Xu Jinjin feeds frogs at his farm in Edai village, Rugao. [Photo/WeChat account: rugaofabu]

In 2017, Xu Jinjin moved to Rugao and rented 30 mu (2 hectares) of land from locals in the county-level city in Nantong to raise frogs.

"The net profit per mu is about 30,000 yuan ($4,347) each year," said Xu, who has volunteered to increase his rental fee to 1,200 yuan per mu each year to help out local villagers.

Edai village, where Xu's farm is located, was once home to vast stretches of unused land and single mode of agricultural production.

In recent years, the village has been working to promote land transfers, taking land from villagers who are not willing to farm and renting it out.

Southeast of the frog raising area is a seedling plantation.

"I've been a migrant worker for dozens of years. Thanks to land transfers, I can now make a living without leaving home," said Huang Yong, who is planning to expand his seedling planting area.

"The survival rate among seedling I planted last year was 97 percent. I can make several hundred thousand yuan from them after they mature."

According to Chen Mingjin, Party secretary of the village, locals are given good incentives to transfer their land.

"Villagers earned less than 1,000 yuan per mu each year when they managed their own land. Now they can receive rental incomes and make money by working at local companies," said Chen.

So far, nearly 800 mu of land in Edai village has been transferred, accounting for more than 50 percent of all farmland. The average rental price per mu per year is about 900 yuan and it is still increasing.