Poverty Alleviation of Ministry of Science & Technology

　　【Overview】 In 2010, according to the plan for technology poverty alleviation, the Ministry of Science and Technology integrated various forces to carry out technology poverty reduction, increased efforts on development-oriented poverty reduction by science and technology and explored new models and path for technology poverty alleviation suited to the economic development situation of impoverished areas, providing scientific and technological support for promoting the application of sophisticated technologies in poverty-stricken areas, enhancing the technological innovation and self-development capacity of impoverished areas, achieving the sustainable economic, social and ecological development of poverty-stricken areas and accelerating the process of building a moderately prosperous society and modernization.

　　Leaders of the Ministry of Science and Technology attach great importance to technology poverty alleviation, often carry out field research in impoverished areas for survey on local scientific and technological resources, natural resources and social resources, conduct inspection and supervision on the implementation of technology poverty alleviation projects, give on-site instructions, help to solve problems and difficulties and offer advice for the scientific economic and social development of impoverished areas. In 2010, the Ministry of Science and Technology sent 369 people to carry out field research in poverty-stricken areas and organized special activities. Leaders of the Ministry of Science and Technology met with the principals from impoverished areas such as Wei County of Hebei, Guangshan of Henan, Jinggangshan of Jiangxi and Jia County of Shaanxi many times and held talks with them to discuss relevant work.

　　Based on the survey and research, in accordance with the "Outline for Poverty Alleviation and Development of China's Rural Areas (2001-2010)", the Ministry of Science and Technology developed the plan for technology poverty reduction in 2010 and made scientific planning and specific arrangements for the whole year’s technology poverty reduction work. On April 16, 2010, the Ministry of Science and Technology held in Beijing the videophone conference on fixed-point poverty alleviation in 2010 to make arrangements for the technology poverty reduction work in 2010, which promoted the rural technological work in key poverty-stricken areas.

　　【Poverty alleviation through technological venture】 Since the rural entrepreneurial activity of science and technology correspondents was launched by eight departments, including the Ministry of Science and Technology in 2009, the activity was promoted in the central and western regions in 2010. By 2010, a total of 72,000 science and technology correspondents had been sent to the rural areas in central and western areas to support local agricultural development and more than 3,200 research institutes, universities, colleges and science and technology enterprises led the majority of poor farmers to shake off poverty as corporate science and technology correspondents.

　　After Wenchuan Earthquake, the Ministry of Science and Technology promptly started the disaster relief and post-disaster reconstruction, sent 31 science and technology correspondents from 20 provinces (municipalities), 11 universities directly under relevant ministries and research institutes as well as some local researchers to Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu to provide counterpart support for post-disaster restoration and reconstruction and achieved good results. As of the end of 2010, more than 500 technicians had provided technical services in the disaster-hit areas and helped local farmers to introduce more than 100 new plant varieties and over 200 new technologies and build nearly 50 demonstration bases, organized trainings for more than 50,000 farmers and transformed a group of scientific and technological achievements to benefit more than 100,000 farmers, which played an important role in accelerating the new rural construction in disaster-hit areas and promoting the integrated urban-rural economic and social development.

　　【Science and technology plan and projects】 Through multi-pronged approach, integration of resources and expansion of channels, giving play to the advantages of science and technology departments in achievements, talents and projects, the Ministry of Science and Technology supported impoverished areas to develop county pillar industries to effectively promote the rural economic development of poverty-stricken areas.

　　In 2010, the Ministry of Science & Technology, through Spark Program, Special Technological Richness Project, agricultural technological fruit transfer fund, technological workers’ services for enterprises’ special projects, other technological plans and special technological projects for the basic level, executed some technological projects in impoverished areas. For example, the Special Technological Richness Project supported 31 key counties for national poverty alleviation and development in 21 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities), and the state directly invested 44.05 million Yuan, which triggered provincial supporting investments of over 30 million Yuan. In the local TV station’s united broadcasting event of “Spark Technology 30 Minutes”, the Ministry of Science and Technology provided for free 52 technological programs for TV stations in over 600 counties including 61 key counties (cities) for national poverty alleviation and development. In addition, the Ministry of Science and Technology launched 37 projects in 7 fixed-point aided counties, directly invested 11.14 million Yuan, raised 42.97 million Yuan of project funds and introduced 44 talents and 44 technologies.

