Chapter 81 Initial Decision After resting at home for a day, Guo Yang and Lao Song couldn't wait to run to the county Yang doesn't consider himself a picky person, but he really can't adapt to an environment where fresh water is scarce. The eldest brother Guo Shan likes to add fennel to water, and says with a smile that it will taste better this way. Guo Yang looked at his genuine smile and was suddenly touched. Historically, Minqin was a lakeside oasis in the Hexi region with abundant water and grass, and suitable for farming and fishing. With the changes of history, oasis and desert have become increasingly opposed. The rich geographical endowment and the harsh natural environment are painfully intertwined, thus creating the people's tough and rugged character. China has never lacked heroes in desert control, but some of them are remembered. However, more of them are silently pressing down grass grids and planting saplings in the wind and sand. No matter how poor Long Province is, it is not the people's fault; no matter how rich Shanghai is, it is not the credit of the local people. If you don't like it, leave. If you like it, stay and change it. Guo Yang rushed all the way to the county town and asked the people from Alfalfa Agriculture and Animal Husbandry to make the reservation yesterday.
The county leaders were naturally very happy. They missed the opportunity to select a site for Alfalfa’s 200,000-acre saline-alkali land improvement project, and they couldn’t let this fat sheep slip away this time. "Mr. Guo, I've heard of your name for a long time. I've heard that Muhe came to Minqin for investigation. I didn't expect that Mr. Guo is a local." "You are young and have a lot of promise!" “No matter where or how much land Alfalfa wants to acquire in the county this time, the county will fully cooperate.” "The county will definitely strongly support the wealthy people who return to their hometown to start a business!" Guo Yang listened to these nonsense, but was not moved at all. "Leader, my hometown is in the northern part of the lake area. I just came back yesterday and heard that we were going to relocate to Xinjiang Province." The county leaders were stunned. Looking at the situation, it was difficult to get the investment. I had no choice but to complain. "Mr. Guo, immigration is also due to ecological pressure." "The total area of the lake is 143 million mu, of which 44 mu are cultivated land, but only 19 mu are actually sown, and 70% are desert and saline-alkali beach." "For decades, farmers have relied mainly on groundwater to grow crops, making them a major water user in Minqin." "Therefore, to save Minqin, we must tackle traditional water-intensive agriculture and relocate people who are living in difficult circumstances, which will be beneficial for conservation." Guo Yang also knows that ecological migration is indeed necessary, but the choice of immigration point needs to be discussed. "Leader, I am here on behalf of the 20 or so households in our community to learn about the county's resettlement plan. The resettlement site is too far away and no one wants to go." Many people showed a lack of interest, and the leader sighed helplessly. “Alas! The county’s resettlement capacity is limited, so this time the county has prepared three immigration plans. “First, the county provides subsidies to encourage villagers to migrate spontaneously, and villagers move out of their registered permanent residence and quit contracting land.”
"The second option is to migrate to the resettlement site in Changning Township in the county, which is a demonstration site for the provincial work-for-relief program." "Finally, they moved to Xinjiang Province through labor migration to build the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps farm, Fangcao Lake farm, and the regiment farm." Guo Yang thought for a moment and asked, "Are there any requirements for moving to Changning Township?" "Relocation within the county requires the construction of various living facilities, which is expensive. The government will pay the bulk, but farmers also need to bear yuan. Banks can provide part of the interest-subsidized loans." Guo Yang was surprised. It would take an ordinary farmer more than ten years to save up yuan. Moreover, this money is mainly for the children's education. If we take out a loan due to relocation, we will not be able to recover for many years. As Yuhe Village and other towns already have high debts, it is no wonder that the county organized these people to migrate to Xinjiang Province as laborers. She was already so thin that only bones were left, so there was no meat left for the man to eat. At least the migrant workers can still have some soup to drink. After figuring out the situation in general, Guo Yang also had an idea of how to solve it. There were only about twenty households in the community, and moving all of them to Changning Township would cost about 300,000 yuan, which he could definitely afford. The only thing we need to consider is whether or not to get involved in sand control projects. The desert is definitely one of the harshest natural environments in the world, but once ecological restoration is successful, the natural energy that can be obtained will definitely be indispensable. Funds are sufficient, but the main constraints are that people and management are not up to par. After thinking about it, Guo Yang decided to do it for the sake of natural energy. After chatting for a while, Guo Yang reached a verbal agreement with the county and temporarily decided on two investment directions. The first is a solar greenhouse with water-saving irrigation. Tianhe Seed Industry is the main investor and is building a vegetable industrial park base. The second is pasture desertification and desert control, with Alfalfa Agriculture and Animal Husbandry as the main investment entity. Although some leaders have set the tone of "Minqin must not become the second Lop Nur", no media reported the situation here at that time. The impact on society is still relatively small. At the same time, the national key projects for the Shiyang River Basin are still plans on paper. If it is to be implemented, we will have to wait at least a few years. Therefore, the investments of Alfalfa and Tianhe receive less policy support. But this also has its advantages, as it reduces the number of matters that local governments can intervene in. Guo Yang also tried to persuade the county to suspend the plan of immigration to Xinjiang Province, and later combine it with Tianhe’s agricultural development project to establish an immigration settlement around the project. In this way, Tianhe gained labor force and more than a thousand people did not have to leave their homes. But the county refused. To some extent, the implementation of the policy is still unfair. Not only were the accounts for the construction of the Changning Township resettlement site not made public, but the Xinjiang provincial inspection work before the ecological migration also did not involve the participation of mass representatives.
Guo Yang had already anticipated various problems. Unable to adapt to the local climate and life, not mastering agricultural cultivation techniques, disputes with local people, children's schooling, transfer of household registration, etc., each one is a headache. This is destined to be a failed ecological migration. What follows is the return of immigrants. Some people will jump back and forth, and some may even hide and seek, making it difficult for you to tell which village they have returned to. This will in turn lead to a variety of issues such as water resource redistribution, land, taxation, common expenses, and debt sharing. Guo Yang also analyzed and discussed these with the county. However, the inspection team composed of various departments in the county had already gone to Xinjiang Province for an on-site inspection, the immigration plan had been formulated, and the costs had already been spent. In particular, the coordination costs between departments account for the largest share. For example, the Poverty Alleviation Office is responsible for poverty alleviation and migration, the Planning Commission is responsible for ecological migration, the Environmental Protection Bureau is responsible for ecological protection, and the Water Conservation Bureau is responsible for soil and water conservation. Returning farmland to forest and grassland requires coordination among multiple departments including the 'Returning Farmland to Forest' Office, Forestry Bureau, Grain Bureau, Agriculture Bureau, Finance Bureau, and Planning Commission. But the immigration plan was finally implemented as planned, and nearly a thousand people embarked on the anxious immigration journey. The only difference is that about 20 households in a community in Yuhe Village stayed, and the immigration settlement became Changning Township in the county, becoming the envy of surrounding villages and communities. Guo Yang did not let his elder brother and sister-in-law go to Changning Township with him, as it would be bad for them if they went there. Instead, he bought a house in the county town and settled down there temporarily. Once the subsequent projects are negotiated, there will be plenty of room for Big Brother to plant trees. (End of this chapter)