The journey out of poverty of a couple in the border area

Aspiration to change life in the border area

Thong Thu is a border commune in the west of Nghe An province, bordering Laos, with many difficult socio -economic conditions. People here mainly live on slash-and-burn farming and small-scale livestock farming. Unstable income makes many households only have enough to eat all year round, making it difficult to save up to build new models.

In that context, the breakthrough of Mr. Sam Van Binh and his wife, Ms. Sam Thi Huyen (Muong Cat village), became a "bright spot". Born in 1988, growing up in poverty, Mr. Binh always wondered how to help his family escape from the traditional poverty. "Farming is sometimes profitable, sometimes not, raising pigs and chickens is also prone to diseases. I thought for a long time but could not find a suitable direction," Mr. Binh recalled.

Porcupine farming model of Mr. Sam Van Binh and his wife Sam Thi Huyen.

The turning point came in 2013, when through newspapers and TV shows, he learned about the model of raising porcupines - a new type of pet but with high economic efficiency. After many nights of discussion and consideration, he and his wife decided to bet on this direction. With all the money they had saved, the couple boldly spent 5 million VND to buy the first pair of porcupines. "At that time, no one in the village raised them, everyone said it was a risk. But I thought if I didn't try, I would remain poor all my life," he smiled gently.

With new pets and not yet mastered the techniques, the couple had to learn little by little. From how to build cages, feeding rations to monitoring the hedgehog's habits, everything was based on what they read and practical experience. Mr. Binh said: "Hedgehogs are wild animals, so at first they were very shy. I had to observe them every day to see what they liked to eat and what temperature they could withstand. At that time, I was worried, afraid that if I didn't raise them properly, I would lose everything."

The initial pen was just a few small temporary cells. But month by month, year by year, the porcupine population grew larger. Thanks to the cool climate and abundant natural food sources, from pumpkins, bananas, papayas to kohlrabi, cassava, etc., the porcupine population grew quite well.

Porcupine farming model helps Mr. Binh and his wife escape poverty

What reassures the couple the most is that hedgehogs rarely get sick, have high resistance, are cheap to feed, and do not require elaborate cooking. This feature helps them save a significant amount of time and money, making it suitable for highland conditions.

From a pair of hedgehogs to a sustainable economic model

After 3 years of care, the first litters of baby hedgehogs were born. Each year, the family can sell 7-8 meat hedgehogs and 3-4 pairs of breeding hedgehogs, at a commercial price of about 250,000 VND/kg. Meat hedgehogs reach a weight of 9-10 kg after 10 months, with stable output thanks to increased consumption demand. The income of nearly 50 million VND/year from this model, plus additional income from farming and gathering, has helped Mr. Binh's family escape poverty sustainably.

To date, the model has been expanded to include 36 hedgehogs, of which 2/3 are parent hedgehogs. The cages are solidly built, divided into small, clean, airy, high cells, avoiding moisture. The care work is also arranged scientifically : feeding and cleaning the cage in the morning; adding fresh food and checking health in the evening. "Raising is not as hard as raising cattle. You just need to be patient, hardworking, and observe carefully," Mr. Binh shared.

Thanks to his family’s success, many households in the village have come to learn. Not only providing breeds, he and his wife also provide technical guidance and share their experiences so that people can boldly follow suit.

Many local people have come to learn about porcupine raising from Mr. Binh and his wife.

For Mr. Binh and his wife, raising porcupines is not only a way to make a living but also a way to change their lives right in their homeland. When the economy improves, they invest in their children's education, expand their barns, buy more good breeds, and plan to develop more porcupine products.

“The happiest thing is that not only my family has escaped poverty, but many people in the village have also started raising pigs. We want to share so that everyone can have a better life,” Huyen confided.

From hardship, Mr. Sam Van Binh and his wife have opened a new direction, contributing to changing the economic landscape in the border village.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoai, Chairwoman of Thong Thu Commune People's Committee, said: "Raising porcupines is a new model but very suitable for local conditions. The effectiveness of the model of Mr. Sam Van Binh's family shows that people can completely escape poverty if they know how to apply science and technology and choose suitable livestock."

The locality is also encouraging people to expand sustainable livestock farming and promoting compliance with regulations on wildlife protection. According to regulations, when raising porcupines, they must have a certificate of origin and register with the forestry agency. “We provide full guidance on procedures so that people can feel secure in raising and selling them. Models like Mr. Binh’s are worth replicating,” said Ms. Hoai.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/hanh-trinh-thoat-ngheo-cua-doi-vo-chong-vung-bien-post1800866.tpo