This time, I decided to conduct some interviews to get a deeper understanding of the situation of the local community.

Below is a written interview with the Liuba county party committee member, deputy county head Mr.Jiang.

About Poverty

Question: * What has the government done so far to overcome poverty?

The goal of poverty alleviation is nearing completion. The number of poor people has decreased from 98.99 million at the end of 2012 to 5.51 million at the end of 2019. The incidence of poverty has dropped from 10.2% to 0.6%. Regional overall poverty has been basically solved. The income level of the poor has been greatly increased, and their ability to lift themselves out of poverty has been steadily improved. The quality level of the “two worry-free” of the poor people has been significantly improved, and the outstanding problems of the “three guarantees” have been solved. The basic production and living conditions in poverty-stricken areas have improved markedly. The long-standing unsolved problems such as travel difficulties, electricity use, schooling, medical treatment, and communication difficulties have been generally resolved. Compulsory education, basic medical care, and housing security are guaranteed. Economic and social development in poverty-stricken areas has markedly accelerated, basic public services have been increasingly improved, poverty management capabilities have been significantly improved, grass-roots organizations have been strengthened, and grassroots cadres have significantly improved their skills. After this year ’s poverty alleviation mission is completed, China will achieve the poverty reduction goal of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of schedule. No country in the world can help so many people out of poverty in such a short period of time. has great significance.

Question: * What does the government see as the cause of poverty?

The first is natural causes. Most of the poor people in China are concentrated in areas with extremely poor natural conditions. The occurrence of poverty and the degree of poverty are closely related to the ecological environment. The agricultural production conditions in these areas are extremely poor, with water shortage, poor land, and backward production technology. Moreover, due to mountainous terrain, inland terrain and other topographical factors, it leads to poor communication with the outside world and poor infrastructure such as transportation. The backward production technology has in turn aggravated the deterioration of the environment and formed a vicious circle.

The second is economic reasons. In the context of economic fluctuations or depressions, farmers are under double pressure. First, the prices of agricultural products have fallen sharply, and agricultural income has fallen sharply. Second, migrant workers who are employed in non-agricultural industries are excluded, resulting in a reduction in working income and non-agricultural operating income.

Finally, the backwardness of education, medical care and social security. Many poor areas are not easy to recruit teachers, leading to backward local education, and many children do not receive the education they deserve. Medical care in many impoverished areas is not guaranteed, and there are no specific people to promote and implement the nationally implemented medical security, resulting in serious shortages of medical insurance in impoverished areas. Difficulties in implementing social security funds, small policy coverage, and low relief standards have led to the social security system in poverty-stricken areas becoming nominal.

Question: * Has the poverty population in Liuba decreased in recent years? If so, at what rate?

Liuba County is located in the southwest of Shaanxi Province and in the north of Hanzhong City, with a total area of ​​1970 square kilometers. It has jurisdiction over 7 towns, 1 street office, 75 administrative villages, and 1 community. Liuba County was included in the national key poverty alleviation and development counties and the Qinba mountainous areas in the development of extremely poor areas in 2011, and was included in the old revolutionary base counties in the same year. At the end of 2014, the county’s total population was 47,000, of which 35,346 were from rural household registration. After the dynamic adjustment of poverty alleviation targets in 2019, the county has a total of 3,415 households with 9,692 people. From 1596 households to 5569 persons who have been out of poverty from 2014 to 2015, a total of 1819 households and 4123 persons have been filed since 2016, of which: 200 households and 645 persons have been lifted out of poverty in 2016, and 465 households and 1491 persons have been lifted out of poverty in 2017. In 2018, 1616 people from 902 households and 32 poor villages were removed from poverty. In March 2019, with the excellent results of zero errors, zero omissions and mass recognition of up to 99.55%, it successfully passed the provincial third-party special evaluation of poor counties. On May 7, the provincial government officially announced that our county will withdraw from the poverty-stricken counties.

Question: * What does the local society need to overcome poverty?

A stable and long-term poverty alleviation mechanism is needed, mainly due to the development of one or more leading industries that are compatible with local resource endowments. At present, the most likely industries are tourism and farming by-products (medicinal materials, edible fungi, pigs, chickens, Chestnut, etc.). At the same time, it also requires the country’s financial transfer payments to be unabated.

About International Connection

Question: * Are there a lot of nonlocal activities from nearby cities?

The main purpose of foreigners coming to Liuba is to travel, especially summer tourism and weekend excursions, mostly in surrounding counties and cities. Since the cooperation of poverty alleviation between the East and the West, the exchange of personnel in the coordinated areas has been increasing, but it is still mainly promoted by the government and government personnel.

Question: * Are there any international activities, such as oversea tourists, scientists, or entrepreneurs in Liuba County in recent years?

Basically no.

Question: * Do you think increasing foreign activities in Liuba is beneficial for the local communities?

Advantageous.

Question: * Did the local government introduce to the locals about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals? If not, is the government willing to?

According to the lack of personal knowledge and further understanding, it is impossible to judge whether we are willing.

About Environment

Question: * Are the government and the locals aware of the importance of the geographic location as well as the local ecosystem in Liuba County?

The government is aware. Liuba is located deep in the Qinling Mountains and is an important area for protection of the Qinling Mountains. It is also an important water source protection place. Development activities related to forests and minerals have been completely banned, and damaged mountain bodies are being restored to restore vegetation. In 2019, 24,000 acres of trees will be planted, and 2 mines of 60,000 square meters will be repaired and treated.

Question: * What has the government done so far to protect the environment, especially the endangered species living in the area?

In order to protect the environment and protect wild animals and plants, in 2019, Liuba County investigated and dealt with 67 criminal cases involving the destruction of wild animal and plant resources, and demolished 3 illegal buildings of 2,600 square meters. 6 provincial demonstration towns for ecological civilization construction and 3 demonstration villages were created, which won the title of Shaanxi Ecological Civilization Demonstration County.

Question: * Has the condition of the endangered species living in Liuba improved or worsen? If so, at what rate?

Liuba County is rich in wild animal and plant resources, and there are more than 410 species of wild animals. Among them, the first-level national key protected animals include pandas, golden monkeys, takins, forest musk deer, leopards, and golden eagles. The second-level national protected animals include There are more than 30 species of black bears, impalas, and giant salamanders; there are as many as 1095 species of wild plants. Among them, the national first-level protected plants include ginkgo, yew and metasequoia, and the national second-level protected plants include Qinling fir, Lian Xiang tree, and magnolia and other 19 types.

Question: * What are the primary threats to the local environment and endangered species today?

The economic and social development and the increase in human activities are in contradiction with environmental protection and are difficult to balance.