The per capita disposable income of rural residents in Ningbo reached 20.35 billion yuan ($2.86 billion) in the first half of this year, an increase of 9.4 percent, official data showed.

The income ratio of urban and rural residents narrowed to 1.75:1 over the period, leading the province and even the country.

Officials said the income growth of rural residents was largely driven a flourishing agricultural sector.

Ningbo now accommodates eight provincial-level modern agricultural parks and 15 provincial-level towns whose economies are based on agricultural industries.

The city is currently home to 10 provincial-level demonstrative agricultural industrial chains with an annual output value of over 1 billion yuan.

In the first half of the year, the added value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery in the city reached 15.15 billion yuan, a year-on-year growth of 1.8 percent.

Over the same period, the city's 283 leading agricultural enterprises above the municipal level achieved an output value of 34.2 billion yuan, up 3.1 percent.

Homestays in the rural areas -- offering visitors a place to relax and enjoy locally produced food, or even a place to lodge -- received 284,000 tourists from January to June, generating 2.04 billion yuan in revenue, representing increases of 6.3 percent and 5.9 percent respectively

Meanwhile, the local government also ramped up efforts in environmental conservation while increasing economic gains.

Domestic sewage treatment facilities have been built in 2,366 villages across the city to date, with a coverage rate reaching 95.2 percent.

Garbage sorting has been expanded to 1,928 villages, officials said.

The authorities have also renovated and upgraded 5,567 public toilets in rural areas, enabling 99.8 percent of rural residents to have access to sanitary toilets.