Control slash-and-burn farming practices.

(Baonghean) - The dry season is also the season when ethnic minority people in the highland districts clear undergrowth and burn fields for cultivation. Therefore, the risk of forest fires is very high. In light of this situation, the highland districts are proactively implementing solutions to prevent and control forest fires.

Mr. Luong Van Xuyen, head of Canh Trap village (Tam Thai commune, Tuong Duong district), said: Canh Trap village has 220 households, cultivating over 70 hectares of land in rotation. To date, the village has cleared and burned over 40 hectares of land. During the burning process, the village management board, along with agricultural officials from the commune, directly guided the villagers on the proper procedures. Specifically, before burning, firebreaks are created to prevent the fire from spreading into the forest. During burning, it is crucial to monitor the forest for fire and extinguish any fires promptly if they occur.

The Chairman of the People's Committee of Tam Thai commune, Mr. Lo Vinh Tinh, added: "Before the year 2000, Tam Thai commune had over 700 hectares of cultivated land, but now it only has over 220 hectares. Right from the beginning of the dry season, the commune, together with the local forest rangers, organized training for villagers on the process of burning cultivated land. They also guided people on fire prevention measures in case of forest fires. Thanks to this, there have been no forest fires here for a long time. In addition, the reason Tam Thai commune has reduced the area of ​​cultivated land is that in recent years the commune has focused on reclaiming paddy fields, increasing the total area of ​​paddy fields to nearly 100 hectares. The commune also encourages people to develop economic models such as forest planting, bamboo planting, and especially raising fish in 17 cages on the Lam River…"

We visited Cua Rao II village, Xa Luong commune, Tuong Duong district, in the planned area for slash-and-burn farming. We found that the villagers had basically completed clearing the firebreaks. Ms. Dau Thi Lien, Secretary of Cua Rao II village, said: "The village has 130 households but only 30 hectares of farmland, divided among 40 households. To strictly prohibit slash-and-burn farming that encroaches on natural forests, the village management board and commune officials directly inspect the clearing process. If they discover any households illegally encroaching, they promptly remind and handle the situation. If they intentionally violate the regulations, they report it to higher authorities for action." Mr. Vi Tinh, who cultivates 0.8 hectares of farmland in Cua Rao II village, said: "Before burning the fields, in addition to reporting to the local authorities, families mobilize manpower to help each other burn the fields so that if an incident occurs, there is a ready force to handle it promptly."

Tuong Duong district has 174,618 hectares of forest, but only 2,000 hectares remain for slash-and-burn agriculture. Besides practicing crop rotation according to the plan, due to the difficult living conditions of ethnic minority communities and the lack of paddy land, some people still engage in illegal slash-and-burn farming. Mr. Vo Sy Lam, Head of the Forest Protection Department of Tuong Duong district, said: Faced with this situation, Tuong Duong has implemented solutions to minimize the risk of forest fires caused by slash-and-burn farming. Specifically, they have identified key areas prone to forest fires, including communes such as Mai Son, Huu Khuong, Tam Thai, Thach Giam, Xa Luong, Luong Minh, Tam Hop, Luu Kien, Yen Hoa, Yen Tinh, Xieng My, Nga My... The Forest Protection Department has organized the signing of commitments with people to only burn slash-and-burn fields in planned areas and to follow proper technical procedures. Before burning, they must report to the local authorities for guidance.

Right from the beginning of the hot season, the Forest Protection Department coordinated with the communes to organize training and guidance for the people on the process of burning fields for cultivation. In particular, functional agencies at the district and commune levels have demarcated areas for slash-and-burn farming, developed and implemented slash-and-burn farming plans, established a Steering Committee for slash-and-burn farming, and assigned members of the Steering Committee to be in charge of villages to direct and guide the people in implementing the plan.

In Que Phong district, to minimize the risk of forest fires caused by slash-and-burn farming, the People's Committee of Que Phong district issued Decision No. 33/QD/UB dated January 29, 2015, "On the establishment of the Steering Committee for Land Allocation in Que Phong District," chaired by the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee. The Steering Committee is tasked with advising the Chairman of the People's Committee on issues related to land allocation. Based on the actual situation in each commune, land allocation is organized for villages lacking paddy fields, meeting the food production needs of the people. The committee directs commune authorities to establish commune-level land allocation steering committees and guide people in farming according to regulations. After reviewing the land use needs for slash-and-burn farming, the district allocated 330 hectares of land to the communes of Thong Thu, Dong Van, Cam Muon, Quang Phong, etc., to ensure sufficient land for farming and prevent illegal deforestation for slash-and-burn agriculture. The Steering Committee for Land Allocation of the Commune People's Committee bases its land allocation plan on the commune's assigned quotas (as announced by the District People's Committee) and the actual conditions of each village, such as the area of ​​paddy rice in each village, and identifies villages with food shortages before developing a land allocation plan.

Mr. Tran Duc Loi, Deputy Head of Que Phong Forest Protection Department, said: The department has directed local forest rangers to organize the demarcation of cultivated land according to the plan, targeting the right people and locations. Guidelines and relevant documents have been issued regarding land demarcation, and in coordination with local authorities, people are being guided to demarcate and cultivate land in accordance with regulations. Forest rangers regularly inspect, closely monitor, and guide people on proper techniques for clearing and burning land. They also control people's access to the forest, preventing acts of exploiting land burning that harm forest resources and illegal forest clearing and burning.

Recently, the Forest Protection Department discovered a household in Dong Van commune illegally clearing nearly 800 hectares of land for cultivation. The Forest Protection Department imposed an administrative fine of 2.6 million VND. The difficulty lies in the fact that Dong Van currently has 6 resettlement villages for the Hua Na Hydropower Plant, while the area of ​​paddy fields is only 50 hectares. Over 65 hectares of upland fields have been allocated, but due to the shortage of production land, many people have frequently violated regulations by clearing land illegally outside the planned areas in recent years. After receiving the land allocation, the commune's forestry board has coordinated with the local forest protection department to regularly inspect and monitor the area to detect and handle violations promptly...

Van Truong