Farmer in Ningbo helps families with disabled people

Yu Zhiming (right), teaches Mao Guoping, whose wife is disabled, to plant strawberries at his farm in Ningbo. [Photo/Ningbo Evening News]

Yu Zhiming, a farmer in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province launched a new system to help increase the income of families with disabled people.

The 57-year-old Yu runs a farm in Cixi, a county-level city in Ningbo. He was busy teaching Mao Guoping, whose wife is disabled, to plant strawberries in a greenhouse at his farm on Nov 27. The greenhouse was built by Yu, and Mao will use it to plant strawberries.

Due to the greenhouse, the annual income of Mao's family will increase by 10,000 yuan ($1,569).

The system was launched by Yu to help families with disabled people by offering them seeds, land, farming equipment and teaching them to grow crops. So far, Yu has helped ten families.

Yu has been suffering from post-polio syndrome for more than 50 years, but he always strives to create a better life for himself. In 2006, he established a farm in Cixi, the output value of which reached more than 5 million yuan in 2020.

He has been working to help disabled people for many years, having offered more than 60 metric tons of seeds and more than 1 million seedlings to over 40 families with disabled people. He also trained more than 2,000 people in scientific planting techniques.