Contributing to the transformation of the border region.

Hai Son commune (Quang Ninh province), a border area once characterized by harsh climate, barren hills, arid land, poverty, and many outdated customs, has now undergone a dramatic transformation, taking on a fresh and vibrant appearance.

Asphalt roads stretch far and wide, sturdy houses stand amidst lush green acacia hills, and valuable golden-flowered tea gardens are flourishing; the lives of the local people are constantly improving… Behind these changes in the border region, there is a significant contribution from the officers, staff, and young volunteer intellectuals of Forestry Station 42, Economic -Defense Group 327, Military Region 3.

Following Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Quang Vinh, Head of Civil Affairs at Forestry Station 42, we visited the integrated agroforestry model of garden-livestock-forestry at the home of Mr. Bui Van Thoan in Luc Phu village, Hai Son commune ( Quang Ninh province). In our conversation with Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Quang Vinh, we learned that more than a decade ago, Mr. Thoan's family migrated to the border region with nothing but 3 hectares of barren hillside land. Wanting to stabilize their lives and settle in this borderland, Mr. Thoan and the local people faced a major question: where to start, what crops to plant, and what livestock to raise for a living?

Young intellectuals volunteering at Forestry Station 42 are disseminating and popularizing laws among the people of Hai Son commune (Quang Ninh province).

Sharing the concerns of the local people, at that time, Forestry Station 42 proactively coordinated with the local government to propose and select Mr. Thoan's family as a model for household economic development, building a model of integrated agriculture and forestry with gardens, livestock, and forests. This is a comprehensive production model that harmoniously combines crop cultivation, animal husbandry, and forestry on the same land, following an ecological, circular, and sustainable approach.

During the implementation of the model, weekly and monthly, the working team of the Forestry Department visited the family to encourage and guide them on farming and livestock techniques, provide seedlings and livestock, and work directly alongside them. Thanks to the advice of the staff and employees of Forestry Department 42, Mr. Thoan decided to choose acacia as a long-term pillar to protect the land; along with intercropping high-value fruit trees such as oranges, pomelos, and jackfruit, which bring in regular income. Then, Mr. Thoan boldly experimented with planting peach trees and, most recently, betel nut trees, a crop with great potential in the midland and mountainous regions of Northern Vietnam.

In addition, his family combined pig, chicken, goose, and duck farming to form a closed-loop system. Thanks to technical support, seeds, and capital from the army and the Forestry Training Center 42, Mr. Thoan's family's model, which started as a small-scale operation, has become a systematic and well-organized one. After 5 years of applying the integrated agroforestry model (garden-livestock-forest), Mr. Thoan's family has an average income of 350 to 400 million VND per year.

Sharing his experience with us, Mr. Bui Van Thoan said: “When the Forestry Department soldiers arrived, we didn't believe this land could be used for growing fruit trees or establishing a livestock farm. But the soldiers and the Youth Volunteer Team members were very enthusiastic and responsible; they persistently came down to support and help us with methods and techniques for planting, raising livestock, and developing the economy. Now, the village has roads and electricity, and the lives of our people are more prosperous and comfortable.”

Soldiers and young intellectuals volunteered at Forestry Station 42 to support the family of Mr. Bui Van Thoan in Hai Son commune in developing an integrated agricultural and forestry model of gardening, livestock farming, and forest.

It is known that, starting from the model of Mr. Thoan's family, the soldiers of Forestry Unit 42 have opened up a new path for the local people. To help the people gradually change their lives, the unit coordinated with the local authorities and other forces to develop a plan, sending teams of civilian affairs workers, combined with the unit's youth volunteer force, to each village and each family to implement the "four together" principle: "eating together, living together, working together, and speaking the local language together," with the motto "guiding hands," "explaining things so the people understand," and "doing things so the people trust and follow." After being informed, encouraged, and seeing the effectiveness of the models, the people proactively came to learn techniques, receive seeds, and follow suit.

Not only do the soldiers and youth volunteers of the unit closely guide the people in applying science and technology to livestock farming and crop cultivation, changing their way of thinking and doing things in agricultural production, but they also regularly organize propaganda and mobilization efforts to raise people's awareness of building new rural areas, guiding them on hygienic living conditions, improving the environment, promoting family planning, providing healthcare for the people, arranging living spaces, planning vegetable gardens and livestock pens, guiding people to gradually eliminate outdated customs, and building a new cultural life...

Actively working alongside the villagers, Ms. Ha Thi Kieu Trang, Head of Forestry Station 42, said: “According to the assignment, we regularly visit families to help them with techniques in farming, livestock raising, disease control, and village health work. In addition, each of us is responsible for disseminating information and mobilizing 2 to 3 households on topics ranging from literacy and legal education to population and reproductive health… Because we delve into the practical aspects of life, we are always appreciated and trusted by the people in each village, and they follow our lead.”

With the support of the soldiers and the Youth Volunteer Team of Forestry Station 42, on this borderland, season after season, greenery gradually spreads across every inch of land. From a particularly difficult locality, Hai Son has become one of the few highland communes with no poor or near-poor households according to the multidimensional poverty standard of Quang Ninh province; the lives of the people here are constantly improving.

Bidding farewell to the soldiers, the Youth Union, and the people of the border region as the lush green acacia hills stretched towards the sun, seeing the radiant faces and the firm handshakes of the bond between the military and the people, we knew that a new spring was coming.

Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-phong-an-ninh/quoc-phong-toan-dan/gop-suc-lam-doi-thay-vung-bien-gioi-1026241