Irrationalism leads to failure of economic models for poverty reduction

(Baonghean) - In recent years, the implementation of a number of effective economic models in mountainous areas has contributed to changing the appearance and life of the people in the Western region of the province. However, for many reasons, some models have "died young" right after the project ended, or could not be continued. That is one of the issues that voters have recently reported to elected representatives.

In district 30a Tuong Duong, the economic life of the majority of people belonging to the ethnic minorities Thai, Kho Mu, Mong, O Du has many difficulties. Economic models have become a lifeline for the people.

Among them, safe vegetable growing models, cattle and pig raising models, etc., not only open a way out of poverty for people but also contribute to changing the awareness of many people in developing the agricultural economy. However, there are still models that, when implemented, do not receive support from the people. Among them, we must mention two models of growing pink bananas and rattan in Tuong Duong district.

The pink banana garden belonging to the project in Chan village (Thach Giam commune, Tuong Duong) is gradually withering. Photo: Dao Tho

The model of growing pink bananas in Chan village is one of the projects that helped Thach Giam commune reach the new rural area by the end of 2015. It must be said that this economic model was effective when it was first implemented 5 years ago. The model has an investment capital of 170 million VND and is implemented by 23 households with a total area of ​​3 hectares.

Mr. Vang Van Doan, a resident of Chan village, Thach Giam commune, recalled: In 2012, when the local government started implementing the model, the Thai villagers on the left bank of the Lam River were very excited. Chan village is only separated from Hoa Binh town - the center of Tuong Duong district by a river, and the farmers' agricultural products have long been commodities.

Bananas are a familiar crop for the local people, but the pink banana is a new variety that has attracted the attention of the people of Chan village, who are very active and hard-working. The people have quickly grasped the technical instructions of agricultural officials. Since 2013, the people of Chan village participating in the model have had pink banana products to sell at the district market, contributing to improving their income...

Things began to change in 2015. Banana gardens began to degenerate. “The following batches of trees gradually became stunted. The banana clusters also became smaller. There were banana gardens where nearly half of the trees had withered,” said Lo Van Thuong, a pink banana grower in Chan village. The cause of this situation is said to be due to lack of irrigation water. During that time, the prolonged drought in the area also had a significant impact on the pink banana area. Currently, the pink banana model area in Chan village has only a few households still growing it.

The rattan planting model, which has been implemented in many communes of Tuong Duong district such as Tam Dinh, Yen Hoa, Nga My... since 2015, is gradually being forgotten. In Quang Phuc village, Tam Dinh commune, village chief Lo Van Moc said that initially, the village had 17 households participating in the model, but now only a few households still maintain the care of rattan.

People are not interested in this tree because the price has recently dropped sharply. “Each rattan is only 15,000 VND so people leave it as a wild tree. Rattan is difficult to harvest and does not meet the daily labor requirement,” Mr. Moc added.

What remains of the pink banana garden according to the project. Photo: Dao Tho

Discussing the failure of the above 2 models; for the pink banana tree, Mr. Lo Kham Kha - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tuong Duong district stated the reason was that the participants did not follow the correct technical process of growing pink banana trees. "Each clump is only allowed to grow 2 trees, while because of "regret", people did not prune them, affecting the overall development of the whole garden" - Mr. Kha said.

Another reason, according to Mr. Lo Kham Kha, is that in Chan village, it is not possible to drill wells and the irrigation water source is limited, so when there is drought, the pink bananas do not grow as expected.

Regarding rattan, Mr. Lo Kham Kha also said that not following the technical process is also the reason why rattan grows poorly and is difficult to exploit. Mr. Kha said that people have not taken good care of this crop while rattan is a climbing plant that needs to be staked or planted to create a place for the rattan to climb. If there is no support to grow, the rattan will curl up, grow slowly and be difficult to exploit.

In fact, in Tuong Duong, the red banana product is still a popular item at the district market, but because the people of Chan village do not know how to effectively restore this crop. According to Mr. Lo Kham Kha, the district only encourages development but does not replicate this model anymore. However, there is a reason that needs to be discussed, that is, before the models and projects are implemented, the authorities have not had solid surveys and scientific assessments of the sustainability of the projects; such as soil factors, climate and terrain, especially for highland areas.

Also related to the projects and poverty reduction models of the Western Nghe An localities, there have been many cases of projects failing right after implementation. A few years ago, with the support of the 30a Program and the new rural areas, many households in Quy Chau district were supported with cows, breeding pigs and ducks. However, many cows and breeding pigs died shortly after people adopted them.

The reason was later clarified that the mountain people were not used to keeping them in captivity, while this was not a native breed of livestock so it could not adapt to the environmental and weather conditions. For ducks, each poor household was supported with 80 ducks, but they could only be raised for a very short time even though they were native ducks.

The reason is that the local authorities did not take into account that the flock of 80 ducks during the growing period needs at least half a bag of rice every day, while the conditions of the small streams in the mountains and forests are not enough for them to find food themselves. Because they cannot be raised, the whole flock of ducks is gradually slaughtered and eaten. This is the unreasonableness in implementing models of hunger eradication and poverty reduction for people in the mountains.

Vi Phuong