It takes a lot of effort to balance the children's nutritional needs, with just the 4-yuan subsidy and locally available ingredients, said Wu Feng'e, a professor of early childhood education at the college and the main designer of the preschool menu.

Chinese Dietary Guidelines recommend eating seafood at least twice a week. But in inland Xiangxi, fish and shrimp are hard to come by and costly. To ensure the kids get enough calcium, Wu adds soy products like tofu to their lunches every day. She also substitutes refined rice and flour with whole grains to cut sugar intake from carbohydrates.

Initially, these measures faced skepticism. Some rural parents didn't understand why their children were eating cheaper whole grains that no one bothered with in the countryside, believing refined rice and flour were better. Some kindergarten teachers even asked if eating tofu daily might cause kidney stones.

To ensure accurate meal servings, Wu buys the ingredients, cooks them at home, weighs them, and distributes child-size portions on a plate. This attention to detail helps her easily spot when kindergartens try to cut corners. If meals don't meet the standards, she tags the headmaster in a WeChat group shared with local government officials, and requests corrections.

Preschools in the program also have to upload 10 photos a day of the meals and children eating them to the School Nutrition Improvement Initiative platform. Managed by the China Development Research Foundation, and initiated by the State Council's Development Research Center, this system ensures that meal standards are consistently met through close supervision.

These efforts have drawn some parents like Xiang Hongxia to bring her 3-year-old daughter back from the county school to the rural kindergarten for the better meals.

"I want her to grow tall, be healthy, and enjoy a happy childhood," Xiang said. The young mother added that moving back home saved the family rent and living costs, and also allowed them to care for elderly relatives.

A girl enjoys her lunch at Rainbow Kindergarten in Furong town, Xiangxi, on June 26. (ZHANG YIWEN/FOR CHINA DAILY)

From farm to plate

Peng Jianghua usually gets a call from headmaster Peng Nangui at night, asking for a chicken or duck for the children's lunch the next day. The following morning, she brings along a fowl when she drops her 6-year-old daughter at the kindergarten.

The mother has been supplying meat to the kindergarten for five years. She has over 100 chickens and ducks, and feeds them corn and grains, but never commercial feed.

The garden by the kindergarten entrance is tended to by 68-year-old caretaker Li Hongnian, whose grandson attends the school. Every morning, he picks the freshest vegetables from the garden and delivers them to the kindergarten. He never uses chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

As relatives of the students, Li and Peng have been selected to provide healthy ingredients for the children's meals. The project requests participating preschools use at least 30 percent of their subsidies to purchase produce from smallholder farmers at market prices.

"To supply produce to the kindergarten, being a close relative of a student is a must," said Zhang Ye, deputy director of the prefecture's foreign investment and aid project affairs center, who has followed the program since 2018. "This way, we ensure food safety and help parents with jobs and extra income," Zhang added.

The nutrition program tries to involve the poorest and most disadvantaged parents, especially those with limited market access. The project also focuses on supporting women. Every year, each household receives 500 yuan worth of seeds and organic fertilizer, and undergoes at least two training sessions to improve their farming skills. This has helped expand and improve the variety and quality of meat and vegetables on children's plates.

Before joining the program, Peng Jianghua worked in a shoe factory in East China's Zhejiang province and only traveled home for the Chinese New Year. She felt a deep sadness about her struggle to connect with her 15-year-old son, a left-behind child. Finding work at home was tough, and her son was raised by his grandparents.

After returning home in 2017 to give birth to a daughter, her desire to stay and support her children grew stronger. By supplying chickens and ducks to her daughter's preschool, she not only earns income of about 6,000 yuan per year but also gets to stay with her children.

"I could earn more working away," Peng Jianghua said, "but I'd rather stay home."

Grandpa Li no longer has to make long trips to the market or spend the whole day selling his produce. He said it saves him a lot of time, allowing him to focus on other farm work or just relax.

Sometimes, local government cafeterias also purchase surplus produce from the smallholder farmers, boosting their income.

"The project fits seamlessly with China's past poverty reduction efforts and the current push for rural revitalization," said Zhao, from the WFP China Office.

Food awareness

At 2:30 pm, children at Rainbow Kindergarten in Furong town wake from their nap. The teacher shows them how to make ice cream cones with sweet potatoes and cantaloupe.