What about jobs for workers after land reclamation?

(Baonghean)The issue of unemployment following the reclamation of agricultural land is a major challenge for authorities at all levels in Nghia Dan district. Solving this problem requires responsibility from many parties, not only investors and district and commune authorities, but also the dynamism and flexibility of the farmers themselves.

The family of Mr. Kieu Ngoc Ket in Tan Lam hamlet, Nghia Lam commune, Nghia Dan district, previously owned over 1.2 hectares of agricultural land. With that area, Mr. Ket's family earned between 120 and 170 million VND annually. When the TH Dairy Farming Project was announced, Mr. Ket's family's production land was subject to expropriation. Despite receiving 200 million VND in compensation after land expropriation, his family's life remained difficult due to a lack of work, forcing him to find solutions. Mr. and Mrs. Ket rented 1.5 hectares of land in the Bai Chanh area (Thanh Hoa province) to grow watermelons. During the watermelon season, they set up temporary shelters on-site to conveniently tend to the crops until harvest. Mr. Ket confided: “For generations, my family has been involved in farming. The land was expropriated so quickly that we farmers didn't have enough time to prepare and adapt to new jobs. Since the land was expropriated, we've had to come up with all sorts of ways to make a living.”

The family of Mr. Phan Duc Nghia in Tan Lam hamlet, Nghia Lam commune, consists of five members. After their 1 hectare of agricultural land was reclaimed, Mr. Nghia and his wife were fortunate enough to be hired as milkers and janitors at TH Dairy Food Joint Stock Company, earning an average monthly salary of 5-5.5 million VND. However, because this work is not regular, to make ends meet, his family had to rent 3 hectares of land in Nghia Phu commune to grow watermelons, which brought them an income of over 100 million VND in 3 months. This method has been adopted by some households whose land was reclaimed in Nghia Lam, and they have rented land in communes such as Nghia Mai, Nghia Tho, Nghia Lac, etc., for production.

Nghia Lam is one of the communes with a very large area of ​​agricultural land reclaimed for the TH project. The entire commune has 450 hectares of land reclaimed (phase 1), concentrated in Tan Lam, Dong Lam, Bac Lam, Nam Lam hamlets and 13 households in Khe Lau hamlet. Following the land reclamation commitment, TH Dairy Food Joint Stock Company recruited 350 local workers, but the number recruited only accounts for about one-third of the actual need. The rest had to find work in southern provinces or go abroad for labor export. The mismatch between the labor force and the reclaimed land area is due to TH Dairy Food Joint Stock Company's investment in high-tech production, thus requiring fewer skilled workers. Farmers lack the necessary skills to meet these requirements, so they are only assigned to simple labor such as milking and grass cultivation.

In Nghia Lam, although the project owner and the district and commune authorities had planned to provide alternative livelihoods for people of working age when reclaiming agricultural land, there is a significant gap between the plan and reality. The investor committed to creating jobs, employing local labor, and providing each person with 250 square meters of land for the reclaimed farmers to grow grass, along with support for machinery. However, currently, the company has only provided employment for some of the working-age laborers, while the land for growing grass and the financial support for machinery have yet to be implemented. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Vinh, Chairwoman of the People's Committee of Nghia Lam commune, Nghia Dan district, said: “In the hamlets where land is being reclaimed, both households with few or many members have unemployed people. While rural laborers have not yet accessed market mechanisms to change their farming methods, the commune has focused on creating jobs for farmers through training in livestock farming, pig farming, chicken farming, and beekeeping. Some farming households have boldly invested in building integrated farming models (VAC), raising pigs and chickens… but this number is not large. Solving the employment problem for laborers after land reclamation is a pressing issue for Nghia Lam.”

In Nghia Dan district, during the construction of the TH Dairy Food Joint Stock Company's dairy farming project, 2,284 hectares of land were reclaimed, affecting 1,719 households. Mr. Phan Huy Hai, Head of the Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Department of Nghia Dan district, stated: “The district has developed a plan to address employment and vocational retraining for workers, such as attracting local laborers to work at TH Dairy Food Joint Stock Company. Nghia Dan has also repeatedly worked directly with TH Dairy Food Joint Stock Company to resolve employment issues for workers whose land was reclaimed, and as a result, 750 people have found jobs at the company. At the same time, we have coordinated with businesses to promote job counseling and placement services for over 2,700 workers seeking employment both domestically and internationally.”

The issue of supporting career transition and creating jobs for farmers whose land has been expropriated is also a top priority for Nghia Dan district. Models for creating jobs through the introduction of handicrafts to form and develop new craft villages have been applied locally, such as mushroom cultivation, beekeeping, and integrated farming and livestock raising… but successful implementation is not easy. Without land and without jobs, the lives of many farmers whose land has been expropriated in Nghia Dan are facing difficulties. Addressing these difficulties, providing support, and stabilizing employment for farmers whose agricultural land has been expropriated in Nghia Dan requires many comprehensive solutions and the attention of various sectors and levels, especially projects in the area; among them, vocational training, career transition, and job creation for workers must be the most important solutions.

Thanh Le