Private capital tapped to help to alleviate poverty

A farmer picks oranges on a farm in Daoxian county of Yongzhou, Hunan province. About 80 percent of the county's estimated 140,000 metric tons of orange yields this year have already been ordered online, enabling the orange business to become a pillar sector to help lift local farmers out of poverty. He Hongfu / For China Daily

As the battle to eradicate poverty rages on, the Chinese government is increasingly using big data and the internet to land that killer blow. And it is already starting to reap rewards.

In October last year, the State Council launched an online platform that aims to bolster efforts to improve the quality of rural residents' lives by boosting non-governmental involvement and attracting more private capital.

The project allows families in poor areas to crowdfund projects or sell goods, such as produce or handicrafts, while people nationwide can register to offer financial assistance one-on-one or donate unused food or household items.

The internet-based platform - with a name that translates as Social Participation in China's Poverty Alleviation and Development - is accessible via zgshfp.com.cn, a mobile app or WeChat.

It is designed to help those in need as well as those who want to contribute to the country's poverty campaign but don't know how, according to the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, which instigated the project.

Ruan Kaili, the website's executive vice-president, said the platform already has more than 5 million registered users, half of them from impoverished households.

"We've achieved some preliminary success," he said. "More than 60 percent of users have either received help or helped others, and the total amount of funds donated has surpassed 30 million yuan ($4.54 million)."

He said the platform uses government databases to verify the status of those who register as impoverished, ensuring its credibility, which is essential in attempts to attract non-governmental capital to worthy projects.

"In addition, we also have over 100,000 information management personnel in towns and villages whose job is to verify each member's identity and assess their income level," Ruan said. "If we want to achieve our targets for eradicating poverty, we simply cannot ignore big data," he added.

Authorities in 10 provincial areas, including Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan and Shaanxi, have been promoting the project among residents and offering help to people in remote towns and villages to register and set up crowdfunding appeals.