Forest economic development: A sustainable way out of poverty in Con Cuong

Protect and develop sustainable forests

The family of Mr. Ha Van Quyet in Thanh Dao village, Bong Khe commune is one of the typical households getting rich from the hill and forest economy of the district.Con CuongPreviously, Mr. Quyet's family's economy relied purely on agricultural development, so life had many difficulties. Thanks to the propaganda and mobilization of local authorities and sectors, Mr. Quyet's family realized that afforestation is a sustainable and long-term economic development direction.

Many families actively and enthusiastically participate in receiving land to plant forests. Photo: Ba Hau

Therefore, in the past few years, his family has invested in planting more than 1 hectare of cassava. On the land area for perennial crops with low efficiency, the family has renovated and invested in planting more than 18 hectares of hybrid acacia, on 5 hills, with rotational harvesting. Up to now, each hectare of cassava and hybrid acacia of the family has a stable income of over 100 million VND/year. In addition, Mr. Quyet also intercrops cassava, each year cassava also yields a harvest of over 70 million VND. From the stable income, he has built a spacious house and invested in sending his children to school...

In some villages and hamlets on the left bank of the Lam River such as Thanh Dao, Thanh Nam, Khe Ran of Bong Khe commune, afforestation has become a “lever” to help people escape poverty, promoting rapid economic and social development of the locality. The number of well-off households like Ha Van Quyet’s family is not too rare.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Thang - Chairman of Bong Khe Commune People's Committee said: In recent times, the commune has guided people to plant forests along with care and protection, promoting the application of science and technology, especially intensive farming methods in forest production. Each year, the locality strives to plant 50 - 60 hectares of new forests.

Thanks to the development of the forest economy, many ethnic households in Con Cuong have escaped poverty. Photo: Ba Hau

Located in the Southwest of Nghe An, the forest and forestry land area of ​​Con Cuong district is nearly 164,600 hectares, accounting for 89.91% of the total natural land area, including: 17,961.16 hectares of protective forest; 73,882.07 hectares of special-use forest; 57,761.02 hectares of production forest (of which 7,023.5 hectares are production forests outside the planning of 3 types of forests). The forest cover is the highest in the province at 84.35%. In recent years, the Party and the State have issued many forestry development policies. These policies have encouraged and mobilized many collectives, households and individuals to actively and enthusiastically participate in receiving land for afforestation. On average, each year, the whole Con Cuong district plants 1,500-1,800 hectares of concentrated forest.

In recent years, considering forest economic development as a sustainable direction, the mountainous district of Con Cuong has focused on protecting and developing three types of forests (special use, protection and production) effectively, especially production forests and native large timber plantations that are being invested in by collectives and many households to expand their areas. In the communes of Don Phuc, Mau Duc, Bong Khe, etc., raw material forests and timber forests have been strongly developed; primeval forests and protection forests have also been strictly protected. Many households have participated in forest planting from the project of sustainable forest restoration and management. Most of the forest plots planted by local people have been granted land use right certificates. The boundaries and benefit mechanisms of local people are clear, thus limiting the occurrence of complaints.

In 2022, Con Cuong aims to plant 1,500 hectares of concentrated forests. Photo: Ba Hau

Along with that, the communes in the district have also done a good job of forest management, care and protection, forest inspection and patrolling, and forest product control has been regularly strengthened. Propaganda and signing of commitments to forest fire prevention have been paid attention to, and forest owners have done a good job of forest fire prevention and fighting. All levels and functional branches have actively prevented and strictly handled violations of the Forestry Law, promptly punished, detected and strictly handled violators of regulations.

Mr. Thai Minh Hiep - Head of Con Cuong Forest Protection Department said: From January to November 2021, the whole district discovered and handled 83 cases of violations of the Forestry Law (4 criminal cases; 79 administrative penalties) reducing 37,411 hectares of forest; the volume of confiscated forest products was 50,717 m3 of wood. The amount of money collected and paid to the budget was over 751 million VND.

Enhance resource value

The benefits from forests are clear. However, in reality, the development of forest economy in Con Cuong still faces many difficulties. People do not know how to intensively cultivate and apply science and technology to cultivation. Some people still have the mentality of waiting and relying. The production linkage between people and enterprises is not tight, so the consumption is not stable. The work of converting crop structure and expanding forestry development models has changed, but is still slow compared to the requirements... The work of forest allocation, associated with forestry land allocation is still slow, not meeting the needs of local people to receive land and forest so that the forest can have a real owner, thereby improving the quality and effectiveness of forest protection.

An area growing acacia trees for timber in Mau Duc commune, Con Cuong.

Mr. Lo Van Ly - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Con Cuong district said: "Currently, the district has invested in a trial planting of 21 hectares of macadamia trees and they are growing well, with the potential to be expanded to many communes in the highlands. The district also encourages economic sectors to invest in forest development; prioritize support for research and development of plant varieties; plan wood processing areas, non-timber forest products and aim to increase the added value of products, contributing to increasing income for people in the highlands, only then can poverty be reduced sustainably...".

The immediate tasks that Con Cuong sets out on the journey of developing the forest economy, becoming a green ecological urban area, are: Managing and protecting well 149,604.3 hectares of existing forest area; Planting concentrated forests of 1,550 hectares... Reviewing and planning the objects of poor and exhausted forests as production forests to zone off the conversion area and hand it over to the people for forest development, ensuring compliance with regulations; developing a plan to gradually convert from raw material forest area (where conditions permit) to developing large timber forests.

Thanks to good work in planting, caring for and protecting forests, Con Cuong's forest coverage has now reached nearly 85%, the highest in the province. Photo: Ba Hau

Mr. Hoang Sy Kien - Chairman of Con Cuong District People's Committee stated: As a mountainous district, the area of ​​agricultural land is small, so promoting the efficiency of forest land has been and is the right direction that the district is interested in investing in; contributing to enriching forest resources as well as in hunger eradication and poverty reduction for people in Con Cuong district. In the coming time, Con Cuong will continue to promote the socialization of forestry, enhance coordination between functional agencies in forest management, protection and development; strengthen the work of contracting, zoning, protection and planting forests; focus on developing large timber forest planting models, building a number of sustainable forestry development models according to FSC-CoC (Forest Stewardship Council) standards associated with the development of ecotourism and experiential tourism with indigenous cultural identity.