Honeysuckle and the photovoltaics have become two main new industries that Tongwei has developed in recent years to lift the villagers out of poverty. In 2014, the county was designated as the "national photovoltaic poverty alleviation pilot county". The county has built 96 village-level photovoltaic power stations capable of producing 90,000 kilowatts.

Located on the Loess Plateau, due to the fragile ecological environment and frequent drought-based natural disasters, Tongwei has struggled with poverty issues. However, with industries developing and a concerted effort to solve the problem, between 2014 and 2019, a total of 26,500 impoverished households in Tongwei were lifted out of poverty.