　　【Technology training】 Based on the actual situation of low science and technology quality and weak awareness of science and technology of the cadres and masses in impoverished areas, the Ministry of Science and Technology integrated training resources in principles practically, effectively and efficiently, innovated convenient, fast and flexible training modes and provided technological trainings in various forms in poor areas.

　　In 2010, the Ministry of Science and Technology organized 9 “Remote Technological Poverty Alleviation Classes” and 5 “Remote Science Popularization Classes for Scientific AIDS Prevention“, covering 23 training activities, and invited 40 experts to give lectures on rural technology venture, agricultural practical technology, health care and AIDS prevention for the farmers of over 20 poor counties and cities nationwide through remote education satellite and network in Beijing and promptly answer questions on line. More than 30,000 people directly participated in the remote trainings, radiating 160,000 people. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Science and Technology organized experts to carry out technological trainings and give on-site instructions on production in impoverished areas. According to statistics, it held 33 trainings for 4,830 people in the aided counties, including 30 cadres at all levels, 280 technicians and 1,020 rural labors.

　　【Scientific and technological cooperation】The Ministry of Science and Technology actively explored the possibilities of cooperation with international organizations, UN agencies and international global corporations to introduce international scientific and technological resources to promote the economic development in impoverished areas. For example, since its cooperation with Pfizer Animal Health in 2009, after several rounds of consultations, both sides reached a broad consensus on healthy breeding, environmental protection, scientific and technological training, etc. From April to December 2010, they held 13 technical trainings on scientific planting and breeding for 1314 people in 13 counties (cities) of 11 provinces of China with training content covering the breeding and management of pigs (ducks, dairy cows), health and epidemic prevention and management in farms, prevention and treatment of various diseases, etc, which helped farming technicians and peasants in poor areas to establish a scientific farming concept and master advanced breeding technology, and promoted the sound and rapid development of farming in impoverished areas. 

　　Meanwhile, the Ministry of Science and Technology also strived to link the aided areas with research institutes, colleges and developed regions through poverty alleviation groups to help the two parities establish long-term mutual beneficial cooperative relationship through technology support, which promoted the flow of scientific and technological resources towards impoverished areas. Jinggangshan City of Jiangxi Province has established long-term cooperative relationship with Shanghai Science and Technology Committee. Shanghai organized its scientific and technological forces to help Jinggangshan City create top-ranking agricultural technological sightseeing demonstration parks so that the red tourism in Jinggangshan City is coupled with green agricultural technology. Besides, long-term strategic cooperation agreements were also signed between Yingshan County of Hubei Province and Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission, Wei County of Hebei and Hebei Agricultural University, Jia County of Shaanxi and South China Agricultural University, Ansai County of Shaanxi and Northwest Agricultural University, Guangshan County of Henan and Tea Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Yongxin County of Jiangxi and Ji’an City Institute of Forestry Science and Technology, etc. Through promoting various forms of scientific and technological cooperation, it fully integrated the intellectual resources of universities or research institutes with the actual needs of impoverished areas and effectively explored new models for development-oriented technology poverty reduction.

　　【Poverty alleviation by science and technology】The Ministry of Science and Technology cooperated with the United Front Work Department of CPC Central Committee to strengthen cooperation with the central committee of democratic parties and All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and, based on its technological strength, through integrating resources and upper and lower linkage, focusing on poverty alleviation and development and ecological construction, promoted the income growth of farmers and enhanced the effectiveness of enterprises relying on technology advancement. In 2010, to meet the scientific and technological needs of the economic and social development in impoverished areas of Bijie and southwest areas of Guizhou Province, it invested 17.83 million Yuan of science and technology funds to carry out technical trainings, transform technological achievements and build technology demonstration zones, promoted international cooperation, strengthened local scientific capacity, promoted the development and technological upgrading of modern agriculture and Chinese herbal medicine industry with regional characteristics, speeded up the pace of poverty reduction and promoted the rehabilitation and construction of fragile ecological environment.

