From temporary stalls to outlets for agricultural products in Mon village.

Temporary stall, resolving the deadlock for agricultural products

These days, near the Tuong Duong bus station, a small, makeshift stall is always bustling with people coming and going. On simple wooden tables are all kinds of seasonal green vegetables, roots, and fruits, dried bamboo shoots, dried beef, dried pork… all agricultural products produced by members of the Mon Village Farmers' Association. The stall has no fancy sign or modern shelves, but it carries the hope and reassurance of the villagers after many days of anxiety about finding buyers.

Previously, when Tuong Duong market closed for renovations, the people of Mon village faced many difficulties. The village is nearly 3 km from the market, and many households had to push wheelbarrows to sell their produce, which was both arduous and precarious. Vegetables and tubers ready for harvest would spoil if left for too long, but failing to sell them in time would result in losses, rendering all their hard work wasted. Based on this practical need, the head of the Mon village Farmers' Association and the head of the Women's Association proposed the idea of ​​building a temporary farmers' stall in a convenient location near the bus station, a high-traffic area.

The idea was quickly discussed within the village management board and received strong support. The stall was set up with funds contributed and raised from the villagers, with each member contributing 30,000 VND. In a short time, a shared selling point for the villagers was established. For the past week, the stall has been operating daily, with about 10 female members taking turns selling and collecting agricultural products from households in the village.

Since establishing a fixed sales point, the farmers' agricultural products have seen significantly more stable sales. The biggest advantage of the stall is its location near the bus station, with high foot traffic, ensuring consistent daily sales of their produce. For the farmers, this is not just a place to sell their goods, but also a source of moral support, allowing them to confidently continue production during the difficult period following the natural disaster.

Familiar wordsFrom farming to selling goods

Beyond traditional sales methods, the Farmers' Association of Tuong Duong commune also supports farmers in promoting agricultural products on digital platforms. Instead of listing products on e-commerce platforms, which are not suitable for the local conditions, the Association chooses a more accessible approach: supporting members in building their own sales channels on personal Facebook and TikTok accounts. From filming videos and live-streaming sales to guiding members on how to write and post product introductions, everything is done step-by-step, learning from experience along the way.

In reality, the farmers have begun to familiarize themselves with the new sales methods, although there are still many limitations. Low-capacity phones, poor-quality images, and limited interaction on social media are significant obstacles. However, what is valuable is the learning spirit and proactiveness of the members. Many women, such as Kha Thi Nguyet, La Thi Loan, Nguyen Thi Duyen, Luong Thi Sen, etc., have boldly sold their products at stalls, participated in livestreams, and practiced writing articles introducing their own agricultural products.

No longer relying solely on local markets or traders coming to their homes, many members are beginning to understand that, in order for agricultural products to sell, they must first produce truly good, clean products that reflect the authentic flavors and characteristics of their region. Vegetables must be clean from the fields, bamboo shoots must be naturally dried, and dried beef and pork must be prepared using traditional methods – this is the foundation for maintaining buyer trust.

Ms. Kha Thi Nguyet, one of the regular members selling at the stall, shared honestly: “Before, I only knew how to grow vegetables, and whether I could sell them or not was up to the market. Since having the stall and receiving guidance on making videos and selling online, I've realized that just producing the product isn't enough; you also need to know how to introduce it, how to explain to people how the vegetables you grow are clean and safe.” These simple words clearly reflect the change in the mindset of farmers as they begin to access the market using their own voices.

Beyond just selling directly, the stalls have also helped local people become more confident in new sales methods. From neatly arranging the vegetables and briefly introducing the product's origin to live-streaming sales on their phones, things that once seemed unfamiliar have gradually become routine. "At first, I was very shy, afraid of saying something wrong, afraid of not having many viewers, but once I started selling, I felt more confident," Ms. Nguyet said with a smile.

Through each day of selling and each livestream session, the mindset of small-scale, fragmented production is gradually being replaced by a more long-term perspective: farming must be linked to the market. Who to sell to, where to sell, and how to sell are questions that were rarely asked before, but now they have become topics of discussion among the farmers.

Building on the model of the farmers' stall in Mon village, the Farmers' Association of Tuong Duong commune is aiming for a longer-term goal: Each branch association will have at least one farmers' stall, serving both as a sales point and a way for farmers to gradually familiarize themselves with digital transformation. Ms. Luong Thi Van Anh, President of the Farmers' Association of Tuong Duong commune, said: "The farmers' stall in Mon village is a timely solution while the market is under renovation, helping to ensure that agricultural products are sold consistently every day, giving farmers peace of mind in their production."

Through this model, members gradually become familiar with selling and promoting products on social media, creating a foundation for the association to expand and link agricultural product consumption with digital transformation. If supported with systematic training courses, farmers in Mon village can completely build their own brands for the local specialty products.”