Phong Chau builds new rural areas.

In 2011, when the new rural development program began, a review showed that Phong Chau had only met 4 out of 19 criteria. Many difficulties lay ahead, with the criterion of people's income being the most challenging to solve.

Because the majority of the population cultivates rice and corn, and engages in small-scale livestock farming, resulting in low incomes, the leaders of Phong Chau commune have identified a breakthrough direction: transforming crop and livestock production towards a commercial model. They have encouraged young people to take the lead in developing duck farming, forestry, timber processing, glutinous rice cultivation, specialty beekeeping, and expanding chestnut cultivation – all products with inherent advantages in the locality.

To date, the commune has five forestry and livestock farming models. Among them, Mr. Nong Van Viet from Ban Viet hamlet raises nearly 1,000 ducks for egg production and commercial purposes. Mr. Nong Van Duyet from Pac Coong hamlet fattens buffaloes and cattle and raises grass-fed ducks. Meanwhile, Ms. Mong Thi Hien from Na Man - Ban Pien hamlet develops forestry, fattens buffaloes and cattle, and raises grass-fed ducks, earning an income of 100 to 200 million VND per year.

To create an outlet for forestry products in the area, Mr. Nong Van Hien developed a wood processing workshop in Na Man hamlet - Ban Pien village, providing employment for six permanent workers and dozens of seasonal workers with an income of 200,000 VND per day. The movement to develop forest planting spread throughout the commune, and in 2021, Mr. Hoang Van Thien and Mr. Hoang Van Nin in Na Man hamlet - Ban Pien village earned between 200 and over 400 million VND from selling production forests.

Recognizing the effectiveness of youth-led production transformation models, local people actively learned from and followed suit. Many models of fattening buffalo and cattle, and raising grass-fed ducks spread, and Phong Chau commune also planted 100 hectares of chestnut trees. As a result, the poverty rate in the commune has decreased rapidly, currently only 24 poor households, accounting for 5.3%, making it the locality with the lowest poverty rate in the district. The average per capita income in the commune increased from 18 million VND in 2015 to 32 million VND per person in 2020. People actively participated in contributing to the construction of new rural areas.

During the implementation of the new rural development program, Phong Chau commune paid special attention to promoting openness, democracy, transparency, and consensus from the people when carrying out tasks, especially criteria such as transportation infrastructure and environmental sanitation. The Party Committee and commune leaders considered these to be challenging criteria that needed to be completed. From the process of developing the new rural development plan, each item was publicly posted, disseminated, explained, and feedback was solicited from the people.

During implementation, residents were consulted, and then the commune organized each household to sign a commitment to participate. As a result, the majority of residents enthusiastically supported and participated in the projects. For any problems that arose, commune officials directly disseminated information, persuaded, explained, and resolved them promptly. Thanks to skillful community mobilization, from 2011 to the present, Phong Chau commune has successfully mobilized residents to donate over 5 hectares of land for roads, irrigation canals, and a community center. This has transformed the rural landscape, and residents are delighted by the wide, open roads within the fields, making the transportation of supplies, fertilizers, and rice harvesting more mechanized and convenient.

Previously, environmental sanitation was a difficult criterion to achieve in Phong Chau commune due to low public awareness regarding waste collection and disposal, and the custom of building cattle sheds under stilt houses, which caused environmental pollution and health problems. In 2014, 145 out of 518 households in the commune still kept cattle under their houses. This outdated practice was not easy to resolve because surveys revealed that some households lacked land, money, or manpower to build new sheds and move livestock from under their houses. To overcome the shortcomings in environmental sanitation in the commune, the local authorities developed a detailed plan, assigning commune organizations, Party branches, and village heads to intensify propaganda, mobilization, and understanding of people's concerns.

Evaluating the success of Phong Chau commune's Party Committee in building new rural areas, the Secretary of the Trung Khanh District Party Committee, Pham Van Cao, shared that many correct policies of the commune's Party Committee have been implemented synchronously and put into practice. The people trust the leadership of the Party Committee and the government, and are in agreement to contribute and participate in building new rural areas, striving to make Phong Chau a model new rural commune in the near future.

Text and photos: MINH TUAN

Source: https://nhandan.vn/phong-chau-xay-dung-nong-thon-moi-post669202.html