Sustainable poverty reduction in Lang Son, from support policies to a prosperous life

Fishing rod for livelihood - The golden key to escape poverty

Lang Son province has always identified poverty reduction as a key political task. With the drastic participation of the entire political system and the consensus and efforts of the people themselves, the socio-economic picture of the province has undergone spectacular changes.

From the National Target Program on Sustainable Poverty Reduction, there have been crops and livestock supported for people to develop the economy . Photo: Hoang Tinh

If at the beginning of 2021, the poverty rate of the whole province according to multidimensional standards was 12.2%, then over the years, this number has decreased impressively. By 2024, the poverty rate of the province was 3.36%.

One of the most effective highlights of the program is Project 2: Diversifying livelihoods and developing poverty reduction models.

Instead of providing "free" and widespread support, Project 2's models focus on giving people "fishing rods" and instructions on "how to fish". These are livestock and crop farming models that are suitable for local soil conditions and farming practices and bring high economic value.

The family of Ms. Loc Thi Yen in Con Ngoa village, Thuy Hung commune is a living proof. From a near-poor household with unstable income, mainly relying on rice and corn, living in poverty all year round, in 2023, Ms. Yen's family was selected to participate in the project and was supported with 2 breeding cows.

The most valuable thing is the change in people's thinking. No longer having the mentality of waiting and depending, Ms. Yen shared: My family's income mainly depends on agricultural production such as growing rice and corn, so it is still difficult all year round. Since I learned that my family was participating in the project, I have proactively built a suitable barn and planted 2 more acres of elephant grass to serve the cow raising.

That initiative, combined with the State's seed capital, quickly bore fruit. After receiving support, her family immediately brought the cows for breeding. From the initial two breeding cows, Ms. Yen's family had in their hands an asset worth hundreds of millions of dong. More importantly, it was a sustainable livelihood.

"My family will continue to take care of the cows so they can grow healthy, create a sustainable livelihood, and strive to improve," Ms. Yen affirmed her determination.

The "Buffalo farming and selling grazing" model has helped Mr. Thu's family escape poverty. Photo: Hoang Tinh

Also within the framework of Project 2, in Ban Duoc village, Thien Long commune, the "Buffalo raising and semi-grazing" model has brought immediate results in 2024. A typical example is Mr. Lang Van Thu's family, who was supported by the project to buy 3 buffaloes. Mr. Thu has applied the correct care and grazing techniques. The buffalo herd has developed well and adapted quickly to local conditions.

Last September, Mr. Thu sold his buffalo herd and earned a profit of more than 60 million VND. This is a figure that his family previously did not dare to dream of.

Immediately after selling the buffalo herd, Mr. Thu used the money to buy 4 more breeding buffaloes to continue raising, creating a long-term source of income.

From the three buffaloes, Mr. Thu not only made a big profit but also reinvested and expanded the scale himself. The policy capital has truly become "seed capital", activating the internal strength and desire to get rich of the people themselves.

Replicating the model, spreading new vitality

The effectiveness of pilot models like Ms. Yen and Mr. Thu in recent times has not stopped at the household scale but is being rapidly replicated by localities in Lang Son, creating a wave of widespread economic development.

People's lives are improving day by day and a prosperous and fulfilling future is increasingly present in the villages of Lang Son. Photo: Hoang Tinh

Lang Son's impressive poverty reduction achievements in recent years are the result of a combination of many factors, but the greatest success is that it has changed the mindset and way of thinking of the people. From a passive mentality, waiting for support from the State, now, the majority of poor and near-poor households have proactively researched, learned, and boldly registered to participate in economic models.

Like the way Ms. Yen "proactively built barns" or Mr. Thu "used money to buy more buffaloes", people have seen support policies as a launching pad, a motivation to rise up on their own.

It can be seen that when the will to be self-reliant and self-reliant is aroused, combined with the right and accurate support from the projects, the goal of "sustainable poverty reduction" is no longer a slogan. The lives of households have truly improved day by day, and a prosperous and fulfilling future is clearly present in all the villages of Lang.

Source: https://sonnmt.langson.gov.vn/tin-tuc-su-kien/giam-ngheo-ben-vung-tai-lang-son-tu-chinh-sach-ho-tro-den-cuoc-song-kham-kha.html