New rural model garden, not to stop at the model

Hydroponic vegetable garden model in Quynh Thach commune (Quynh Luu). Photo: Thanh Phuc

With the goalhousehold garden economic developmentAssociated with building a green, clean, and beautiful rural landscape to make each locality a "livable countryside", the movement "Building standard gardens and new rural model gardens" has been actively and vigorously deployed and has many positive results.

From the movement, it has helped farmers have the motivation to plan and renovate their campuses, invest in applying scientific and technical advances and high-value plant varieties to grow in their home gardens, initially bringing high economic efficiency, contributing to changing the face of the new rural countryside.

At the same time, contributing to accelerating the industrialization and modernization of agriculture and rural areas; restructuring the agricultural sector towards increasing added value and sustainable development associated with the new rural construction program.

The entrance gate to Mr. Ho Dinh De's garden (Tan Xuan hamlet, Quynh Bang commune, Quynh Luu district) won the Encouragement prize in the "Beautiful New Rural Model Garden" contest in Nghe An province in 2022. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Recognized gardensstandard gardenhave reasonable, scientific planning, and high aesthetics; Most household gardens have scientific irrigation systems, applying advanced science and technology in production; Garden products are the result of selecting valuable crops and livestock, suitable for local soil conditions and consumption needs and market tastes; landscape factors are invested in and cared for by households.

However, in some aspects, the movement to build standard farmer gardens and rural model gardens is still heavily "movement" and is stopping at "models", difficult to replicate on a large scale and difficult to spread.

Economic efficiency of the garden is considered an important factor in the criteria for a new rural model garden. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Firstly, gardens that are planned, invested in, and built methodically, aesthetically, and scientifically are mostly owned by households with good economic conditions who have the money to invest in planning, renovating gardens, investing in irrigation systems, and building campuses.

Second, most of the standard gardens are focusing on the criteria of beauty and aesthetic factors, but not really paying attention to the economic efficiency of the garden. The main types of plants grown in the garden are still "divided into five or seven", a few guava trees, a few custard apple trees, a few grapefruit trees, a few Thai jackfruit trees; a garden of herbs, a patch of water spinach, a bed of mustard greens; the livestock area is also just a few chickens, ducks, pigeon coops... in the style of "self-sufficiency" is the main thing, not aiming at goods, stable business, or if there are gardens, they are also farms, ranches specializing in one type of crop.

Each model garden must truly be an economic model, with regular income from its products. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Third, many gardens considered standard gardens, even award-winning gardens, are being overconcretized, losing the green areas that used to be in the countryside...

It is undeniable that standard gardens and new rural model gardens have created a new look for rural areas, creating green, clean and beautiful landscapes for each countryside. However, because the main subject of the movement to build standard gardens and model gardens is farmers, the main goal and hard criteria in the new rural model gardens “first and foremost” is still to increase income from garden economic development.

So, I think, when choosing to build,standard garden designThen we have to advise people on which plants and animals are suitable? With that garden area, investing in garden renovation money, seeds, fertilizers, irrigation water... we need to calculate how much profit each season, crop, and batch will bring...

New rural model gardens should not be reserved for the “rich”, for those who garden just for passion, just for the pleasure of gardening. Photo: Thanh Phuc

And, if this movement wants to be replicated and spread, it must first build gardens that are popular in terms of area scale, investment costs, income... so that many farmers who have gardens can invest, learn, build, and can design standard gardens, model gardens. Avoid model gardens that are only for the "rich", for those who garden just for passion, just for the pleasure of the countryside...