Daylily flowers nourish dry land, life

By the end of 2019, more than 5,300 hectares had been planted with daylilies in Yanchi. More than 3,000 local households were growing the flowers, with each household increasing its annual income by over 20,000 yuan, according to Cao Jun, head of the county's bureau of agriculture and rural affairs.

With its core industries of daylily cultivation, growing coarse cereals and sheep farming, Yanchi in 2018 became the first county in Ningxia to be removed from the list of state-level impoverished counties.

Having strong roots, the daylily plants are also helpful for windbreaking and sand fixation, as well as conservation of water and soil, according to Cao.

To save water, the local government in 2014 started promoting water-saving irrigation technologies, with drip pipes installed on farmland.

Sun Feng, deputy chief of the county's water authority, said that water-saving methods, such as drip irrigation, had been used for 97 percent of the county's irrigated area by the end of 2019.

"Drip irrigation has increased the average yield of daylily flowers by 20 percent," Sun said.

With the arrival of the daylily and the increase in incomes, local people have been able to think about more than just making ends meet. Many are now contemplating enjoying the finer things of life, such as tourism.

Zhang, the daylily grower, has decided to take a break once the harvesting season is over.

"I plan to take my family on a trip out of town for some sightseeing," he said.