Zhang Yaping works in her cooperative in Jone county, Gansu province. She has helped fellow residents with disabilities increase their income.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Many of those working in the cooperative are people with some kind of disability. "Since I have problems in my legs, I totally understand their difficulties, so I want to help them," says Zhang Yaping.

"Thanks to her, I don't have to migrate to other places to earn money for my children's education and I can work in my hometown, making it easier to take care of my blind husband," says Niu Guihua, 45, a member of the cooperative.

Niu and her husband both work in the cooperative. They also transferred their land to the cooperative for use. Their family's income this year is estimated to reach more than 30,000 yuan. "With the satisfying income, I don't need to migrate to other places for work, and I am no longer worried about how to support my children's higher education," says Niu.

Government support was also very important for Zhang Yaping. She says that the local government provided some funds for her cooperative, dispatched professionals to guide its operation and provided many annual training courses related to agriculture and animal husbandry.

"In the future, I want to expand the scale of the cooperative, form my own brand, promote deep processing of our products and apply more technology in raising our livestock. Although I walk slowly and take longer to get where I am going, I believe that someday I will overtake many others," says Zhang.

Ma Jingna contributed to this story.