Make green sprouts appear on the barren land
(Baonghean.vn) - Before 2020, the entire town of Cua Lo had about 33 hectares of abandoned land, concentrated in Nghi Hoa and Nghi Huong wards... After 2 years of mobilizing people to stick to their fields, calling for and attracting businesses to invest in agriculture, the fallow fields, weeds and sedges taller than people's heads have now become prosperous farms, corn fields, and melon fields with high income.
Green the wild fields again
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| The barren land in Da field (block 2, Nghi Hoa ward, Cua Lo town) is full of flowers. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
Across the Da field in block 2,Nghi Hoa ward(Cua Lo Town) cannot help but be surprised by the rich green of fruit trees, fragrant lotus ponds and colorful greenhouse flower gardens interspersed with eye-catching miniature landscapes built with bamboo. A comprehensive farm model combining agricultural tourism is taking shape on abandoned fields, with reeds growing taller than people's heads for so long...
Mr. Nguyen Van Son - Director of Phu Thinh Cooperative said: "Many times passing by this route, I saw abandoned fields, full of weeds, sedges, and mud. This is a strategic route connecting Vinh - Cua Lo, in a tourist town, leaving the land fallow is such a waste. Right after the town had a policy to call for and attract investment in agriculture in Cua Lo town, a few of us boldly rented 3.2 hectares of fallow land in Da field".
For a whole year, billions of dong were poured into this land to improve the land. Through the hands of labor and the passion of those who wanted to get rich from agriculture, a farm economic model combined with agricultural tourism was born. A prosperous farm with melons, yellow watermelons, Japanese cucumbers, black summer grapes, hydrangeas, sunflowers, pink and white lotus ponds have replaced the swamps and reeds...
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| Local farmers become workers on previously abandoned fields. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
“Identifying the advantages of this field along the 72m Vinh - Cua Lo road, Mr. Son built a comprehensive farm model combined with agricultural tourism. In addition to the area of greenhouses and net houses applying high technology, he also pursues clean production in an organic direction. Each season has its own products, we arrange to produce melons, cucumbers, sweet corn, grapes, leafy vegetables and flowers such as sunflowers, hydrangeas, lotus flowers... These plants are suitable for the climate and soil here and are easy to consume. In the first crop in 2022 alone, we earned 700 million VND from selling agricultural products. It is expected that after completing the items and attracting tourists to visit and experience, each year, the revenue of 1.5-2 billion VND will be within reach.”
Not only does it bring economic value, turning wasteland into a billion-dollar farm, but it also creates a green - clean - beautiful landscape and environment, adding highlights and destinations to the coastal tourist town; At the same time, it creates jobs for local people with stable income.
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Mr. Nguyen Van Son - Director of Phu Thinh Cooperative instructs workers on how to take care of black grapes. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
Ms. Nguyen Thi Truong, a farmer in Block 2, Nghi Hoa Ward, excitedly said: “In the 3.2ha farm of Phu Thinh Cooperative, my family has 1.5 sao of land for rent. Previously, on this area, we grew enough rice, corn, and potatoes but it was not profitable so we left it fallow for 4-5 years. After contributing land to the Cooperative to rent, my family received 15 years of land rent, I was hired to work for the Cooperative with a salary of 5 million VND/month. Not only me but 5 people in the block were hired by the Cooperative, paid stable salaries, had days off, and had welfare policies so we are very excited”.
Solutions to overcome abandoned fields
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Abandoned fields have been accumulated, land leased to businesses for 15 years, and high technology investment in production. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
Not only Nghi Hoa ward but also Nghi Huong has abandoned fields with an area of abandoned fields up to 33 hectares. Faced with that situation,People's Committee of Cua Lo townThere have been many policies to encourage people to renovate fallow fields, and at the same time attract businesses and cooperatives to contract out fallow fields for production.
Accordingly, for most of the area, the town has mobilized people to change the crop structure, introduce new varieties into production to increase productivity and economic efficiency. If in the past they only grew rice and sesame, now they grow waxy corn, corn for grain, melons, vegetables... with high economic value into production. For households that are not able to produce (due to lack of labor, no demand), they agree to lend their fields. On that basis, the town selects households with labor and enthusiasm for farming to mobilize, allocate fallow land and support funding for land improvement, support seeds, fertilizers and science and technology in production.
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Bringing high-yield, high-quality corn varieties into production. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
At the same time, priority is given to integrating agricultural extension programs and science and technology projects to support people in investing in production on abandoned rice fields. Thanks to that, in 2021 and 2022, dozens of hectares of fallow land in Nghi Huong and Nghi Hoa were converted to grow corn for grain, serving livestock and selling to the market. According to estimates, for each hectare of corn, people invest about 20 million VND in input costs, get 70 quintals of corn kernels, with a selling price of 8,500 VND/kg, minus costs, the profit is about 40 million VND/ha.
On the other hand, party and mass organizations have actively participated in mobilizing households with fields but not in production to collect and accumulate fields for leasing to enterprises; the local government has created all favorable conditions from documents, procedures to supporting enterprises and cooperatives in production. Accordingly, in the past 2 years, the town has attracted Phu Thinh Cooperative to lease 3.2 hectares of land for a comprehensive farm combined with agricultural tourism; Thu Lu Private Enterprise is completing procedures to lease 1 hectare; and leased 0.7 hectares to an individual household to invest in high-tech agriculture.
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Farmers boldly change crop structure, apply science and technology in production to increase economic efficiency per unit area. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
“Before 2020, the whole town had about 33 hectares of abandoned rice fields, mainly concentrated in Nghi Huong and Nghi Hoa wards. With the efforts of the town government, wards and the support of cooperatives and enterprises, up to now, the situation of abandoned land has been basically resolved. In which, some areas of people have switched to growing commercial corn, melons, and vegetables in the form of cooperation; the rest is that people accumulate land and then lease it to enterprises and cooperatives for production. Up to now, the whole town has only about 3 hectares of abandoned land, it is expected that in 2022, the situation of abandoned rice fields in the area will be completely resolved”.
