New rural models

(Baonghean) - Implementing the new rural development program, Thanh Chuong district has deployed the construction of 26 economic models in 3 groups including cultivation, livestock and aquaculture combined with rice cultivation. Up to now, the models have been effective, helping people escape poverty and becoming a lever for developing local household economy.

TLeaving the scorching sun, after the harvest, mother and daughter Mrs. Tran Thi Vinh in Tien Kieu hamlet, Dong Van commune, Thanh Chuong district took the opportunity to check the family's pumpkin garden next to the rice field. While tidying up the old pumpkins lying on the trellis and taking care of the newly blooming flower buds that are suffering from the drought, Mrs. Vinh said that currently, the price of pumpkins is low, only 3 thousand VND/kg, so no one wants to sell.

The characteristic of squash is that it can be left on the trellis for a long time without spoiling, so the people in the hamlet are trying to bargain with traders, determined to wait for the price to increase before harvesting. During this waiting time, on the one hand, the people of Tien Kieu hamlet are busy harvesting the spring rice crop, on the other hand, they are taking advantage of the water source from the irrigation ditch to pour into the squash gardens, encouraging the squash trellises to continue to flower and bear fruit. The squash gardens in Tien Kieu hamlet are the result of a production support model from the capital for new rural construction implemented by the Steering Committee for New Rural Construction in coordination with the Department of Agriculture of Thanh Chuong district.

Accordingly, 25 households in Tien Kieu hamlet were selected to implement a model of intensive farming. The two varieties of plants selected were green beans and squash, because the climate and soil conditions in the area are very suitable for these two types of plants. Since 2012, according to the model's criteria, each household has been supported with 50% of the costs including seeds, fertilizers, money to buy bamboo and rattan to make trellises, and all households have been able to study experiences in effective intensive farming areas in Anh Son district and the Northern Delta provinces. Thanks to compliance with the crop calendar and care techniques, in the first crop, the green bean fields of Tien Kieu hamlet all gave very high yields.

During the recent Lunar New Year, each hectare of beans yielded 3.5 tons of fruit. The peak selling price was up to 15,000 VND/kg, bringing a significant source of income to the people. At the end of the bean growing season, the Steering Committee for New Rural Areas continued to implement the squash growing model. The HN99 squash variety was selected and grew well on the two-rice fields of the families participating in the model. At its peak, squash was sold for 13-15,000 VND/kg, becoming the main source of income for families in the village. Currently, the entire Tien Kieu hamlet has 25 households growing squash, with each household growing an average of about 1 sao. At harvest time, the Dong Van commune government proactively calls traders to bring cars to the fields to buy. If the price is good, people will proactively sell, on the contrary, if the price is too low, people will not rush to harvest.

Agricultural staff of Dong Van commune, Thanh Chuong district inspect the pumpkin garden at harvest time.

In Thanh Lien commune, the families of Mr. Phan Ba ​​Ngoc, Chairman of the People's Committee, Pham Van Dan, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, and Luu Cong Hiep, Head of the Commune's Agriculture Department, were the first three households to boldly implement the specialized pumpkin growing model in 2012 with the support of the District's Steering Committee for New Rural Development. These are party members, with the will to get rich, with the ability to cultivate, and the model was not only for the purpose of developing the household economy but also for "people in the commune to trust and follow". In the first year, thanks to support in seeds, techniques, and visits to the model, the pumpkin fields of the three households above all brought in much higher incomes than growing rice or other crops. Seeing that pumpkin growing was effective, in early 2014, 11 households in Lien Chau hamlet registered to develop the pumpkin growing model.