　　【Technological poverty alleviation group】 After it sent technological poverty alleviation groups to impoverished areas in 1986, the Ministry of Science and Technology has insisted on doing so for two decades. In 2010, the Ministry of Science and Technology sent the 24th Technological Poverty Alleviation Group of 9 people to the designated poor areas according to the technological poverty alleviation group dispatching plan for the “11th Five-Year Plan” period. Among them, three department-level leaders respectively acted as the heads of Dabie Mountain Group, Jinggangshan Group and Shaanbei Group, and the six cadres of division or lower levels respectively acted as the deputy county mayor or mayor assistant of Guangshan County of Henan Province, Yingshan County of Hubei Province, Jinggangshan City and Yongxin County of Jiangxi Province, Ansai County and Jia county of Shaanxi Province to support local poverty reduction. From 1986 to 2010, the Ministry of Science and Technology had sent 24 technological poverty alleviation groups of 437 people to impoverished areas, including 101 departmental leaders and 204 division-level cadres. To adapt itself to the new changes in fixed-point poverty alleviation in the “12th Five-Year Plan” period and meet the new requirements of members of Technological Poverty Alleviation Group in grassroots units, the Ministry of Science and Technology strengthened the adjustment, optimization and innovation of the management on Technological Poverty Alleviation Group to further effectively integrate resources, effectively continue the work and implement the program for fixed-pointed poverty alleviation.

　　【Technological services】In 2010, the Ministry of Science and Technology actively organized social forces to donate technological materials to impoverished areas, subsidize poor students and support the development of social undertakings in impoverished counties, which promoted the improvement of people’s livelihood in poor counties. With the assistance of the Ministry of Science and Technology, for example, Guangshan County of Henan and Yingshan County of Hubei have established rural three-level medical service network and the county-centered medical resource sharing platform with township as the hub and villages as the base so that the doctors of county hospitals can receive relevant data from state technology platform without leaving their departments or local hospitals. The Golden Sun Project implemented in Ansai County of Shaanxi Province provided clean energy of 714 kilowatts for the county and solved the electricity problem of local residents. The laser cinema with the highest technology content was set up in Jinggangshan City of Jiangxi Province, which further enriched the cultural life of the masses in Jinggangshan. According to statistics, in 2010, the Ministry of Science and Technology donated various technological materials worth 8.06 million Yuan to 7 poor counties and subsidized 57 poor students. The Juguang Technology Scholarship in Jia County of Shaanxi Province rewarded 270 excellent high school students with a total of 150,000 Yuan.

　　In 2010, through Science Popularization Activity Week and Science and Technology Going to the Countryside, the Ministry of Science and Technology donated technology materials worth over 2.5 million Yuan to the Bazhong Old Revolutionary Base Area of Sichuan and Guangrao County of Guangdong Province, including PKUnity computer, Gio service cars for technology to the countryside, remote technological training equipment, scientific grain storage warehouse and a group of rural technology demonstration books and CD-ROM, etc., and signed the "Spark Science and Technology 30 Minutes" broadcast protocol with the local areas to provide long-term scientific and technological information services for local farmers, reflecting the role of science and technology to benefit people's livelihood, helping to improve the technology service capacity of local grassroots units.

　　【Construction of spiritual civilization in poor areas】Over the past 25 years of poverty alleviation, while promoting the construction of material civilization in impoverished areas, the Ministry of Science and Technology promoted the construction of spiritual civilization. In 2010, adhering to the principle of combining heritage with innovation in technological poverty alleviation, the Ministry of Science and Technology created the “spirit of technological poverty alleviation” through combining scientific spirit with revolutionary spirit and combining knowledge spirit with people-oriented spirit, i.e. "rooting in grassroots units with great love for old revolutionary base areas, being pragmatic, making innovations and doing pioneering work", aiming to call for and encourage scientific and technological workers to serve on the front line of poverty reduction and do a better job of poverty alleviation by science and technology.

　　On November 3, 2010, the Leading Group Office of the Ministry of Science and Technology for Spiritual Civilization Construction signed an agreement of joint construction of spiritual civilization with Ansai County Party Committee of Shaanxi and developed the implementation plan. The main contents include: First, carry out mass spiritual civilization construction, promote the Yan'an spirit, popularize scientific knowledge and improve awareness of science to promote the combination of Yan'an spirit and innovative spirit; Second, continue the poverty alleviation by science and technology, further integrate resources, strengthen support, construct key bases for technology poverty reduction, promote the construction of rural technology informationization, serve rural health care and promote the scientific economic and social development of Ansai. Adhering to the principle of bothway and double effects, through giving play to the strengths of both sides, the spiritual civilization construction activity explored new ways for central state organs and local governments to jointly promote the construction of spiritual civilization to accelerate the coordinated economic and social development in local area.