Mao wanted China to be able to make food for the country and make food to export; he also wanted China to produce a lot of goods. He started the Great Leap Forward to do this. Some people were forced to give their land to the government. Many people had to work on farms for the government, that were also called "agricultural cooperatives". Later, these cooperatives were put together to involve thousands of people. In 1958, ninety-eight percent (98%) of people who worked on farms were in these cooperatives.