Chongqing - Holding a freshly picked cabbage, 63-year-old Chen Longhui stepped onto a runway for the first time on Oct. 15. Her audience was a crowd of neighbors and visitors gathered in the square of Qisheng Village in Huilong Town, Chongqing's Dazu District.

"This is my first time modeling, and I'm doing it to promote my hometown. I'm very happy and honored," she said.

Villagers showcase local farm products during a runway show in Huilong Town, Dazu District. (Photo: Qi Lansen)

Villagers brought hoes, baskets, and sickles onto the runway. They also carried winter melons, sorghum liquor, and other local products to present to residents and visitors.

The event also featured a market. Around the stage, stalls offered sorghum liquor, sorghum cakes, and other local specialties, alongside farm products and handicrafts from neighboring areas.

Rural women's contributions to agriculture also received international recognition that day. At a ceremony in Rome, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) honored its 100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems and Rural Development. China's Yin Yuzhen, Dong Minfang, and Yu Jinxiu were among those recognized.

Their work spans restoring degraded land and developing ecological farming, mechanizing grain production, and building a mugwort industry that provides vocational training and jobs. The recognition is part of the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026, which highlights women's roles as farmers, business owners, researchers, and community leaders.

In Chongqing, rural women are taking on roles in promoting and selling local produce, from village runway shows in Dazu to livestreams in Kaizhou District. The experiences of women in Kaizhou show how practical skills, reliable supplies, and shipping support help them reach customers.

Fu Xiaofang is one of those sellers. As local plums ripened between June and September, she livestreamed from orchards, showing viewers the fruit and explaining that it would be picked fresh and shipped to them.

Fu Xiaofang uses her phone to livestream plum sales from an orchard in Kaizhou. (Photo: Kaizhou District)

Fu has learned to sell through livestreams and make short videos, gaining more than 10,000 followers.

Starting a livestream is only the first step. Kang Zhongyu, who returned to her hometown to start a business, struggled to find suppliers and negotiate delivery rates. With few products to offer and new items slow to arrive, she considered taking a break from livestreaming.

Livestream sellers promote local farm products through livestreams in Kaizhou. (Photo: Kaizhou District)

Help came when a local women's organization for rural livestream sellers, set up by the Kaizhou District Women's Federation, reached out to her. The organization helps women connect with suppliers and access business support.

Zhang Pin, vice chair of the Kaizhou District Women's Federation, said the federation works with local agriculture, commerce and human resources authorities, five e-commerce platforms, and three logistics companies. Together, they connect farmers and cooperatives with livestream sellers, arranging direct supplies of seasonal produce.

Selling online also takes practice. Zhou Cui, a livestream seller in Kaizhou's Wenquan Town, used to feel nervous on camera. She was unfamiliar with making short videos and struggled to explain what made her products worth buying. During training, instructors took her into the fields to learn about local produce, choose camera angles, and practice her presentation.

Training also covers practical skills such as video editing, while experienced sellers help newcomers learn. The federation also runs online groups where rural livestream sellers can share advice, discuss business problems, and learn from one another.

Rural women attend an e-commerce training session organized by the Kaizhou District Women's Federation this year. (Photo: Kaizhou District)

Kaizhou has developed a core group of more than 50 female rural livestream sellers, connecting them with over 200 farming households and more than 30 agricultural cooperatives. Support staff help organize orders, coordinate supplies, and handle after-sales service, leaving sellers more time to present products and talk with customers.

Fu can now explain the varieties of plums she sells, how they are grown, and what they taste like. Her livestreams also feature pears and walnuts from nearby farms.