Sun Guang (R) shows a Xuwan Community villager how to manage her pear trees. [people.cn]

Villagers in Xuwan Community, Rugao, a city administered by Nantong, have seen their annual incomes rise substantially since they started growing pears several years ago, local media reported on Feb 7.

Xuwan Community villagers used to rely on solely on growing grains or becoming migrant workers to earn a livelihood.

The initiative to grow pears was started by Sun Guang, the Party secretary of Xuwan Community, who encouraged villagers to do so after visiting other communities and consulting agricultural experts.

In the beginning, only 26 villagers heeded the suggestion to grow pears to supplement their incomes. Among them was Xue Hua, who planted six mu of pear trees that generated more than 60,000 yuan ($9,000) in profit in 2021.

To regulate the management of pear trees and the packing of the fruit, Xuwan Community has established an agricultural cooperative and a family farm. Last year, the community also launched a pear garden-themed travel route to attract tourists.