Li told Guangxi Party chief Peng Qinghua and Guangxi governor Chen Wu, "I give you two the responsibilities of solving the two problems of villagers."

"I will remember your difficulties and we will solve your problems together with the government's subsidy and your joint efforts," he told the villagers.

Peng said Li's visit highlighted a clear direction for Guangxi's poverty relief work and agricultural production ¡ª that a range of employment near people's homes and infrastructure construction are both necessary to improve people's livelihoods.

Guangxi has 49 impoverished counties and about 7.9 million of its 50 million people live below the national poverty line.

Yu Jianrong, a senior researcher of migrant workers at the Chinese Academy of Social Science s, said, "Finding a job near home is an ideal choice for surplus rural laborers and a characteristic for the urbanization of towns and counties.

"Guangxi should promote sugar-processing industries at regional sugarcane planting centers and provide more stable jobs for rural laborers. Creating jobs is the beginning of urbanization and will boost local economic growth in a more balanced manner."

Zhang Jun, a researcher of agriculture modernization with CASS, said, "Providing running water and building roads to villages scattered far from each other across a vast area of mountains is a very costly and unrealistic endeavor."

"It is absolutely right for Premier Li to encourage the farmers to participate in agricultural cooperatives and to improve production efficiency," he added.

"More laborers can shift from backward farm work to become new migrant workers and new residents of cities as the government reforms its household registration system and prepares other welfare institutions for newcomers.

"By then, a small group of farmers will become professional agricultural workers and their living conditions will be remarkably improved. But the government has a lot to do in this process, including creating new jobs and promoting collective agricultural cooperation production and improving laborers' skills."