Unlocking poverty reduction with farmers.

Over the years, alongside the task of building a strong organization and membership, the Lai Chau Provincial Farmers' Association has made many efforts in supporting farmers. Notably, providing capital for production and business has yielded positive results, contributing to poverty reduction and economic development for its members.

Cage fish farming provides a stable income, helping people reduce poverty sustainably.

In Nam Nhun district, the movement has been widely disseminated, attracting a large number of farmers to participate, creating a solid foundation for farmer association members to strengthen their confidence and boldly develop the economy, thereby maximizing the potential and strengths of the locality.

The family of Mr. Ca Van Kham, from Nam Cay village, Nam Hang commune, is widely known as a pioneering household in applying scientific advancements to livestock production. Through our conversation with Mr. Kham, we learned that, like other households in the village, his family previously struggled to make ends meet. Preferential loans from the government, channeled through the Farmers' Association, have provided his family with the opportunity to develop their economy.

Recognizing the local advantage of having many abandoned plots of land with lush grass, which are ideal for livestock grazing, he decided to invest in a centralized livestock farm. Currently, his family's concentrated livestock farming model has more than 30 buffaloes and cows. In addition, with support from government assistance, his family boldly invested in planting two more hectares of cinnamon trees. Now that the cinnamon trees are starting to yield branches and leaves, combined with livestock farming, his family's total annual income reaches nearly 200 million VND.

Seeing that Kham's family had escaped poverty through livestock farming, many households in Nam Cay village also adopted the same farming model. Overcoming initial difficulties, Kham and other households in Nam Cay village found the "key" to escaping poverty. From the once-abandoned hillsides, now well-organized, concentrated livestock farms have emerged, breaking away from the old mindset of small-scale, wild farming.

Through diligent labor, the farmers' association members in Nam Cay have transformed abandoned land into thriving cinnamon, passion fruit, and other fruit orchards, contributing to the increasingly vibrant appearance and living standards of this mountainous rural area.

On the newly paved concrete road leading to Nam Sao 1 village, Trung Chai commune, we encountered Mảng people chatting and cleaning the village road. According to the elders, the Mảng people no longer face the hardship of food shortages. The village has changed; it now has electricity, roads, a new school, and the children are more willing to attend classes.

People have learned a lot of new knowledge in livestock farming and crop cultivation from vocational training courses organized by the Farmers' Association at all levels. Significantly, through television, books, and newspapers, everyone is well-informed about the policies and guidelines of the Party and the State.

Before 2012, Nam Sao 1, belonging to Nam Ban commune, Sin Ho district, was a locality still plagued by outdated customs and social ills such as alcoholism and consanguineous marriage. “Over the years, under the decisive leadership of the Party committees and authorities at all levels in implementing the movements ‘All people unite to build a cultured life in residential areas and build new rural areas’ and ‘Farmers compete in excellent production,’ the Mang ethnic people here have all enthusiastically participated, and many households have escaped poverty and risen to prosperity,” said Ms. Lo Me Tho, Secretary of the Party Branch of Nam Sao 1 village, with enthusiasm.

In the windy region of Than Uyên, at Thẩm Phé fishing village in Mường Kim commune, we met Ms. Lò Thị Dung, Director of the Thẩm Phé Youth Cooperative. Ms. Dung is one of the first people in Mường Kim to boldly invest in cage fish farming on the lake. Joining the cooperative with Ms. Dung's family, many Thái and Khơ Mú ethnic people living along the lake have taken advantage of the special incentives from the agricultural production development support policies in Lai Châu province. With the support of preferential loans through organizations, including the Farmers' Association at all levels, the people have focused on developing cage fish farming.

From its initial five fish cages, overcoming difficulties, the Tham Phe Youth Cooperative has now expanded to 60 cages raising various types of specialty fish. The story of young female director Lo Thi Dung is even more convincing, as the cage fish farming model she introduced has created stable jobs for dozens of families.

To increase the income of its members, in addition to fish farming, the Tham Phe Youth Cooperative also processes and packages various specialties and products made from fish; unique souvenir items; and provides services such as renting tourist boats and offering fishing experiences for tourists…

With an average income of 8-10 million VND/person/month, the model of cage fish farming combined with tourism implemented by households on Ban Chat hydroelectric reservoir is demonstrating the effectiveness and role of associations, including the Farmers' Association at all levels, in supporting members' economic development.

To facilitate economic development for households, the Farmers' Association at all levels, in coordination with the Social Policy Bank, annually facilitates access to preferential capital sources for its members. By the end of 2023, the total outstanding loan balance of the Social Policy Bank entrusted through the Farmers' Association was over 1,000 billion VND, with 15,614 households borrowing capital through 412 savings groups.

According to the Chairman of the Lai Chau Provincial Farmers' Association, Duong Dinh Duc, the Farmers' Support Fund models have created many high-quality products, bringing economic efficiency and improving the lives of farmers. Through this, the dynamic and creative spirit in labor and production of farmer members has been promoted, boosting production and business activities, achieving high efficiency, contributing to ensuring social security and helping farmers reduce poverty sustainably…

Tuan Hung

Source: https://nhandan.vn/mo-khoa-giam-ngheo-cung-nong-dan-post845835.html