In the border region of Son Hong commune (Ha Tinh province), once considered a "difficult area" because the people were mainly involved in forestry, the integrated farm model of Mr. Le Duc Toan (born in 1974, residing in Hamlet 12) is becoming a shining example of agricultural economic development.
Having previously been a freelance worker and experienced numerous failures in production and business, Mr. Toan has now successfully built a model of "planting trees below, generating electricity above, and raising livestock in between," not only enriching his family but also creating stable jobs for dozens of local workers.
Born and raised in a mountainous, border village, Toan's family's life previously depended primarily on the forest. When the "forest gates" closed, he had to struggle to make ends meet by doing various jobs.
Toan made his fortune from the garden his grandfather left him. Photo: Sy Thong
In 2015, noticing that his grandfather's garden, approximately 2,000 square meters in size, situated next to a stream and surrounded by forest, was lying abandoned, Toan conceived the idea of starting his own business right on his homeland.
Without hesitation, he boldly borrowed about 2 billion VND to rent machinery to level the land, invest in barns, and implement a model of raising 100 sows and 50 cows. However, during the period of 2017-2018, the price of live pigs plummeted, making it impossible to sell the pigs ready for slaughter.
“At that time, continuing to raise pigs would result in losses, and no one would buy them, so bankruptcy was imminent. There were nights I stayed awake outside the pig pens, looking at the pigs and feeling helpless, thinking I would lose everything with such a huge debt,” Toan recalled.
During that difficult time, the local authorities and people joined hands to "rescue" the pigs. Many teachers and villagers were willing to buy meat to stockpile, helping him overcome the crisis.
Although the pigs were rescued, the pressure of debt discouraged Toan, causing him to leave his hometown and seek new opportunities in the South. In 2019, encouraged by relatives, he decided to return to his hometown to start over. This time, he borrowed capital again, shifted his focus to deer farming, and expanded his farm from 2 hectares to 5 hectares.
Currently, on an area of 5 hectares, Mr. Toan's farm maintains a herd of 100 breeding sows, 80 deer, and 10 cows. The model is designed as a closed system, with a solar power system installed above and livestock pens below. The vacant land is utilized to cultivate approximately 4 hectares of *Centella asiatica* (Gotu Kola) with nearly 70,000 plants, used for medicinal purposes and in the production of medicinal wine.
The model of producing rice wine from young rice sprouts brings in billions of dong in revenue for Mr. Toan. Photo: Sy Thong
Not content with just livestock farming, Mr. Toan invested in machinery to produce rice wine right on his farm. Each year, the facility supplies the market with approximately 15,000-20,000 liters of wine, selling for 70,000 VND/liter, bringing in revenue of 1.2-1.4 billion VND.
The main ingredient for brewing the rice wine is Laotian glutinous rice; after distillation, the wine is aged in earthenware jars with fragrant young glutinous rice from Bac Ninh , creating a distinctive flavor that is popular in the market. Mr. Toan is currently finalizing the OCOP (One Commune One Product) certification for his brand of aged rice wine.
According to Mr. Toan, in 2024 alone, his family earned approximately 1.5 billion VND from selling breeding pigs, with each batch consisting of 300-400 piglets. In the same year, he sold 40 breeding deer at prices ranging from 14-20 million VND per deer and 34 pairs of deer antlers (0.8-1.2 kg/pair), earning over 300 million VND from deer antlers.
The integrated farm model currently provides regular employment for 8 local workers, with an average income of approximately 8 million VND per person per month. During peak season, the farm has to hire an additional 30 seasonal workers, at a wage of 300,000 VND per day.
Sharing his future plans, Mr. Toan said he will continue to expand production, developing an additional 20 hectares of forest land to cultivate medicinal herbs such as Ba Kich (Radix Polygoni multiflori), Dinh Lang (Centella asiatica), and Tram Gio (Aquilaria sinensis). "Through training sessions organized by the Farmers' Association, I've realized that utilizing forest land for medicinal herb cultivation is a very promising direction," Mr. Toan said.
Commenting on this model, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Dong, Secretary of the Party Committee of Son Hong commune, said that Mr. Le Duc Toan's integrated economic model is a typical example, effectively combining livestock farming, medicinal herb cultivation, wine production, and solar power, bringing in billions of dong in revenue each year.
The model not only enriches the family but also contributes to creating jobs for many local workers.
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Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/anh-nong-dan-ha-tinh-lam-giau-nho-duoi-trong-cay-tren-dien-mat-troi-2485777.html
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