"Turning" barren land into an effective economic model

Mr. Tran Van Toan's orange garden is lush green, bringing in a good income each crop.

In the sunny and windy borderland of Vu Quang, Mr. Tran Van Toan in Ngan Kieu village (Tho Dien commune) is known as a typical farmer, not only because of his determination to overcome difficulties but also because of his innovative thinking and bold investment in developing the family economy . From nothing, with his persistent will and creativity in doing things, he has "awakened" the barren, rocky hills into a fruit-laden orange garden, opening the way for many local people to rise up and escape poverty.

This is not an easy achievement, but is the result of more than a decade of hard work in improving hilly land, researching new varieties and applying technical advances to production.

Recalling the first day of starting his business, Toan shared: “At that time, my family had just moved out and life was very difficult. When the commune had a policy of allocating hilly land to grow citrus fruit trees, I took a risk and registered to receive more than 1 hectare of land to grow oranges. Having no experience, I had to learn by myself, visit models in different places, learn little by little about varieties and care techniques. Luckily, the land did not disappoint people.”

In addition to growing oranges, Mr. Toan also focuses on developing livestock to increase income.

He pays special attention to growing oranges in an organic, safe and sustainable way, limiting the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Thanks to that, the productivity and quality of the fruit are increasingly high, gaining the trust of traders, who buy them directly from the garden at good prices. Each year, the orange hill brings his family a stable income of over 150 million VND.

Not stopping there, when the economy was more stable, Mr. Toan continued to invest in livestock farming. “I raise about 30 pigs and hundreds of chickens. I also had to experiment with many types of food and farming methods to gain experience. On average, I earn nearly 100 million VND per year from livestock farming,” he said.

Seeing the abundant potential of the land, Mr. Toan learned more about new economic models, from which he brought in the model of growing pineapples in association with businesses and raising civets. Initially, raising civets encountered many difficulties, and there were even times when it seemed like it had to stop. However, with perseverance and a spirit of not giving up, he gradually revived the model. Currently, his family has 0.4 hectares of pineapples and 10 pairs of civets that are in a good development stage, promising to bring high economic efficiency in the near future.

Mô hình trồng dứa liên kết của anh Toàn phát triển tốt. — Mr. Toan's pineapple growing model is developing well.

Not only is he good at business, Mr. Tran Van Toan is also the Head of the Farmers' Association of Ngan Kieu village - always a role model, a pioneer in local movements. He actively propagates and mobilizes people to change the structure of crops and livestock, shares plant and animal varieties and technical experience with members.

“I think when I can do it, I have to pull the villagers to do it together, to escape poverty together. If I see anyone lacking seeds or knowledge, I am ready to help. Up to now, in the village, there are 7 households growing pineapples and 2 households developing a civet farming model,” he added.

In addition, Mr. Toan also regularly participates in border marker protection activities with the border guards, participates in cleaning days, contributing to building a safe and civilized rural environment.

Not only is he good at economics, Mr. Tran Van Toan is also the Head of the Exemplary Farmers' Association of Ngan Kieu village.

Mr. Tran Manh Hung - Vice Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Vu Quang district shared: "Mr. Toan is an exemplary branch president, daring to think, daring to do and always exemplary in association activities. He is not only successful in economic development but also spreads the spirit of support and sharing in the community. The Farmers' Association of the commune and district always considers him one of the core factors to build a movement of good farmers in production and business, actively contributing to the local program of building advanced new rural areas".

The story of overcoming difficulties and the will to constantly innovate of Mr. Tran Van Toan is not only a shining example for farmers in Tho Dien commune but also a typical image of a modern farmer who knows how to take advantage of opportunities to change his life, contributing to enriching his homeland in the border area.