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| Major Nguyen Thi Lien (left) and the author. |
On a weekend morning in Hanoi, right at the time of "the autumn wind blowing the scent of new rice", I excitedly responded to Major Lien's invitation to visit her farm, after two "unexpected encounters" in Lao Cai and Chuong My (Hanoi).
Driving from the inner city towards Noi Bai airport, I turned into Phu Cuong commune (Soc Son district, Hanoi). Without needing to use Google Maps, I easily recognized the signboard of Ms. Lien's Earthworm Farm right next to the main road of the commune. As soon as I parked, I realized Ms. Lien was leisurely pouring tea for two friends, whom I later found out were Ms. Hai Yen, President of the Women's Business Club of Soc Son district and Ms. Tran Thi Hang, President of the Women's Union of Phu Cuong commune.
Women are always moving
At the age of seventy, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien seems to be unaffected by the passage of time. Her skin is rosy white, her oval face with straight white teeth makes it difficult for people to guess her age. Smiling cheerfully, the female veteran handed me a cup of hot tea with the scent of blueberries. She said: "Journalist, please slowly enjoy the natural flavor of the garden. Little by little, you will see that the gifts of nature are priceless."
Looking out at the green in all directions, I slowly contemplated the garden of the woman I often meet at clean agriculture forums. The impression of her is that of a person always on the move because people can meet her in all six northern mountainous provinces - as long as that place is related to the issue she is passionate about: clean production.
Ms. Lien said that her farm has an area of only 3,000 square meters, but visitors all call it "Thach Sanh's garden" because each season has its own food. On the tea table are scattered tiny guavas the size of a thumb but with the rich sweetness of ancient guava, fragrant Taiwanese strawberries or a jar of perilla water, passionate bitter melon... Sipping tea, picking up a piece of sausage to eat with fresh figs, in the garden with the faint scent of off-season camellia flowers, watching the koi fish swimming happily in the clear water... everyone thinks they are lost in a fairyland.
Looking at my face that clearly showed the word “fascination”, she smiled: “All those gifts come from this so-called “Thach Sanh trash can”, or the tiny animals like red threads – the main characters of the farm – the cute little earthworms. Ms. Lien seemed to go back in time, telling us about her 20-year journey of collecting cow dung to raise worms and grow crops…
Major Nguyen Thi Lien - Second prize for individuals (no first prize) in the contest "Family safety against natural disasters and climate change" with the initiative "Producing IMO to treat waste at households " of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union 2021. - Certificate of Merit from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front 2021 - Certificate of Merit from the Central Women's Union 2020 - Certificate of Merit from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Gardening Association 2021 - Commemorative medal for the cause of VAC Vietnam by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Gardening Association 2022. - Outstanding Capital Women 2022 - Certificate of Merit from the Hanoi City Fatherland Front Committee 2020 - Certificate of Merit from the Chairman of Hanoi City People's Committee 2022 - Honored as the best economic elderly person of the Capital for the period 2018-2023. |
Creative farming
In 2004, when she had just retired, Major Nguyen Thi Lien happened to watch a TV program abroad, talking about a dairy farm with 25,000 cows. Here, the model was to grow grass to raise cows, use cow manure to raise worms, then use worms to raise cows, make feed for aquaculture, the main output was milk, cheese... Ms. Lien thought this model was great, but she had no knowledge of animal husbandry. So she packed her bags and went to Vong La - Dai Mach village in Dong Anh district, to meet directly with the worm farmers to buy seeds and learn the farming techniques.
Luckily, at that time, she also asked for a document written by former Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Cong Tan about this field. “In it, there are four main points that I really like: First, raising worms only requires agricultural by-products and can raise worms. Second, using worms to feed livestock makes them grow very quickly. Third, when raised with worms, all types of livestock and poultry produce meat with a special flavor. Finally, if pigs eat worms, the possibility of getting sick is almost zero - while with other foods, the possibility of getting sick is about 40%. This is the key that I cling to and I do it,” said Ms. Lien.
Being diligent, learning promptly and not afraid of difficulties, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien found her own way in developing her farm. Products developed from earthworms received support from the locality, community and clean farmers.
Walking along the clean, green path, Ms. Hai Yen said: “It can be said that Ms. Lien is extremely creative in implementing the first earthworm farming model in the district. Solving and collecting a large amount of local cow and buffalo manure and from earthworm products, raising clean pigs to supply to supermarkets and high-end markets. Worm manure is used as organic fertilizer for crops.”
Environmental protection efforts
Coming to Ms. Lien's farm, observant people will be surprised because there is no foul smell of manure even though she raises pigs.
The story begins quite sadly. It was 2014, Ms. Lien's family had a son who unfortunately suffered from a serious illness and was bedridden. Feeling sorry for her son who had to endure the unpleasant smell of someone lying in a hospital bed for a long time, she went online to search and research. In 2020, she joined the Kind Agriculture Alliance group founded by Mr. Hoang Son Cong and accidentally came across instructions on how to treat odors and waste with IMO. When she heard the teacher say: "If you want to know if you are doing it right, spray it on the most smelly place, after five seconds the smell will be gone." She thought of her son and started doing it right away. In the end, she turned her son's bedroom, which was filled with unpleasant odors, into a normal space. She also added essential oils such as lemon and lemongrass to give the room a pleasant scent.
After solving her family's problems, Ms. Lien felt the need to contribute what she had learned to society. She said: "I called Ms. Tuyen, President of the Commune Women's Union, to express my desire to work with the locality to solve the problem of garbage odor and turn organic waste into fertilizer. The project was successful. Currently, my farm does not use any chemical fertilizers or toxic pesticides. If pesticides are sprayed, people have to quarantine for 7-10 days before harvesting, but with the biological pesticides I make myself, I can eat vegetables, tubers, and fruits in the garden right after spraying without any worries."
Ms. Cao Thi Linh (Airport Residential Area) is one of the first people in Phu Cuong commune to treat waste with IMO following Ms. Lien's instructions. Ms. Linh said: “At first, I thought this would be very complicated and the first time I did it, it was unsuccessful, the smell was terrible. The second time, I did it well. The good news spread far and wide, now there are about 30 households in this area doing the same as me, treating waste simply, minimizing waste to the environment.”
Appreciating Ms. Lien’s efforts to contribute to the community, as well as her endless passion for deodorizing products, composting – organic pesticides, and reducing environmental pollution, Ms. Tran Thi Hang, President of the Women’s Union of Phu Cuong Commune, said: “Ms. Lien is a typical example of a retired cadre living a happy, healthy and useful life. Despite her old age, she still works hard to develop agriculture in a sustainable direction and contribute to society.”
Leaving Soc Son, saying goodbye to the woman who is always on the move, I feel extremely admiring her enthusiasm. Human creativity and passion are limitless and women like Ms. Lien are still conquering their own limits day and night.
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