XI'AN, China, March 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The city of Xi'an in China's Shaanxi province held its inaugural Xian Farmers Festival on March 18. This new annual event was established to celebrate the region's agricultural traditions and innovations, positioning Xi'an as a national leader in developing modern agricultural innovations, therefore accelerating rural area economic boost with inherited China's farming culture.

Setting up a statutory holiday for farming citizen is due to achieving comprehensive improvement on the overall life quality of farming citizen. Highlights during the inaugural event included a traditional opening ceremony with dragon dancing, a folk song contest, a visual art contest featuring painting and paper cutting, sporting events and farm-to-table culinary experiences showcasing the best in local produce.

The Xi'an Farmers Festival was also created to highlight Xian's focus on the 'Three Rural Issues' in their region. The "Three Rural Issues" refer to developmental challenges around farmers, rural communities and agriculture that affect China's rural regions. Farming and agriculture which including forestry, stock raising, and fishery is a major industry in Xi'an, producing USD 4.94 billion in revenue in 2017. The Xi'an Farmers Festival aims to celebrate the region's focus on rural development in its wider growth strategy.

Xi'an has already achieved significant gains in addressing the "Three Rural Issues" from 2017 to 2018, with agricultural revenue growth of USD 4.44 billion and average income growth of 8.8% for its rural citizens. Growth in production yield for specific sectors included 5% in vegetables, 3.9% in fruit, 3.2% in meat, and 4.8% in fisheries.

Xi'an's rural development initiatives have been focused on three key areas: capacity building for farmers; revitalization for rural communities; and brand development for specialty crops. Numerous farming education institutions were funded to foster talent in farming. Citizen resources were made more accessible through the establishment of citizen service centers both online and offline at village and regional levels. A number of specialty crops were identified and planted in designated regions to foster branding, such as the Eyi County grape region and the Zhouzhi County kiwifruit region.

About Xi'an Farmers Festival

The Xi'an Farmers Festival was established in 2017 to shine a light on China's "Three Rural Issues" and establish Xian as a leader in rural and agricultural development.

SOURCE Xi’an Farmers Festival