Transform barren hills into places of abundance.

From a barren, hilly land, farmer Ho Xa Nat, a Van Kieu ethnic minority member from Ra Ly Rao village, Huong Son commune, Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri province, resolutely transformed it, introducing new, suitable crops and livestock into production. The land rewarded his hard work; after a period of diligent labor, he turned what seemed like a "dormant" area into a springboard, helping his family escape poverty and accumulate wealth.

Mr. Nat takes care of the Gynostemma pentaphyllum plant - Photo: ML

When he got married and moved out on his own more than 20 years ago, Mr. Nat was given about 6 hectares of hilly land that had been left fallow for a long time by his parents. At that time, standing before the steep, weed-covered hill, he couldn't imagine what he should do to produce crops. Initially, to sustain his life, he cleared a portion of the land to grow upland rice and cassava. While continuing with traditional farming methods, he also researched new and effective economic models in the area to see how they produced their crops.

Eager to address the large amount of uncultivated land, he encouraged his wife to gradually improve the soil first, then find suitable crops and livestock to cultivate. In 2008, Mr. Nat began planting melaleuca trees and coffee. Seeing that some models of Gynostemma pentaphyllum in the Lia region were developing well and generating good income, he continued to improve the land to plant this crop. Starting with a moderately sized pilot planting area, after more than 10 years of learning and gaining experience in cultivation, he has now successfully built a garden-livestock-forest (VCR) economic model with nearly 3.5 hectares of forest, over 1 hectare of coffee, 3 sao (approximately 0.3 hectares) of Gynostemma pentaphyllum, and the remaining area planted with Terminalia chebula. In 2023 alone, coffee and Gynostemma pentaphyllum fetched good prices, bringing in over 80 million VND in income. In the near future, the harvested melaleuca trees will bring a significant source of income for his family.

Along with farming, Mr. Nat also researched and studied suitable livestock breeds to expand his economic model. To date, his family has developed a herd of buffalo and goats totaling 17 animals. Thanks to proper disease prevention, all the livestock in his farm are thriving.

Recognizing the needs of farmers in the commune, in 2020, his family invested in a plow and a rice milling machine to serve their own production as well as to provide plowing and milling services for other villagers. Thanks to this, his family has gained additional income, and their economic situation has improved significantly. Currently, their total annual income exceeds 100 million VND. While this amount may not be large compared to other economic models, the time and effort his wife and he have invested in conquering the hillside to achieve the results they have today is remarkable.

Mr. Nat said: “To build the model we have today, we had to spend a long time learning about the economic practices of many farmer members in the region and drawing our own conclusions from the production process. In the future, my family plans to continue developing the VCR model to increase our income.”

Thanks to a stable income from farming and livestock, Mr. Nat's family built a spacious house and purchased modern household appliances. His children received a good education. Of his three children, the eldest is currently a cultural officer at the Huong Son Commune People's Committee, and the second works at the Bac Huong Hoa Nature Reserve. Based on his family's economic success, he regularly shares his experience, provides technical guidance, and teaches model building techniques to other households in the area.

According to Ho Van Vy, Vice Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Huong Son commune, Mr. Nat is a leading ethnic minority farmer who diligently reclaimed land and knew how to learn about farming and livestock raising, developing a highly effective crop-based farming model and building a civilized and progressive family life. For many years, he has been recognized as an outstanding farmer in production and business at all levels. He deserves to be a role model for farmers in Huong Son commune in general, and ethnic minority farmers in particular, to learn from and emulate.

In the coming period, the association will advise higher authorities and seek preferential loan sources to help farmer members develop their economy. It will also propose opening training courses on crop cultivation and livestock farming to provide knowledge and help members effectively apply it to economic models. Through this, many members will gradually change their production methods, improve their lives, and rise to legitimate wealth.

Comment (0)