Up to now, more than 2.5 hectares of rice fields converted to pumpkin growing in Thanh Lien commune have all yielded a yield of about 40 tons/ha. “When the price is good, there is nothing to say, when the pumpkin price drops, about 3 thousand VND/kg, people still have a much higher income than growing rice, and do not require too much care, do not have to use a lot of pesticides and herbicides. Harvesting pumpkin does not require hard work like growing rice. Next year, the commune will continue to expand the pumpkin growing model, turning pumpkin into a key crop and expanding the search for consumption markets to the northern provinces, avoiding traders forcing down prices,” said Mr. Phan Ba ​​Ngoc, Chairman of the Commune People's Committee.

This spring crop, the fish-rice model was first implemented in Thanh Ngoc commune. Implementing the policy of the Steering Committee for New Rural Development of the district, 6 households including Le Viet Mai, Phan Thi Nga, Le Huu Dan, Le Ngoc Huy, Le Huu Nam in Ngoc Thuong hamlet and Mr. Le Dac Thao in Ngoc Dinh hamlet applied to pilot the fish-rice farming model in the spring crop of 2014. After renovating the area's banks and making the fields' banks strong, these households were taken to visit the model, learn how to take care of the fish, how to fertilize and use pesticides properly for rice, and were supported with 100% of fish fry as well as fish feed. With a total rice field area of ​​4.35 hectares implementing the model, these households boldly released more than 216 kg of fish fry.

According to the results of the model survey in mid-May, after more than 3 months of care, the survival rate of the fish reached 80%, the average weight was about 0.6 kg/fish, the total fish output of 6 households reached more than 5 tons. With the purchase price at the field of about 30 thousand VND/kg, the total income from selling fish reached more than 150 million VND. Along with that, the rice output reached nearly 23 tons, with the current purchase price, the total amount of money earned from selling rice reached more than 140 million VND.

Total income from fish and rice reached more than 290 million VND, after deducting all expenses, 6 households had a net profit of more than 157 million VND. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Ky, an agricultural officer of Thanh Ngoc commune, said that the results of the model test showed that on the same area, intercropping fish and rice would bring higher income than monoculture rice by about 8.2 million VND/ha. Not only that, intercropping also brings great environmental efficiency when people rarely have to use pesticides, herbicides, etc.

The model of growing squash, green beans or fish intercropped with rice are 2 out of 3 groups of models that the Steering Committee for New Rural Areas of Thanh Chuong district has deployed simultaneously in key communes throughout the district. With the aim of helping people have a realistic view, have an effective comparison in implementing the models, from which they boldly follow, the Steering Committee for New Rural Areas of the district has built economic development models.

In the period of 2013 - 2014, the Steering Committee has built 26 economic models divided into 3 main groups including crop cultivation, rice-aquaculture intercropping and livestock farming, implemented in 20 communes with a total cost of more than 1.7 billion VND. Currently, the models are promoting good economic efficiency and are boldly replicated by the people of the communes. Mr. Nguyen Tu Hung, an officer of the Department of Agriculture of Thanh Chuong district, said that the greatest achievement in the process of implementing the model is to help people see that they are completely capable of increasing production value on the same area, the same farming method if they know how to apply science and technology, comply with the crop calendar and know how to connect with each other.

The effectiveness of economic development models in Thanh Chuong district not only helps people in communes in the district have reliable addresses to study, transfer techniques, replicate models, gradually escape poverty and become rich, but is also one of the effective contents of the criteria in the district's new rural construction program. It contributes significantly to the development of criteria for poverty reduction, income increase and job creation for people.

If in 2010, the poverty rate of the whole district was at 24.9%, by 2013, this rate decreased to 15.09%. In the new rural construction program, currently, the whole Thanh Chuong district has 13/39 communes meeting the criteria on average income per capita, 4 communes meeting the criteria on poverty rate, 12 communes meeting the criteria on labor structure,...

In the coming time, Thanh Chuong district will continue to promote the construction of more effective economic models, increase production value, closely link commodity production areas with consumption areas, minimize the situation of people being forced to lower prices by traders, with the goal of improving the economic life of farmers, contributing significantly to the successful construction of the district's new rural program.

N. Faculty