The person who sowed the seeds of change in thinking and working methods at Lam Thinh

Thanh Chuong district leaders visited the fruit tree growing model of Mr. Lam Van Tien's family. Photo: NVCC

In the first days of the Year of the Cat, Mr. Lam Van Tien's family in Lam Thinh village, Thanh Thinh commune, Thanh Chuong district was always filled with laughter. The joy of the New Year seemed to be doubled, because Mr. Tien's family welcomed "double happiness" - he had just been awarded the first prize in the district-level contest for Beautiful New Rural Garden, and the grapefruit crop that he and his wife had worked hard to cultivate had "sold out". This was a good start for the plans of the farmer who is over 50 years old but is always struggling to find new directions in agricultural economic development.

Not early on…

Lam Thinh is not a rich and fertile land as its name suggests. Local people often say that due to the hilly terrain and the fact that nature does not favor favorable weather conditions, it is difficult to grow any crops or raise any animals. Therefore, the number of effective agricultural economic models here can probably be counted on the fingers. However, in the trend of shifting away from agriculture, Mr. Lam Van Tien (born in 1966) decided to "go against the flow", giving up jobs with stable income in the fields of electricity, construction, etc. to become a pioneer in organic farming in his homeland.

He confided: “I have worked in many jobs, had the opportunity to travel to many places both in the South and the North, and have admired and marveled at the valuable fruit gardens in other provinces, only to wonder why my hometown is not like that? That concern grew, the answer “due to the climate” of those around me was not enough to satisfy me, urging me to find the answer myself. And then I gave up everything to return to the garden since 2017, breaking 3,500m²mixed garden to carry out the "revolution" that I cherished, even though I was nearly 50 at that time, an age when not many people are interested in change anymore".

Mr. Lam Van Tien takes care of his family's fruit garden. Photo: NVCC

Although he was late to agriculture, with his inherent foundation, plus his inquisitive and hard-working attitude, Mr. Lam Van Tien gradually became a true "4.0 farmer", knowing how to selectively exploit knowledge and experience from the Internet, social networks, etc. to flexibly and appropriately apply them to his model. The garden area after renovation was scientifically "planned" by the couple, then they ordered seedlings of reputable origin for pilot planting. While learning and experimenting on the land, about a year later, the fruit garden began to take shape, with about 150 late-ripening red-fleshed grapefruit seedlings growing and developing well.

The fruit garden model of Mr. Lam Van Tien's household is considered by many to be different from the usual practices in the locality, cultivating in an organic and environmentally friendly direction. For example, instead of using pesticides indiscriminately, he and his wife carefully researched and selected biological pesticides, carefully calculated the dosage and time of use, combined with repelling measures, biological traps, etc. to prevent harmful insects, ensure fruit quality, and at the same time not overuse pesticides that affect soil quality and water resources.

“Now the garden mainly grows red-fleshed grapefruit that ripens late and can be harvested during Tet to meet market demand, unlike the traditional grapefruit varieties in the area that are usually harvested in the 7th and 8th lunar months. I tried growing green-skinned grapefruit but found it ineffective, so I only kept a few of these trees, with the aim of intercropping to increase the quality of the grapefruit. To “take the short term to support the long term”, I initially intercropped 180 Taiwanese pear guava trees, which also brought in a good income,” Mr. Tien shared.

The couple happily added that, on the occasion of the recent Lunar New Year, about half of the trees in the grapefruit garden yielded more than 5,000 fruits, with an average weight of 1.2 - 1.3 kg/fruit, large, uniform segments, beautiful pink grapefruit segments, juicy, rich in sweetness, so they were well received by the market and quickly sold out.

…but the desire is lasting

“If you plant a tree, you will reap the fruit”, after 5 years of care, the orchard has now truly brought the first sweet fruits of the season to Mr. Tien’s family. At the end of 2022, he and his wife decided to register to participate when they heard that the district was organizing a competition for Beautiful New Rural Garden Standards. Although participating in the competition with the purpose of learning and exchanging experiences, Mr. Lam Van Tien’s model excelled over 20 other gardens across Thanh Chuong district to win first prize. Good planning, application of science and technology, and especially the dedication of the garden owner are the factors that helped Mr. Tien score points and catch the eye of the competition’s judges.

Mr. Tien's grapefruit garden is systematically and scientifically planned. Photo: NVCC

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Khanh - Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Thanh Chuong district commented: "Mr. Tien's standard garden has a new way of doing things, different from the local ones. In terms of planning, the grapefruit variety chosen to grow is suitable for the soil, giving uniform fruit and good quality. Mr. Tien is also diligent in researching good solutions, always seeking to apply new science and technology, carefully calculating the times to impact the growth process, focusing on organic farming, even buying fish to compost for the plants himself... That is enough to see the passion and dedication of this garden owner, deserving to be honored in the competition".

Although excited to be awarded this title, Mr. Lam Van Tien confided that he still has more long-term wishes and aspirations. He wants more farmers in his village, commune and district to understand the benefits and value of renovating mixed gardens, which not only increases family income but also beautifies the village and creates a new rural landscape.

And not being stingy with his work, he expressed his willingness to share his experience with those who want to learn and gain experience, so that he can replicate the fruit garden model, moving towards building cooperatives, farms, and fruit farms linked in the direction of goods.

“I understand that the most difficult thing is to change the agricultural mindset of local people. In fact, many people still think that they need a lot of money to build an organic model, and many people are afraid to learn and update new scientific and technical knowledge, but mainly still follow the old mindset. But there are positive signs, when recently more and more people are interested, coming to visit and learn about my family's fruit garden, some households have also come to ask about varieties and technical support, of course I am always ready…” - he said.

Thanh Chuong District Farmers' Association is also always ready to accompany typical farmers with new and good ways of doing things like Mr. Lam Van Tien, helping them overcome difficulties, supporting promotion, building brands, and recognizing VietGAP standards... From there, quality agricultural products from the hands, minds and enthusiasm of farmers can reach a larger market, bring higher economic efficiency, and help them confidently stick with the path of sustainable agricultural development.

Please believe that one day in the near future, Lam Thinh grapefruit will be known by many people, becoming a delicious, clean gift, full of hometown love as Mr. Tien wished...