Alibaba JV plants seeds of change in food habits

A joint project run by local farm cooperatives in East China's Anhui province and the country's e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd is changing the way consumers get fruit and vegetables.

Jutudi, as the project is called, was launched in mid-March by Juhuasuan, a group-buying site under Alibaba, and some local farm cooperatives in Jixi county. The project is offering 1,000 mu (666,660 square meters) of land.

Using Jutudi, farmers can transfer land use rights to Alibaba. The land is then managed by the farm cooperative. Consumers can subscribe for an area of land with specific requirements as to the crops to be grown on it. The farm cooperative then hires professional farmers to cultivate and harvest the crops. The produce is delivered to online subscribers every two weeks.