Women are revitalizing traditional crafts.
Without a mindset of innovation, many traditional crafts risk disappearing. Understanding this, many creative women have transformed and improved their crafts to suit the times, thereby creating new economic value and inspiring women's associations at all levels to revive and develop traditional crafts.
Enhancing the value of commercial silkworms in Luong region.
Recently, the house of Ms. Mai Thi Loan (born in 1969) in Hamlet 3, Dang Son Commune, Do Luong District has become a familiar address for traders when they want to buy unique products such as silkworm powder, silkworm eggs, commercial silkworms, or silkworm wine.
Although silkworm farming is a long-standing traditional occupation in Dang Son, Ms. Loan has taken innovative new approaches to generate high and stable income from silkworms.
Standing beside the neatly arranged trays of shimmering golden silk, Ms. Mai Thi Loan shared that this used to be her biggest concern as the mulberry cultivation and silkworm farming industry gradually declined in Dang Son.
Driven by a desire to revive the once-famous silk-making craft of Xuan Nhu village, in 2021, she boldly decided to establish her own production facility, specializing in mulberry cultivation, silkworm rearing, and silk reeling. While previous mulberry growers and silkworm breeders held the mindset of small-scale operations, she was determined to create a large and reliable supply chain for the market. Therefore, she purchased silkworms and pupae from households in the commune and also supplied silkworm breeding stock to other women to expand their operations.
By 2022, with the support ofWomen's UnionIn Dang Son commune, the mulberry cultivation and silkworm rearing cooperative was established with 15 members, and Ms. Mai Thi Loan was entrusted with the role of group leader. This served as a foundation for her to continue investing in expanding her mulberry cultivation area to 3 hectares, purchasing modern machinery, and building a closed silkworm rearing facility.
In 2023, her Mulberry Cultivation and Silkworm Rearing Cooperative was officially established with many innovative approaches aimed at enhancing the value of traditional craft products.
While silkworm farming models in the past were mainly for cocoon production, Ms. Loan's cooperative has opened up new avenues by raising silkworms for food and producing goods that the market is currently "craving" from silkworms.
Thanks to technological investment, the cooperative can raise silkworms year-round. The secret to coping with Nghe An's harsh summer weather is equipping the silkworm rearing area with air conditioning and water fan systems. This ensures the temperature is always maintained at an ideal 26-28°C. In winter, the rearing rooms are equipped with heating systems, ensuring stable silkworm growth and high yields.
In addition, the cooperative focuses on diversifying silkworm products to create unique items such as commercial silkworms, silkworm powder, and silkworm wine... These products have found a stable market, contributing to job creation for 15 local workers with an average income of 5 million VND per month each. Thanks to modern silkworm farming methods, Ms. Loan not only preserves the traditional craft but also increases her income.
After tireless efforts, Ms. Mai Thi Loan was honored to be among the top 5 in the 2023 Women's Entrepreneurship Ideas Competition organized by the Do Luong District Women's Union. In addition, she was also commended and rewarded by the Dang Son Commune Women's Union for her outstanding contributions to entrepreneurship aimed at enhancing the value of the local traditional craft.
Spreading the method of sustainable wealth creation through deer farming.
Recognizing that while diseases frequently occur in herds of pigs, buffaloes, cattle, or poultry, deer remain a safe, low-risk, and highly efficient livestock, Ms. Truong Thi Kim (born in 1963) in Hamlet 7, Quynh Nghia Commune, Quynh Luu District, decided to commit to deer farming to develop her family's economy.
Ms. Kim said that previously, her family mainly focused on agricultural production and small-scale livestock farming, while her husband participated in fishing, but their annual income was not high. In 2004, when she witnessed traders coming and going in Quynh Luu district to buy deer antlers, she understood that this was a livestock with a stable market. Through researching deer farming models in the area, she realized that as long as one understands its characteristics, deer are very easy to care for, bring economic benefits, and are resistant to disease.
At that time, the price of breeding deer wasn't too high, only around 1.5 million VND. Therefore, Ms. Kim invested in raising 10 spotted deer for antler harvesting. In 2013, when the Provincial Women's Union announced its plan to establish a cooperative for spotted deer farming in the commune, she applied to join the cooperative.
This was an important step for Ms. Kim to research and learn about high-value deer farming models both locally and internationally. Simultaneously, participating in scientific and technical training courses helped her "refresh" her profession by improving her enclosures, enhancing her techniques for growing and producing deer feed, thereby minimizing farming costs while ensuring the quality of her deer herd.
In addition, thanks to the support of the Women's Union at all levels, the District Social Policy Bank, and the members of the cooperative, Ms. Kim's family was able to access a job creation loan from the Social Policy Bank with an amount of 50 million VND to invest in expanding the farm to develop two directions simultaneously: raising deer for antlers and breeding deer for selling offspring.
To date, Ms. Kim's model has expanded her herd to 28 pigs, generating an annual income of 200-250 million VND. The model has also created jobs for 4 workers, including 2 women, with an income of 5 million VND per person per month.
Not only has she contributed to the development of deer farming in Quynh Nghia commune, but she has also supported members of the cooperative in gaining more farming experience and is always ready to share her accumulated knowledge to help everyone adapt to new market changes. In 2023, Ms. Kim was one of the outstanding individuals commended and rewarded by the Women's Union of Quynh Nghia commune.
On a provincial level, over the past years, through various emulation movements and innovative solutions, women in Nghe An have achieved many bright spots in entrepreneurship, economic development, and sustainable poverty reduction. In particular, the effective implementation of the "Support for Women's Entrepreneurship Project giai đoạn 2017-2025" approved by the Government has created a major impetus for women.
Women's associations at all levels have supported the establishment and effective maintenance of 20 women-managed cooperatives, 227 cooperative groups and associations, and provided advice and support for the development of 744 newly established women-owned businesses.
From here, a new impetus has been breathed into the economic development of women, especially in the efforts to "revive" and "renew" traditional crafts to create new economic value based on their inherent potential.
