Poverty reduction policy among the Khmu ethnic group needs to create sustainable livelihoods.

Reporter of Natural Resources and Environment Newspaper had an interview with Mr. Hoang Van Dung, Vice Chairman of Muong Lat District People's Committee about the effectiveness and difficulties in implementing policies and guidelines for the Kho Mu ethnic group.

Reporter: Could you tell us about the effectiveness of poverty reduction policies implemented among the Khmu ethnic group?

Mr. Hoang Van Dung:

According to statistics of Muong Lat District People's Committee, from 2020 to present, the production development support programs and policies 135; Decree 30a on support for seeds, fertilizers, and technical support for people have been basically implemented and brought about efficiency. Support for breeding animals is 57 with a cost of 630,000 million VND, up to now the total herd of livestock is 755 animals (including 411 cows, 344 pigs). In particular, models and projects to support production development have improved the lives of people in the district in general, and the Kho Mu ethnic group in particular.

Spacious stilt houses in Doan Ket village (now Doan Ket Quarter, Muong Lat town)

The policy of supporting housing construction and stabilizing the lives of poor households in especially difficult circumstances has been implemented. Doan Ket Quarter, Muong Lat Town has invested in building a suspension bridge connecting National Highway 15C across the Ma River to the quarter, the road to the center of the quarter has been concreted to serve the travel needs of the people.

In Doan Ket quarter (Muong Lat town) and Lach village (Muong Chanh commune), there are 5 canals and irrigation dams serving the irrigation needs of the people. 100% of the people have been supported to use centralized domestic water. With 02 main tanks and 09 small tanks located at the central points of the area and village. There are 04 schools including 02 kindergartens and 02 primary schools that have been invested in construction to serve the learning needs of students.

The Party and State have paid attention to all households, creating the best conditions for borrowing capital to develop production, expand livestock farming, borrow capital for vocational training, find jobs... at banks in the district. The total number of households borrowing capital is: 222 households with the amount of 4,080 million VND.

With the attention and direction of Party committees at all levels and the participation of the entire political system from the province, district, commune to village, the village chiefs, elders, prestigious people and people have understood and effectively implemented the Project.

Doan Ket village, Ten Tan commune (now Doan Ket residential area, Muong Lat town) is also one of two villages selected to implement the Project "Stabilizing the lives and socio -economic development of the Kho Mu people in Thanh Hoa province until 2020" and then extended to 2021.

Doan Ket village is located on the other side of Xia stream, with rugged mountainous terrain, separated by rivers and streams, making transportation extremely difficult. Before 2020, 100% of the households in the village were poor, people mainly lived by farming on a small area of arable land and raising livestock. Since the project was implemented, people have changed their thinking and awareness to escape poverty. The whole village now has nearly 200 people working abroad and doing business in other provinces. In the village, there are 2 people who have graduated from university and have stable jobs. The spacious stilt houses that have been built show that life is increasingly full, no longer the scene of makeshift houses, worrying about making ends meet.

Reporter: Could you please tell us about the shortcomings and difficulties in implementing policies among the Khmu ethnic group?

Mr. Hoang Van Dung:

Due to the low level of education, the dissemination and implementation of programs and policies still face many difficulties. In particular, the access to science and technology in production and animal husbandry of the people is still limited, so the effectiveness of the policies is not high. Compared to the general level, the Kho Mu ethnic group is still the ethnic group with the most difficult conditions in the district, the lowest quality of human resources, the slowest socio-economic development; the lowest access to basic social services, the highest poverty rate.

Poverty reduction policies among the Khmu ethnic group need to be linked to reality, creating sustainable livelihoods.

The propaganda and mobilization work for people to listen, understand and implement the Project has not been thorough. Some policies lack specificity, lack feasibility, are not close to reality and are not suitable for the actual conditions of the people. The policies mainly directly support the people; there are not many policies that support long-term and sustainable livelihoods. Many policies have been issued but the resources for implementation have not met the needs; the policy development is term-based, short-term, the implementation time and resources are not commensurate. The assignment of management, direction and implementation of policies is still overlapping. Some policies still lack coordination or overlook the role of the system of agencies working on ethnic affairs, leading to difficulties in implementation.

Reporter: So, what solutions can you provide to effectively implement poverty reduction policies for the Khmu ethnic group in the district?

Mr. Hoang Van Dung:

In Muong Lat district, there are 6 ethnic groups living together: Thai, Mong, Muong, Dao, Kho Mu and Kinh, in which Thai and Mong ethnic groups make up the majority, Kho Mu ethnic group only makes up 2.49%. Kho Mu ethnic group lives in Lach village, Muong Chanh commune and Doan Ket village, Ten Tan commune (now Muong Lat town).

In the past years, the life of the Khmu ethnic group faced many difficulties due to the small cultivated area, the mountains were mainly made of limestone, many backward customs in funerals and weddings, and the high rate of early marriage and incestuous marriage. People lived mainly by growing rice on a small area and raising buffalo and cows in the forest.

With the Party and State's policies and guidelines in implementing the project "Stabilizing the lives and socio-economic development of the Kho Mu ethnic group in Thanh Hoa province until 2020". In recent years, with the attention and direction of the Party Committee and local authorities, many policies, models, projects and a number of other social security policies have been implemented. Many policies implemented in the Kho Mu ethnic group, Muong Lat district have brought practical results to the people, contributing to stabilizing the population, improving their lives, increasing their income, improving their intellectual level and gradually escaping poverty. Typical policies are policies to support housing for poor households, support production development, support healthcare,education , support for purchasing labor supplies, labor export, etc.

Based on the Provincial Plan and the District Plan, it is necessary to organize propaganda and mobilization to the Khmu ethnic group in many forms so that people can grasp the province's policy on implementing the contents of the Project. At the same time, organize for village chiefs, elders, and prestigious people to visit model sites to propagate to the people.

It is necessary to adjust some policies and regimes to be more suitable for ethnic minorities; it is necessary to continue researching and providing long-term orientations to help people stabilize their economy and life with the motto of providing means and knowledge for people to change their thinking and ways of doing things, and rise out of poverty; it is necessary to continue to pay attention to resources to meet approved plans to support ethnic minorities while at the same time having investments for a long-term vision of sustainable poverty reduction goals suitable for the region and indigenous people...

Thank you very much!

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