Establishing criteria for new rural areas in mountainous regions.

(Baonghean)Western Nghe An is home to many different ethnic minority communities, including some that are relatively developed and have large populations, such as the Thai, Mong, and Tho. Alongside these, there are also some less developed ethnic groups with smaller populations, such as the Khmu, Dan Lai, and O Du. These ethnic groups are scattered and interspersed, mainly residing in mountainous and forested areas that are strategically important economically, politically, for national defense, security, and ecologically. Their educational and economic levels are low and development is uneven; each ethnic group possesses its own unique cultural values ​​and identity....

To this day, some outdated customs and traditions persist; clan and village isolation remains; and work methods are based on simplistic thinking and experience... Western Nghe An remains a poor region, with Ky Son being one of the poorest districts in the country. Other districts, although somewhat better off, still face precarious and unsustainable living conditions for ethnic minority communities.

Therefore, building a new rural model for ethnic minority areas in western Nghe An province is not a simple matter, and it cannot be done by mechanically copying a model from elsewhere. Instead, it requires correctly addressing the relationship between the universal and the specific.

The unique characteristics of western Nghe An province have had both direct and indirect impacts on the construction of new rural areas in this region. These factors also provide a basis for considering adjustments to the criteria for building new rural areas to suit the characteristics of mountainous, high-altitude, and ethnic minority regions, avoiding inconsistencies in implementation. Specifically, the criteria regarding irrigation and rural road infrastructure are more challenging for mountainous and ethnic minority areas with low population density compared to lowland and midland regions.

Regarding the criteria for rural markets, it is not necessary for every commune to have a market to serve its residents, given the characteristics of the population and customs; many communes already have local markets that adequately serve the needs of the people, so there is no need to open new markets. The criteria for residential housing, as stipulated by the Ministry of Construction, which requires houses to be "four solid" (solid walls, solid columns, solid foundation, solid roof), are not suitable for ethnic minority areas, not to mention the cultural nuances in housing construction choices for these communities.

Regarding income criteria, according to Decision No. 491/TTg of the Prime Minister on the National Criteria for New Rural Areas, the average annual per capita income must be 1.2 to 1.5 times higher than the provincial average, depending on the conditions of each region. Comparing it to the provincial average would be very difficult for ethnic minority areas in remote regions. Therefore, income is an indicator that requires a long-term effort in mountainous areas.

Similarly, the criteria for cultural facilities, which stipulate the required area for cultural centers and sports facilities, are not suitable for mountainous areas due to land conditions, service needs, and the traditional lifestyles of ethnic minorities. Regarding cooperative criteria for ethnic minority and high mountainous regions, the development of cooperatives requires specific mechanisms; if the establishment criteria remain the same as in other regions, these cooperatives may only be formalistic, ineffective in the process of building new rural areas, increasing the income of cooperative members, or in providing input services, preserving and processing agricultural products and goods. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce more types of cooperatives to suit the conditions of each region, not necessarily limited to cooperatives.

Imposing regulations and practices from lowland areas on mountainous regions, or from majority ethnic regions on minority ethnic regions, in the construction of new rural areas will certainly not be effective. Therefore, developing new rural criteria for ethnic minority regions in general requires further research and practical analysis; based on that, proposing solutions to build a more reasonable and realistic new rural model for these specific regions.

Phan Cuong (Provincial Cooperative Union)