Bac Ninh: Creating sustainable livelihoods through vocational training for cooperative members in ethnic minority areas

According to statistics, Bac Ninh province currently has more than 327 thousand ethnic minorities, accounting for nearly 9% of the population, concentrated in 32 communes. Implementing the National Target Program on economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas (EMM) for the period 2021-2030, phase 1 from 2021-2025, Bac Ninh province has issued many plans to effectively implement in localities with EMM.

"Cooperativeization" of medicinal plants

The mountainous area of ​​Van Son commune (Bac Ninh province) has witnessed a strong transformation in economic development with a bright spot being the model of growing precious medicinal plants such as purple Morinda officinalis. The effective exploitation of local advantages, the transformation of production thinking from fragmented, low-efficiency to concentrated commodity economy with the key role of cooperatives in linking value chains has supported, oriented, and assisted ethnic minority and mountainous people to gradually escape poverty sustainably.

Ethnic minorities in Van Son commune, with the purple Morinda officinalis growing model, have gradually escaped poverty and stabilized their economy. Photo: PV

Van Son commune, with a large natural area and 88% of which is forestry land, is a place of solidarity for 10 ethnic groups, of which ethnic minorities account for 97.51%. Taking advantage of the potential of land and suitable climate, the local government has encouraged people to switch from low-economic forest planting (acacia, eucalyptus) to developing medicinal plants with high economic value, of which purple Morinda officinalis is the main crop.

Purple Morinda officinalis, which grows naturally on the mountainside, has now been brought to a concentrated planting area for commodities. The People's Committee of Van Son commune has proactively connected with businesses in the purchasing and consumption of products, ensuring stable output for people. At the same time, the commune has promoted the establishment of cooperatives, cooperative groups (THT), and professional associations to support each other in seeds and care techniques. In particular, the establishment of cooperatives in the area has supported cooperative members and ethnic minority people to grasp planting and cultivation techniques, then guide, support, and provide vocational training for later members of the cooperative.

According to the experience of people participating in cooperatives and cooperative groups (THT), purple ba kích is a plant that needs careful care: the soil must be loose, well-drained, planted under the forest canopy, weeded regularly and no herbicides must be used to ensure the quality of the tubers. Mr. Be Van Trong (Dao ethnic group, San village), one of the pioneering households in converting the crop structure, shared: "With purple ba kích, weeding and tilling the soil are very important. In the first two years, I weeded and tilled the soil 4-5 times a year to keep the soil loose, limiting the development of fungal diseases."

Promoting the role of cooperatives in changing thinking and promoting economic development in ethnic minority areas

Thanks to the systematic investment and compliance with scientific farming techniques and the guidance of the Bac Ninh Province Cooperative Union for cooperative models growing purple ba kich, the economic efficiency of this medicinal herb has helped people gradually escape poverty. According to statistics, 1 hectare of purple ba kich can bring in billions of dong in revenue, profits many times higher than traditional acacia and eucalyptus planting.

The sustainable development of the Van Son purple ba kích area is closely linked to the supporting and leading role of the Bac Ninh Provincial Cooperative Union and the authorities at all levels. The Bac Ninh Provincial Cooperative Union has coordinated to organize many training sessions, seminars, and directly instruct on planting and caring for purple ba kích, helping farmers master scientific farming methods. This not only increases productivity but also ensures the quality of medicinal tubers, meeting market standards. Many households have proactively invested funds to install automatic irrigation systems and build solid trellises, demonstrating a fundamental change in production thinking: from traditional farming to high-tech agriculture .

Representatives of some cooperatives said that developing purple ginseng not only helps increase income and improve living standards, but also changes people's production mindset, from small-scale production to commodities linked to market linkages.

In the coming period, the goal is not only to expand the area, but also to find solutions to build a deep processing model to exploit the multi-level value of medicinal herbs. Deep processing will help significantly increase economic efficiency, create more jobs on the spot and ensure sustainable poverty reduction. Converting the acacia and eucalyptus planting model to purple Morinda officinalis is the first step, but to optimize profits, the connection between people and cooperatives in the processing, packaging and promotion stages plays an important role.

With the ethnic minorities in Van Son gradually escaping poverty through cooperative models of growing Morinda officinalis, vocational training for members participating in the cooperative, the Cooperative has contributed to the effective and synchronous implementation of the National Target Program on economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, promoting potential and advantages to create a stable source of income for the people here.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/bac-ninh-tao-sinh-ke-ben-vung-thong-qua-dao-tao-nghe-cho-thanh-vien-htx-vung-dong-bao-dan-toc-thieu-so-10399356.html