Teamwork To Tame Poverty.docVIP

Teamwork To Tame Poverty 　　Wang Wenbiao grew up in Hobq， the seventh largest desert in China， where the barren sand ruled the lives of people with an iron hand， relegating them to grinding poverty. 　　So in 1988， when he was elected director of a local salt field， Wang began commissioning roads across the desert to make the transport of salt easier. Trees and grass were planted along the roads to improve the environment and prevent the sand from encroaching. From then to now， thanks to his vision， more than 500 km of highway and over 70，000 hectares of green belt have been created in the arid desert. 　　In 1995， the Elion Resources Group was formed with Wang as its chairman. Elion began to develop green industries， investing over 30 billion yuan （$4.46 billion） to nurture businesses that spanned modernized agriculture， natural pharmacy， renewable energy， new materials and tourism. Desertification control was another main objective. Seeds that were cold-resistant， drought-enduring and saline-alkaline-tolerant， were planted in profusion in the desert to turn 6 million hectares into an oasis which today grows medicinal herbs. 　　By developing green industries and encouraging local farmers to participate in them， Elion has helped 100，000 impoverished farmers in Hangqin， north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region， step out of poverty. In the 1980s， the farmers’ annual per-capita income was less than 392 yuan（$58.25）. Today， it has risen to 14，000 yuan（$2，069）. 　　On October 16， when the first commendation congress for the National Awards for Poverty Alleviation was held in Beijing， 38 people were honored for their contributions to the national campaign for poverty alleviation. Wang was among them. 　　 Crucial stage 　　A day later， on the third International Day for the Eradication of Poverty， the Chinese Government released a white paper， providing an update on the progress in poverty alleviation so far and the challenges ahead. The campaign， the document said，