Land consolidation and reallocation - a policy that is in line with the people's wishes.

(Baonghean) - Directive No. 08-CT/TU dated May 8, 2012, of the Standing Committee of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee on promoting the mobilization of farmers to consolidate and exchange land plots and encourage land accumulation for large-scale agricultural production was issued very timely and met practical requirements. Overall, this is a correct policy that is in line with the people's wishes, so it has been quickly implemented, although the land consolidation and exchange work in some localities has not yet been completed.

Eliminate fragmentation.

Since 2011, the Standing Committee of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee has issued Directive No. 02-CT/TU on mobilizing farmers to convert agricultural land. However, according to assessments, the land conversion in many localities during this period still has some shortcomings and limitations. These include the lack of connection between land conversion and the replanning of agricultural fields and the restructuring of crop and livestock production; the small size of land plots after conversion; the high average number of plots per household; the lack of contiguous plots; and the failure to form large, economically efficient specialized farming areas. Land conversion in areas with high yields, floodplains, and industrial crops has not received sufficient attention, and the planning and management of public land funds remain inadequate.

Land consolidation and reallocation have created favorable conditions for farmers in Phuc Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district) to introduce mechanization into production.

These limitations have significantly impacted management, the application of scientific and technological advancements in production, intensive investment, and economic efficiency in agricultural production, failing to meet the requirements of building new rural areas. In this context, on May 8, 2012, the Provincial Party Standing Committee issued Directive 08-CT/TU on promoting land consolidation and exchange among farmers and encouraging land accumulation for large-scale agricultural production, aiming to overcome these limitations.

Phuc Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district) is one of the first localities in the province to complete the land consolidation and reallocation process. The Party Committee and People's Council of the commune issued a Resolution on the plan for land conversion to facilitate mechanization in large fields and build new rural areas in the period 2011-2015. The People's Committee of the commune also issued a Decision to establish a Steering Committee, a Planning Committee, a Propaganda Committee, and subcommittees for land conversion in villages and hamlets.

With the active involvement of the entire political system and a systematic approach, Phuc Thanh received high consensus among the people. Within just one month, the locality completed land consolidation and reallocation. As a result, from fragmented plots of land, each household now owns at least three plots, but after the reallocation, the average number of plots per household has decreased to only 1.2.

Of these, more than 1,800 households own one plot of land and 506 households own two plots. The successful conversion has enabled Phuc Thanh to replan its fields and improve its internal irrigation and transportation systems. In this commune, all internal field roads have been widened to 7 meters with a total length of nearly 110 km.

Following land consolidation and reallocation, farmers in Cam Son commune, Anh Son district, have the opportunity to intensify cultivation and increase production value.

In Trang Son commune, a semi-mountainous area of ​​Do Luong district, land consolidation and exchange have fundamentally transformed the fragmented state of farmland. Leading us on a tour of the summer-autumn rice fields, the Chairman of the People's Committee, Le Dinh Thong, shared: "The principle of land consolidation in Trang Son is to ensure harmony between farming and settlement. People in each hamlet are prioritized to receive land adjacent to their residential area; those who receive riverside land are given up their rice fields. Low-lying, swampy land is put up for auction first... allowing for democratic discussion among the hamlets, which has been met with approval and support from the people."

Thanks to this, the land consolidation revolution in Trang Son has yielded great results. Before the conversion, the smallest plot of land was only 60m2, but after the conversion, the smallest plot reached over 500m2; the average number of plots per household decreased from 4.7 to 1.21 plots/household, with 1,063 households owning one plot and only 276 households owning two plots. The entire commune has consolidated 470 scattered graves in one place; through this revolution, 34 households encroaching on land were dealt with, recovering 6,500 m2, and 45 households using land for purposes other than intended were dealt with, recovering 7,800 m2... These achievements have led to Trang Son being recognized as the commune that has implemented land consolidation and exchange most effectively and thoroughly in Do Luong district.

According to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment - the Standing Agency of the Provincial Steering Committee for Land Consolidation and Exchange, by the end of 2015, all 313/313 communes in the province had 88,891.6 hectares of agricultural land that met the criteria for land consolidation and exchange. The construction of internal field transportation and irrigation systems after land consolidation and exchange was in accordance with the approved plan and zoning; the fields were re-planned, meeting the requirements for mechanization in agricultural production, especially in land preparation, pest control, harvesting, and transportation of materials and products; creating favorable conditions for production, improving irrigation efficiency; and contributing to a new and more beautiful face for rural agriculture.

