Nghe An: Farmers' Association takes over abandoned fields for cultivation

WHEN FARMERS ASSOCIATION RENT FALLEN LAND FOR FARMING

From an area of ​​inefficient production, with many abandoned crops, it has now become a specialized pumpkin growing area managed by the Farmers' Association of Thanh Tien Commune (Thanh Chuong). Photo: Thanh Phuc

Rao Tre beach area (Thanh Tien commune, Thanh Chuong district) is often flooded, corn and cassava cultivation is not very effective, so it is often abandoned, leaving weeds to grow wildly. In the summer-autumn crop of 2021, the Thanh Tien Commune Farmers' Association, through the commune government, rented 1 hectare of land from 8 households in Rao Tre area to grow squash at a price of 800,000 VND/sao.

After receiving the land, the Commune Farmers' Association mobilized its branches to participate in the model.Growing squash according to VietGAP standards.According to calculations, 1 sao of green squash yields about 4 tons of fruit, with the current rock bottom price (3,000 - 3,500 VND/kg), the profit is many times higher than growing corn and rice.

Mr. Duong Dac Thang - Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Thanh Tien Commune (Thanh Chuong) said: "Lack of human resources, low production efficiency, so people are not interested in the fields, many fields are abandoned, especially in the summer-autumn crop. In 2021, the commune has a planland accumulationof households that do not have production needs to be leased to farmers to build new models, bringing economically efficient crops into production. From there, limit the area of ​​abandoned land, avoid wasting land resources. At the same time, expand and build specialized areas for commodity crops on inefficient land.

Previously, closing the summer-autumn crop area in the flooded Thanh Xuan area was very difficult. However, since the Farmers' Association model of renting land to grow organic rice, earning hundreds of millions of VND per crop, it has encouraged people to stick to the fields for production. Photo: Thanh Phuc

For a land area that is frequently flooded like Thanh Xuan, closing the summer-autumn crop area has always been a difficult problem. In the spring crop of 2021, the Commune Farmers' Association took the lead in contracting 5 hectares of low-lying land to grow organic rice. On an area of ​​5 hectares, with support from seeds and fertilizers, the Thanh Xuan Commune Farmers' Association harvested 15 tons of rice, selling fresh rice in the field at 7 million VND/ton, earning hundreds of millions of VND.

Economic efficiency brought, in the summer-autumn crop of 2021, the organic rice growing model continued to be implemented on an area of ​​5 hectares in the Thanh Xuan flood area, chaired by the Commune Farmers' Association.

The 3-hectare fruit farm is rented from 5% of the commune's land owned by the Farmers' Association of Thanh My commune (Thanh Chuong). Photo: Thanh Phuc

Con Ba land (Thanh My commune) is 5% of the commune's land divided for people to produce, but because cassava cultivation is ineffective, people leave some of it fallow, and some of it is planted with grass for livestock, but the economic efficiency is not high. In order not to waste land, in 2018, the commune mobilized households to collect land and lease it to the Farmers' Association to grow commercial fruit trees. 7 farmer households have improved the land, invested in irrigation systems, brought electricity to the fields and planted apples and guavas on an area of ​​3 hectares, while intercropping other crops, initially bringing in a good income.

Up to now, the District Farmers' Association has directed and successfully built 6 models of Farmers' Associations renting land for cultivation. Specifically, renting land to grow squash in Thanh Lien, Thanh Tien, Thanh Hoa communes; renting land to grow fruit trees in Thanh My, renting land to grow commercial potatoes in Thanh Yen; renting land to grow organic rice in Thanh Xuan with a total area of ​​nearly 30 hectares. In the near future, it will be expanded to the entire district.

To avoid being abandoned, the fields must be "profitable"

In recent years, agricultural production has encountered many difficulties, not a fewfarmers leave fields fallowThe fact that the Farmers' Association, through the commune government, has taken on contracts to cultivate and produce, bringing about clear economic efficiency, has proven that farming is still profitable if you know how to change your mindset and production methods.

Accumulating land by renting land and applying mechanization to production will solve the problem of labor and save production costs. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Khanh - Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Thanh Chuong district said: "Farming is not profitable because the area is small, machinery cannot be used for production, so there is a lack of human resources and low efficiency. The model of the Farmers' Association renting land for farming is a clear proof that accumulating land, applying mechanization to production and a reasonable crop structure will bring profit. Once there is profit, farmers will not leave their fields fallow. In other words, through this model, farmers can live with their fields and be attached to their homeland for a long time."

Statusabandoned farmlandThis is not only happening in Thanh Chuong but is quite common in many localities in the province as well as the whole country. There are years when the area of ​​land abandoned in the summer-autumn crop reaches 3,000 - 4,000 hectares. The causes have been analyzed and dissected at many forums and conferences. Accordingly, the problem of labor shortage in agricultural production is at an alarming level.

Production of rice seedlings using machine-transplanted trays in Thanh Lien commune (Thanh Chuong). Photo: Thanh Phuc

In fact, in recent years, there have been many business models or individuals that have concentrated agricultural land to develop agricultural commodity production. These models have truly demonstrated their economic efficiency. However, due to many procedural problems, people's fear of "losing their land" and difficulties in accumulation, even though businesses have a need to concentrate production land, thousands of hectares of agricultural land are still left fallow.

Therefore, while waiting for those problems to be resolved, Thanh Chuong district's approach needs to be promoted and replicated.

“Young workers go to work far away or join factories and workshops in the area, so the agricultural production workforce is both lacking and weak. But that is “natural” because farming does not bring economic efficiency. Therefore, if we want farmers to stick with the fields, there is no other way but to accumulate land, mechanize production, restructure crops... to bring about the highest economic efficiency. Farming is profitable, labor is liberated, people will stick with the fields, rise up to get rich on their homeland land.”

Mr. Le Dinh Thanh - Vice Chairman of Thanh Chuong District People's Committee