In summer, the vegetable fields in Tianzhu county, Wuwei, Northwest China's Gansu province, undergo a rapid transformation.

Sprouting seedlings grow under newly-installed glass fiber rods in Tianzhu county, Wuwei, Gansu province. [Photo/gansudaily.com.cn]

With its high altitude and long sunshine hours, Tianzhu is an ideal production area for summer vegetables such as lettuce and pod beans.

In recent years, the county has established professional cooperative organizations, and expanded order scales to help farmers improve their earnings.

"This year, the county is sparing no efforts to facilitate the standard cultivation of legumes. Based on the county's overall layout, Tianzhu’s Huazangsi town added two standardized demonstration bases, covering a total area of 266.7 hectares," said Zhang Qinian, deputy head of Huazangsi town.

Farmers used to support the growth of their legumes and vegetables using homemade wooden poles, which resulted in higher production costs due to the short service life and inconvenient transportation and storage.

This year, the county provided them with 600,000 glass fiber rods free of charge. This move not only benefits the local ecology, but also reduces production costs and increases income by over 2,200 yuan ($309.02) per hectare of land.