Leaving the jungle, the Dan Lai people have learned to use plows.

(Baonghean.vn) - Leaving the old forest, the Dan Lai people live inThach Ngan commune (Con Cuong - Nghe An)gradually adapting to the new life... Many households have used tractors to farm in the resettlement area.

I still remember, more than 10 years ago, on the last night in Khe Khang (in Mon Son commune), almost no one slept, going in and out, restless with the wind and mist. Then, the next morning, we said goodbye to the mountains, forests, villages, and streams that we had been attached to for generations to resettle in Thach Ngan commune according to the project to preserve and develop the Dan Lai ethnic group.

The luggage they brought was not much, because the Dan Lai people had always lived a makeshift life, their food and shelter completely dependent on the mountains, forests, and rivers. When the boats started their engines and sailed down the Giang River, everyone looked back with regret...

A corner of the resettlement area of ​​Thach Son village, Thach Ngan commune (Con Cuong). Photo: Cong Khang

On the way to the new hometown, everyone was worried, because all their lives they lived in the core area of ​​Pu Mat National Park, where there were old, primeval forests. When hungry, they ran into the forest and the stream to find food, cut down trees to build houses, and their lives were almost like hunting and gathering. Now moving to a new land, the living conditions were completely different, they had to work really hard to have enough to eat, not to mention having to produce according to technical processes.

Meeting an acquaintance, Village Chief La Quang Vinh spoke sincerely: “Honestly, there has not been any big change, because 10 years is not a long journey, life is still messy and difficult, currently the number of poor households in the village is still 53/54, the remaining households are near-poor. But now people think differently, everyone has started to get used to tending fields and gardens, growing raw materials and building barns to raise livestock and poultry.”

Mr. Vinh led the guests around the village, through vast 2-3 year old acacia hills, which used to be wild hills, home to reeds and wild plants. The whole village currently has about 50 hectares of acacia and will be harvested in the next few years. The remaining 40 hectares of forest land are being cleared by the locals to continue developing the acacia area, expected to be covered by early 2018.

The wild hills in Thach Son village, Thach Ngan commune (Con Cuong) are gradually being covered with green by raw acacia trees. Photo: Cong Khang

Not to mention the 4 hectares of rice fields that grow two crops a year, meeting part of the food demand. More importantly, the people have become familiar with intensive farming techniques. Thus, from going to the forest to cut wood to build houses and sell them to make a living, clearing fields and digging holes to sow seeds, the Dan Lai people in Thach Son now have the awareness to plant forests and intensively cultivate rice, which is truly a step forward in awareness.

Along with farming, the Dan Lai people in Thach Son have also made significant progress in raising livestock. We visited the home of Le Thi Hue and her husband, one of the leading households in developing livestock. Her family is raising the second batch of 4 pigs, the main source of food is corn bran and various plants and vegetables. Hue started raising pigs a few years ago, when she saw that her acquaintances in the neighboring village had high incomes, she and her husband raised capital to build barns, buy piglets and initial food sources.

Ms. Le Thi Hue takes care of her family's second litter of pigs. Photo: Cong Khang

The first batch raised 6 pigs, after a few months of selling them to traders, earning nearly 10 million VND in profit, the couple was extremely excited. Seeing that, many other households in the village followed suit, and now the pig raising movement has begun to take shape.

La Van Son's family focused on raising cows, because he saw that there was still a large area of ​​hilly land here, and could use some of it to grow milkweed. He mobilized his savings and borrowed more money to buy two small cows at a low price to raise, waiting for the price to be good to sell for profit. Currently, Son's two cows are growing well, promising to bring in a source of income worthy of the daily care.

In addition, his family also bought a small tractor to serve the farming, fertile land and transport agricultural and forestry products, helping people to free up labor. When still in Khe Khang, owning a tractor for Dan Lai people was just a dream, but now besides La Van Son's family, Thach Son village has several similar ones.

Some households in Thach Son village, Thach Ngan commune (Con Cuong) have purchased small-sized plows for agricultural production. Photo: Cong Khang

Mr. La Quang Vinh added that the whole village currently has more than 40 households raising buffalo and cows, with a common number of 1-2 animals. The main form of raising cattle is semi-grazing, meaning that the animals are released on the wild hills, brought back to the barn and given other food sources. This form both takes advantage of available food sources and has the conditions to care for and monitor the development of the animals.

Looking back, a 10-year journey is not long enough to make a big change in the life of a resettled village of the Dan Lai ethnic group. But the change in both awareness and business practices has affirmed a suitable and promising direction, which is very commendable and encouraging.

Cong Khang