The Social Entrepreneurs in China
REN Xuping---China Rabbit King
Field: Rural Poverty Relief, Environmental Friendly Farming
Around 940 million people live in rural areas in China, which
accounts for two-thirds of the total population. Much of the rural
population experiences poor living conditions, while approximately 200
million young people left their families in rural areas for better-paid jobs
in the cities, leaving behind a largely elderly population. How can we
encourage young people to go back to their hometowns? How can we
improve the living conditions of farmers? How can we attract human resources and talent to rural places?
Many measures have been carried out in rural areas by governments and NGOs, such as micro-finance,
introducing modern technology to farmers, and the like.
Ren Xuping, the social entrepreneur featured in this story, comes from rural Sichuan. Over the past 20
years, he has run a rabbit farming company, a training school, a science and technology park and most
recently, a not for profit research center on poverty alleviation.
Up to 40 percent of the farmers in Dayi county raise rabbits; even a modest
rabbit-farming business can provide a good income compared with the average
income. Many farmers attribute their success to Ren Xuping, who is well known
as China's Rabbit King. Ren's rabbit company has assets of about 23 million
RMB (over US$3 million), and he encouraged more than 30,000 families in
Sichuan Province to breed rabbits, which brought each household an additional
income of over 2,000RMB every year. His training school has trained over
300,000 people from different parts of China, North Korea, Nepal and India over
the last 20 years.
When Ren was 13 years old, his family could not afford to send him to high school and he was not strong
enough for the hard work in rice fields. In 1980, he used the spending money given to him by his parents to
buy two breeding rabbits. The doe was already pregnant. Eight weeks later, the two rabbits became ten.
Young Ren sold eight bunnies for 3 RMB a pair. With the money he bought more female rabbits and from
these small beginnings an empire was born.
In 1985, Heifer International, an international NGO from the United States that has provided livestock and
training to poor farmers in 47 countries since the 1940s, was looking for skilled rabbit breeders to start a
programme in China. Ren already had 200 rabbits at that time, but most of them were not of good quality.
Heifer gave Ren 48 Californian and New Zealand breeding rabbits, together with support and technical
training and by 1986 Ren had a rabbit farm of 1,600 cages.
A key element of Heifer's programme is that each recipient must pass on to others some of the offspring of
the farm animals they receive. Called 'passing on the gift', this aims to help communities become
self-sustaining. Ren has repaid his debt many times over, combining philanthropy with business by passing
on thousands of free rabbits and giving training to poor local families.
In 1990, Ren established Xuping Rabbit Training School, where about 300,000 farmers from across China
Farmers in skill training
The Social Entrepreneurs in China
and around the world have come to study rabbit husbandry. Most of the trainees have become better off
through raising rabbits; some have even become millionaires. 'To become rich, raise rabbits; ask Xuping to
become better off': this saying is popular among trainees at the Xuping Rabbit Training School. The school
also offers free technical training to people from remote areas, laid-off workers and other underprivileged
people. With income from technical training and rabbit farming, Ren established a facility for 400 trainees
in a building of 1,700 square meters with six stores. Summing up his rabbit experience, Ren compiled a
book entitled 'One Hundred Questions on Rabbit Raising', which is published nationwide.
In recent years, Ren has paid more attention to the development of the eco-cycle model of rabbit breeding.
He created the concept of "Forest (Orchard) + Fodder + Rabbit + Biomass". First, build a rabbit farm in a
forest or an orchard. Second, use the crops from the forest for rabbit feeding. The waste from the rabbit
farm and the excrement of rabbits are collected and sent to a biomass pond to provide energy. Finally, the
product from the biomass pond is used to fertilize the forest of the orchard. This type of rabbit breeding
model not only recycles resources but also reduces pollution in rural areas and at the same time solves the
fuel problem of farmers.
Ren’s ‘rabbit empire’ now includes the rabbit training school, a rabbit farm and science and technology
park, a rabbit fur company, a rabbit-meat processing company and a not for profit research center on
poverty alleviation. High-protein and low-fat food like rabbit meat fits well in modern society. With a total
area of 78 acres of land and more than 1,000 acres of grasslands, the rabbit-meat company earns revenue of
17 million RMB each year. The rabbit-breeding plant has excellent rabbit breeds such as California Rabbit,
Belgium Rabbit, New Zealand Rabbit and breeds about 280,000 rabbits each year. The training school
continues to support Heifer to pass on these rabbits to North Korea, Nepal, Thailand and other countries.
The Rabbit Science and Technology Park has also become the training base of Heifer in China. In 2006,
Ren set up a research centre on poverty alleviation, an NGO committed to improving the living conditions
of farmers by exploring innovative methods.
Rabbit King Research Centre on Poverty Alleviation is focused on sustainable development. An important
project of the centre is the Badi Grass Campaign. Badi grass is a plant that grows in hilly areas of Sichuan
Province. It is easy to grow and spreads quickly. The project was named Badi Grass because Ren hopes the
project will be implemented successfully and be replicated quickly like the growth of Badi Grass.
The centre designs projects for poor farming families and communities and conducts surveys analysing the
suitable agricultural production of communities, the productive capacity of farmers and the natural
resources they have. The centre also provides technical training, rabbit breeds, funding and sales channel
support so that farmers can establish a sustainable life though rabbit breeding.
The centre also adopted the “passing gift” model from Heifer. The centre provides four pairs of breed
rabbits (a “pair of rabbits” is actually one male rabbit and four female rabbits) and technical training for
each poor farmer family. When the family is better off, they pledge to pass on some of the offspring of the
rabbits provided by the centre and the breeding skills to another family. Gradually the poverty alleviation
project spreads.
At present the Badi Grass campaign has been carried out among
1,518 families in 15 villages. There are 17,000 families in Dayi
Providing breed rabbits
to disabled people
The Social Entrepreneurs in China
county engaged in rabbit breeding and the average family income has increased by 4,000RMB (US$600)
each year. The campaign not only increases the income of farmers but also creates a harmonious rural
society. Most of the families that receive help are led by women whose husbands work in cities. They can
earn income through rabbit breeding to improve their living conditions and at the same time to take care of
the elderly and their children.
The Centre is now working with Heifer and another American NGO in supporting out-of-school children
and providing skill training for less-educated young women in rural areas. The centre is also involved in a
community fund pilot project with the support of the Asia Foundation, which encourages more rural people
to be engaged in entrepreneurship.
Website: www.chinarabbitking.com