How Can the Hawthorn Industry Help Rural Revitalization? A Case Study of Leading Enterprise's Integration of Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Industries

Industrial revitalization is at the heart of rural revitalization, and distinctive industries are the "golden key" to activating rural economies. In many northern regions of China, the hawthorn industry has become an important link connecting farmers with markets and driving rural development, thanks to its strong adaptability, long industrial chain, and significant potential for value addition. In particular, the "three-industry integration" model led by leading enterprises has transformed the small hawthorn from farmland to processing workshops and tourism scenarios, solving agricultural product sales issues, creating diverse employment opportunities, and reshaping the rural industrial ecosystem, providing a replicable practice model for rural revitalization.

The hawthorn industry's contribution to rural revitalization is primarily reflected in establishing stable income channels for farmers. Hawthorn trees are drought-resistant and can thrive in poor soil, making them suitable for cultivation in mountainous and hilly areas, improving the rural ecological environment while generating benefits from idle land. Under the leadership of leading enterprises, the traditional model of "individual farming and self-selling" has been transformed - enterprises sign "protective price purchase agreements" with farmers, securing hawthorn purchase prices in advance to avoid market fluctuations harming farmers. Taking Xinglong County in Hebei as an example, local leading enterprises maintain hawthorn purchase prices at 20% above market rates, helping fruit farmers increase their annual income by over £300; some enterprises have also introduced a "shareholding dividend" model, where farmers invest with land or fruit trees, enjoying both seasonal sales revenue and annual profit sharing, achieving "dual benefits from one plot of land".

Employment is fundamental to people's livelihoods, and the full-chain development of the hawthorn industry has created numerous "doorstep jobs" for rural communities. In primary industry, the standardized cultivation bases require long-term management personnel, from spring flower and fruit thinning, summer pest control, to autumn harvesting and sorting, providing employment opportunities for left-behind elderly and women annually. In secondary industry, processing workshop positions such as washing, juicing, and packaging offer stable industrial jobs for villagers, with many migrant workers returning home for employment, alleviating rural "hollowing out". Even in tertiary industry, positions such as tour guides and interpreters in hawthorn tourism projects, and customer service representatives and packers for e-commerce platforms have extended rural employment structure from "single agriculture" to "diverse services". Statistics show that a medium-sized hawthorn enterprise can directly create employment for 500-1,000 people nearby and indirectly benefit thousands more throughout the industry chain.

What truly makes the hawthorn industry an "engine" for rural revitalization is the "three-industry integration" model driven by leading enterprises - based on primary industry, centered on secondary industry, and extended through tertiary industry, achieving seamless integration of "cultivation + processing + tourism/e-commerce".
In primary industry, leading enterprises guide the construction of standardized cultivation bases, introducing superior breeding technology and organic farming standards, providing unified seedlings, fertilizers, and technical guidance to ensure consistent hawthorn quality. This "enterprise + base + farmer" model not only improves agricultural product quality but also helps farmers master scientific cultivation techniques, building a solid foundation for industrial development.

Secondary industry is key to value enhancement. Enterprises develop multiple product categories including preserved fruits, beverages, and functional foods through modern processing facilities, breaking through the limitations of "primary processing". For example, hawthorn pulp is made into low-sugar hawthorn desserts and fruit bars, flavonols are extracted from the peel for health products, and seeds are processed into antibacterial liquid, achieving "whole fruit utilization" and multiplying the hawthorn's added value. Meanwhile, processing waste is converted into organic fertilizer, supporting cultivation bases and creating a "green cycle".

Tertiary industry infuses cultural and market vitality into the hawthorn industry. Leading enterprises create "hawthorn-themed tourist parks" based on cultivation bases, offering spring hawthorn blossom viewing, autumn picking experiences, and facilities like hawthorn culture museums and transparent processing corridors, allowing visitors to directly experience the entire process from fresh fruit to products. They also develop e-commerce platforms, selling hawthorn products nationwide and internationally through live streaming and community marketing. This integration of "agriculture + tourism + e-commerce" enables rural areas to not only "grow good products" but also "attract tourists" and "achieve good prices".

Chengde Ruitai Food Co., Ltd. exemplifies how the three-industry integration in the hawthorn industry supports rural revitalization. As a leading enterprise in Hebei's Xinglong County, its framework of "plantation park + processing park + agricultural tourism park" directly benefits over 1,400 farming households and provides employment for hundreds of people; while expanding sales channels through e-commerce platforms and revitalizing rural areas through tourism projects, achieving both enterprise development and providing solid industrial support for Xinglong's rural revitalization.

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