Yang Tiancai, 28, has muscular dystrophy and is unable to walk. Wang Maosheng, 41, was left a paraplegic after a serious construction site accident. Both men are confined to wheelchairs. Both began a new chapter of their lives after starting online businesses on Pinduoduo, the agricultural e-commerce platform that has connected more than 16 million farmers to the digital economy. Yang started selling red-heart kiwi fruit and mandarin oranges, specialties of his hometown in Pujiang, Sichuan. Wang sold lilies, for which his hometown in Lintao, Gansu, is famous. Both did well and expanded their businesses, creating jobs and new opportunities for others in their communities. They are among the 11.5 million active merchants on Pinduoduo who have found new opportunities and overcome their disadvantages to operate successful businesses. Agricultural merchants like Yang and Wang are riding a wave of demand as consumers increasingly go online to buy fresh produce and other agricultural products. Since its founding in 2015, Pinduoduo has made promoting digital inclusion a key pillar of its strategy to use technology to improve agriculture. The company adopts a “Tech for Agri” approach centered on increasing market accessibility, improving digital inclusion and literacy, and fostering innovation as key enablers for agricultural modernization. “We believe technology is a force for good in agriculture,” said Chen Lei, Chairman and CEO of Pinduoduo. “We hope to do our part in sowing the seeds of innovation by increasing market opportunities, encouraging youth participation in agriculture and advocating the adoption of agricultural technology.” To ensure that farmers are not left behind in the digitization of agriculture, Pinduoduo has created an extensive learning platform with on-demand courses on topics in business, finance and to equip them with the necessary skills to navigate the digital economy. It has also focused on training a younger generation of farmers and agricultural merchants who are more tech-savvy and open to new technology to help others in their communities. After benefiting from e-commerce, both Yang and Wang are actively paying it forward. Yang has set his company’s mission to help more people with disabilities to earn a living and gain self-sufficency. He named his brand “Let’s Go Together,” and hires people with physical disabilities, like Chen Guangxiang, who lost his legs to a construction site accident. Another employee, Zhou Miao, lost her ability to walk due to a car accident. Both work from home in customer service, answering queries from potential buyers. Wang, the lilies seller, was initially unsure what he could do for a living, given his physical disability. He tried his hand at running an online business on Pinduoduo, signing up for courses conducted by the company and learned how to open a store, list products for sale, and run promotions. Last year, he sold 2 million yuan ($300,000) worth of the flowers. He now employs people from the community to help with sorting and packaging. Many of them are older women in rural areas, for whom employment opportunities are harder to come by. Wang freely shares his tips for success to anyone who asks because he believes that it will benefit his hometown of Lintao if more people come to know and appreciate the quality of its products. “I live a very fulfilling life now, from ordering, sorting, and packing,” said Wang. “By taking part in e-commerce, I not only rediscovered my own purpose in life, but also helped the people around me and contributed to the development of my hometown. Most of my customers can’t tell that I am confined to a wheelchair.”
