Poverty reduction - many challenges remain.

(Baonghean) - Poverty eradication has been identified as a top priority in the province's socio-economic development strategy. After more than three years of implementation, the poverty reduction program for the period 2011-2015 has achieved initial results, helping people improve their lives. However, to enhance the sustainability of poverty reduction, it is necessary to address existing problems and difficulties...

Practical models

On September 26, 2011, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued a decision on the promulgation of the Nghe An Provincial Poverty Reduction Program for the period 2011-2015, with the specific goal of striving to reduce the poverty rate in the entire province from 22.89% at the beginning of 2011 to 10% at the end of 2015, equivalent to a reduction of 88,800 poor households, an average of 17,800 households annually; creating stable and diverse jobs that generate income for the poor, and increasing the average per capita income of poor households by 3 times compared to 2010. The implementation solutions include strengthening propaganda and raising awareness about poverty reduction, clearly stating that the poor themselves must strive to escape poverty, combating the mentality of waiting and relying on support from the State and the community; developing socio-economic conditions, linking job creation with sustainable poverty reduction; Effectively implement policies that facilitate the poor's development of production and access to social services; prioritize investment resources for poor districts according to Government Resolution 30a and 42 poor communes according to Decision No. 59/2010/QD-UBND dated August 12, 2010 of the Provincial People's Committee; closely coordinate between provincial departments, agencies, and organizations with the Steering Committee for the Poverty Reduction Program at all levels to focus on directing and assisting poor communes and households...

A model for growing safe vegetables in Thach Giam (Tuong Duong).

To implement this policy, local Party committees and authorities have taken many practical measures to support poor households, such as prioritizing loans for production development, vocational training, and job creation; and developing and replicating poverty reduction models. For example, Ngoc Son commune - one of the mountainous communes in Quynh Luu district - faces many difficulties, especially in transportation and irrigation. The vast majority of the people in the commune rely on agricultural production, so their income is still low, and the poverty rate in 2010 was over 10%. Mr. Nguyen Huu Bo - Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune - said: In recent years, to help poor households improve their economic development, the Party Committee and People's Committee of the commune have directed mass organizations to strengthen surveys and understand the needs of poor households, coordinating with the Social Policy Bank to provide preferential loans for livestock and crop development. As a result, the poverty rate decreased to 6.2% in 2013.

A typical example is the family of Mr. Ho Minh Dang, one of the households facing particularly difficult circumstances in Hamlet 4B, Ngoc Son Commune (Quynh Luu District). In 2011, with the attention and support of the government and various organizations, his family received a loan of 20 million VND to develop cattle breeding. Utilizing readily available green vegetables as feed, along with guidance on scientific and technical methods, care, and disease prevention from the commune's veterinary officers, after two years, his livestock grew well and produced two litters with a total of 3 calves. Currently, his family has sold 2 breeding cows to repay the loan on time, and continues to invest in caring for the remaining 3 calves to further develop their livestock farming, thus lifting the family out of poverty. It is known that over the years, Quynh Luu district has effectively implemented many poverty reduction policies such as mobilizing the "For the Poor" fund, supporting labor export, and establishing a cattle breeding bank to help poor farmer members... As a result, in 2013, the average poverty rate in the entire district was 9.2%, a decrease of 5.78% compared to 2010.

Further west, in a poor district classified under Decree 30a, with limited resources, Thach Giam commune (Tuong Duong district) has chosen to implement livestock and crop farming models suitable to the local characteristics to replicate and improve people's income. Since 2011, the commune has effectively implemented poverty reduction models such as black pig farming in Phong, Mac, Lau, and Chan villages; and buffalo and cattle farming in Khe Chi, Thach Duong, and Lau villages… One case of escaping poverty thanks to participating in these models is the family of Mr. Vi Duc Tuan in Mon village. Since 2011, his family has participated in raising black pigs (a cross between wild boar and black pig breeds) and now has about 50 pigs; in addition, they also raise goats, pigeons, chickens… earning an income of 60-70 million VND per year. Besides livestock farming models, the commune has also developed a safe vegetable farming model to increase income for ethnic minority people. Ms. Luong Thi Hien, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thach Giam commune, said: "To successfully build this model, the district directed relevant departments to mobilize, guide technical aspects, and provide fertilizer and seeds for people to plant various types of cabbage, beans, tomatoes, etc. Although the area for these models is small, it brings in a considerable income, with some households earning 7-10 million VND per vegetable crop. Thanks to this, the poverty rate of the entire commune has decreased from nearly 30% in 2010 to 15.7% in 2013."

