Turn wild hills into places with food and wealth

From the abandoned hilly land, farmer Ho Xa Nat, a Van Kieu ethnic in Ra Ly Rao village, Huong Son commune, Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri province, was determined to renovate, convert, and introduce new, suitable crops and livestock into production. The land does not fail the people, after a period of diligence and hard work, he turned the seemingly "sleeping" land into a springboard to help his family escape poverty and have food and savings.

Mr. Nat takes care of Solanum procumbens - Photo: ML

When he got married and moved out to live on his own, more than 20 years ago, Mr. Nat was given about 6 hectares of hilly land by his parents that had been abandoned for a long time. At that time, standing in front of the steep hill full of weeds, he could not imagine what he had to do to produce. At first, to maintain his life, he reclaimed a part of the land to grow upland rice and cassava. While producing according to the old method, he also studied new and effective economic models in the locality to see how they produced.

Eager because there was still a lot of abandoned land, he encouraged his wife to gradually improve the land first and then find suitable plants and animals to grow and raise. In 2008, Mr. Nat started planting cajuput and coffee forests. Seeing that some models of Solanum procumbens in the Lia area were growing well and generating good income, he continued to improve the land to grow this type of tree. From a moderate pilot planting area, after more than 10 years of learning and drawing experience in the cultivation process, up to now, he has successfully built a garden - barn - forest (VCR) economic model with nearly 3.5 hectares of forest, more than 1 hectare of coffee, 3 sao of Solanum procumbens, and the remaining area is growing cauliflower. In 2023 alone, coffee and Solanum procumbens are priced well, bringing in an income of more than 80 million VND. In the near future, the cajuput trees will be harvested and will bring in a significant source of income for his family.

Along with farming, Mr. Nat also studies and researches suitable livestock breeds to expand the economic model. Up to now, his family has developed a herd of buffalo and goats with a total of 17 animals. Thanks to proper disease prevention, all the livestock in his barn are growing well.

Grasping the needs of farmers in the commune, in 2020, his family invested in a plow and a rice mill to serve both the family's production and to plow and mill rice for people in the commune. Thanks to that, his family has an additional source of income, and the economy is increasingly prosperous. Currently, his family's total income is over 100 million VND per year. This amount is not large compared to other economic models, but with the time and effort he and his wife have spent to conquer the hill to achieve the current results, it is not easy.

Mr. Nat said: “To build the current model, we had to spend a long time learning the economic practices of many farmers in the area and drawing our own experiences in the production process. In the near future, my family plans to continue developing the VCR model to increase income.”

Thanks to the stable income from farming and raising livestock, Mr. Nat's family was able to build a spacious house and buy modern living equipment. His children were given proper education. Of his three children, the eldest is currently a cultural officer at the People's Committee of Huong Son Commune, and the second works at the Bac Huong Hoa Nature Reserve. From his successes in developing the family economy, he often shares his experiences, guides techniques, and models for other households in the area to learn and follow.

According to Vice Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Huong Son Commune Ho Van Vy, Mr. Nat is a pioneering ethnic minority farmer who is diligent in reclaiming land and knows how to learn to grow crops and raise livestock, develop the VCR model for high economic efficiency and build a civilized and progressive family life. For many years, he has been recognized as a good farmer and business member at all levels. He is a worthy example for farmers' association members of Huong Son Commune in general and ethnic minority farmers in particular in the locality to learn and follow.

In the coming time, the association will consult with superiors to find preferential loan sources to help farmer members develop their economy. It is proposed to open training courses on cultivation and animal husbandry to provide knowledge, helping members effectively apply economic models. Thereby, helping many members gradually change their production methods, improve their lives and strive to become rich legitimately.

Minh Long

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/bien-doi-hoang-thanh-noi-co-cua-an-cua-de-188059.htm