Lessons in organizing and mobilizing the people.

Prior to Directive 08-CT/TU, Thanh Chuong district already had resolutions and plans on land consolidation and exchange. The land consolidation revolution truly created a fundamental shift in the agricultural production of this low-lying mountainous district. However, in reality, the implementation of land consolidation and exchange among farmers still has some unsatisfactory results in certain communes, affecting the overall movement.

Following land consolidation and reallocation, farmers in Cam Son commune, Anh Son district, have the opportunity to intensify cultivation and increase the value of their production.

As a predominantly agricultural commune, implementing Directive 08-CT/TU of the Provincial Party Committee, Cat Van commune (Thanh Chuong district) selected hamlets as the unit for land conversion and proceeded with the conversion in a context where propaganda work was not thorough, and officials and people did not truly understand the changes in awareness and thinking to create high consensus... Therefore, the results of land conversion in this locality are still limited. After conversion, the entire commune has 797 households receiving 2 land areas, and 1,042 households receiving 3 land areas. Only the area of ​​rice fields that are easily accessible has been converted, while the area of ​​foothill fields and encroached fields has not yet been converted, including Hamlet 10, which has not yet completed the conversion.

The regrettable thing in Cat Van is that the "land consolidation and exchange" campaign, aimed at reviewing and reorganizing land resources to implement a long-term local planning vision, primarily focusing on building a new rural area, was completely unsuccessful. Following the "land consolidation and exchange," the mechanization of rice production processes remains limited; and the development of high-value crops in each area has yet to be achieved. The Chairman of the Cat Van Commune People's Committee, Mr. Bui Gia Hao, stated: "The land exchange in Cat Van was not comprehensively reviewed, resulting not only in the failure to recover encroached land but also in the inability to consolidate public land."

This will sooner or later become a bottleneck when the commune builds public welfare facilities and plans for local development in the future." Meanwhile, the Party Secretary and Chairman of the People's Council of Cat Van commune, Mr. Tran Van Thao, admitted: "Due to the confusion, haste, and unscientific, rigid approach in the land consolidation and exchange process, the effectiveness of mobilizing farmers to implement land consolidation and exchange in Cat Van commune has been low. The commune Party Committee has learned a valuable lesson from this experience in leadership and guidance to develop more effective solutions after land consolidation and exchange."

Farmers in Cam Son commune, Anh Son district, are planting crops after land consolidation and reallocation.

In Do Luong district, six communes have yet to complete the land allocation process for farmers. The main reasons are the lack of focused leadership and guidance from these communes; the failure to create a truly democratic and transparent atmosphere, leading to public discontent and numerous petitions. Among these, Giang Son Dong commune stands out as the most complex, with 15 out of 83 households in Tay Xuan hamlet still refusing to accept the allocated land.

The residents' main concerns and petitions revolved around the fact that the commune's land conversion process was not democratic or fair, and did not conform to the original plan; the redistribution of land to the people of Tay Xuan hamlet was unsatisfactory due to poor quality soil, and the residents petitioned for a reduction in the contracted production quota...

Currently, although the villagers have not yet received the land in person, households are still cultivating on the rice fields that the commune has reclaimed under the land-lending plan. Mr. Nguyen Trong Tuan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Giang Son Dong commune, stated: "The reason some households in Tay Xuan hamlet have not yet received their land is because the commune did not grasp the situation promptly at the time of the land conversion, and did not accurately predict the situations to provide flexible guidance. Currently, the commune is coordinating with the District Department of Natural Resources and Environment to review the land area and gather more information on the aspirations of the households in order to organize a final dialogue..."

The average land plot size in Nghe An province before land consolidation and exchange was 986 m2, and after land consolidation and exchange it was 1,811 m2, an increase of 1.84 times. The average number of plots per household before land consolidation and exchange was 5.4 plots, and after land consolidation and exchange it was 2.3 plots, a decrease of 2.35 times. A total of 318,825 households in the province participated in land consolidation and exchange.

(To be continued)
Reporters' Team