From 2011 to the present, through poverty reduction policies supported by the central government, provincial mechanisms, and the social mobilization of resources, Nghe An province has invested over 6,978 billion VND in poverty reduction. Besides implementing central government poverty reduction mechanisms and policies, the Provincial People's Committee has issued local mechanisms and policies such as Decision No. 59/QD-UBND dated August 12, 2010, on poverty reduction support for 42 poor communes with a poverty rate of 30% or more, excluding districts benefiting from Resolution 30a; Decision 1310/QD-UBND dated April 20, 2012, assigns 86 agencies and units to assist 88 poor communes in the Western region... To concretize the policies and guidelines on poverty reduction, departments, agencies, and localities have implemented propaganda to raise people's awareness, mobilized internal resources to shift the economic structure, built demonstration models in production and livestock farming, and helped people improve their knowledge and skills in production and economic management in the agricultural sector... With the active involvement of Party committees and authorities, the average annual poverty rate of the province decreased by 3.16% (from 22.89% in 2010 to 13.4% in 2013). Specifically, the poor districts under Government Resolution 30a, namely Ky Son, Tuong Duong, and Que Phong, received over 353 billion VND in investment to build 75 infrastructure projects (41 projects have been put into use); Nearly 120 billion VND was allocated to implement policies supporting production development, agricultural and forestry development, land allocation, reforestation, and attracting young intellectuals. The poverty rate in these three districts decreased by an average of 6-7% per year.

Many challenges remain.

Although the poverty reduction program of our province for the period 2011-2015 has achieved many results, it still faces numerous difficulties. Currently, the poverty rate in the province remains higher than the national average (9.6%); the near-poverty rate is also high, at over 14% (equivalent to 109,342 households). The reasons for this are that Nghe An is a province with a large geographical area, a large population, and a harsh climate; the majority of poor households in the province have their main source of income from agricultural production, which is unstable; and a segment of poor households still have a mindset of relying on and expecting support from the State, especially in mountainous and remote areas.

On the other hand, some localities in the province have not yet implemented poverty reduction efforts promptly and effectively; the management and operational capacity of officials in achieving poverty reduction goals remains limited, especially at the commune level. For example, in Tuong Duong district, out of more than 290 poverty reduction models implemented from 2010 to the present, 125 models had to be abandoned due to ineffectiveness. And among the remaining nearly 170 models, some are also very precarious, such as the hybrid acacia tree planting model in Tam Quang, Tam Thai, and Luu Kien communes; and the red banana planting model in Tam Quang, Tam Thai, Tam Dinh, Luu Kien, Xa Luong, Nga My, and Xieng My communes. Models such as porcupine farming, free-range chicken farming (Luong Phuong chickens, black chickens), egg incubation, beekeeping, and biogas digesters... The main reason is the limited capacity and sense of responsibility of agricultural extension officers. They fail to accurately assess practical application conditions such as climate, soil, and the people's education level, do not calculate the market for the products, or lack guidance and supervision, resulting in many models being implemented ineffectively. Consequently, people revert to traditional methods of rice and corn cultivation, and poverty alleviation becomes a deadlock. This problem is not unique to Tuong Duong; other mountainous districts with high poverty rates such as Ky Son, Que Phong, Con Cuong, and Quy Chau also face similar issues.

Furthermore, it is evident that current poverty reduction policies still have some shortcomings. While state support resources are substantial, they are scattered, lacking focus and coordination. Poverty reduction policies are also implemented in a blanket manner, without classifying poor households based on their causes (unemployment, laziness, newly separated households, lack of capital, lack of land, lack of means of production, lack of scientific and technical knowledge, lack of manpower, etc.) in order to provide appropriate and effective support.

To enhance the effectiveness of the sustainable poverty reduction program, in the coming period, the solutions implemented by the province include: further strengthening propaganda and raising awareness about poverty reduction; focusing on socio-economic development, linking job creation with sustainable poverty reduction; effectively implementing vocational training, agricultural, forestry, and fisheries extension programs, improving the capacity of poverty reduction workers and key officials in poor communes; and prioritizing investment resources for poor districts in accordance with Government Resolution 30a. Continuing to mobilize agencies, units, and businesses to provide assistance and support to poor districts and communes... In particular, to further concretize poverty reduction policies, the Provincial People's Committee is currently finalizing the Project "Poverty Reduction and Improvement of Living Standards of People in the Western and Coastal Regions of Nghe An Province until 2020" with specific solutions: gradually attracting processing facilities and factories to the western localities to utilize and consume local raw materials and labor; ensuring preferential policies for ethnic minorities and fishermen to ensure they can work and produce with peace of mind; prioritizing investment in essential infrastructure construction, vocational training, and job creation to improve the lives of people in the coastal and western regions...

Minh Quan