Youthful energy pioneers, making barren land bloom.

More than a decade ago, no one in Dong Thinh commune (Yen Lap district, formerly Phu Tho province) could have imagined that the stagnant, overgrown swamp in Dong Tien village could be transformed into a lush green farm with fruit trees bearing fruit year-round and a scientifically arranged livestock enclosure. Adding to this picturesque landscape, a spacious and comfortable home is a testament to their prosperity. Celebrating the homeowners, the local people are even more impressed by the willpower, perseverance, diligence, thirst for knowledge, creative thinking, and daring spirit of the young couple, Dinh Van Thanh and Duong Thi Tuyet, who have made barren land blossom...

Ms. Duong Thi Tuyet's family orchard currently has over 300 custard apple trees, 200 longan trees, along with sour and black olive trees... which are beginning to yield fruit.

In early August, as midday approached, the sun became increasingly scorching, the air stifling and oppressive; even sitting indoors, one could still sweat uncomfortably. Completely covered in heat-resistant clothing, Ms. Duong Thi Tuyet was still busy tending to her dragon fruit orchard of over 2,000 plants, which were flowering and bearing fruit. A few kilometers away, her husband and a team of workers were diligently clearing undergrowth on the towering hilltop, caring for the growing plants whose canopies were closing.

Born in 1989, at the age of 20, Duong Thi Tuyet, a Dao ethnic girl from Xuan Thuy commune (now Xuan Vien commune), married Dinh Van Thanh, a Muong man, and became a daughter-in-law in Dong Thinh commune. Coming from a farming family and accustomed to hard work in the fields since childhood, Tuyet felt a pang of regret seeing her husband's vast, abandoned hillside, sparsely covered with a few scrawny eucalyptus trees.

Sympathizing with his wife, from a young age, Thanh harbored the ambition to become wealthy on his homeland's farmland. He registered to take the entrance exam and studied veterinary medicine at a vocational school. After returning to work in his local area, he continued his studies at the University of Agriculture , independently learning and equipping himself with the necessary technical knowledge and experience in farming and livestock raising.

The 2.7-hectare fish pond not only enhances the landscape and regulates the air temperature but also provides a stable source of income from traditional commercial fish species.

"With a harmonious husband and wife, even the East Sea can be emptied," the couple discussed and planned meticulously, then set about transforming their overgrown garden, experimenting with suitable crops and livestock. Even now, whenever Thanh and Tuyet are mentioned, people in the surrounding area still praise and admire their diligence and hard work. From dawn until dusk, she is almost always present on the hill or in the garden.

When Mr. Thanh was still a veterinary officer in the commune, as soon as he finished work at the office, he would roll up his sleeves and work tirelessly at home. With knowledge, experience, and a desire to get rich, he and his wife experimented with many economic models and were pioneers in the commune in raising breeding bulls, monitor lizards, bamboo rats, wild boars, etc.

Despite generating significantly higher income compared to traditional livestock farming, the couple were still dissatisfied due to the uncertain results, unstable market demand, and the fact that the crop wasn't truly suitable for their soil conditions and hadn't fully utilized the potential and advantages of their family's garden land. Deciding to focus on fruit trees, after several learning experiences, in 2014, Ms. Tuyet and her husband purchased a batch of red-fleshed dragon fruit seedlings from the Seedling Center of the Hanoi Agricultural Academy to plant experimentally on their family's garden land.

With suitable soil and proper care, the dragon fruit trees thrived, and the very first harvest yielded a bountiful crop for the family. Word spread, and many people came to learn about the care techniques and buy seedlings from her to plant. The income from seedlings and ripe red-fleshed dragon fruit steadily increased, providing the family with capital to reinvest and expand their orchard. To date, her family has over 2,000 dragon fruit trees, yielding four harvests annually with an average yield of 70 kg per tree. With an average selling price of 20,000 VND/kg, the red-fleshed dragon fruit alone brings her family a stable income of over a billion VND each year. Her fruit orchard has also become stable, with separate areas dedicated to high-economic-value native crops such as 200 longan trees, 300 custard apple trees, and 50 sour and black olive trees.

Instead of spreading herself too thin, Ms. Lieu focused on raising capons to meet the demand for ceremonial chickens, especially during the Lunar New Year. Each year, she sells 7-8 quintals of capons at a price of approximately 200,000 VND/kg. Alongside this, she has a 2.7-hectare fish pond with traditional commercial fish species that yield a steady harvest, and nearly 5 hectares of forest land planted with acacia trees... This integrated farm model has helped Ms. Lieu's family achieve a prosperous life and earned her recognition as a model farmer excelling in production and business at the provincial level.

To further improve the efficiency of farming and livestock raising, especially to enhance the value of red-fleshed dragon fruit, in 2020, Ms. Lieu mobilized dragon fruit-growing families in the commune to establish the Tan Phat General Agricultural Cooperative with 14 members, with her as Director. With over 6,000 trees, the dragon fruit production of Dong Thinh commune reaches approximately 1,600 tons per year. The fruit is visually appealing, of guaranteed quality, and traders come to buy it directly from the farmers as soon as it ripens. Recognized as a 3-star OCOP product since the end of 2023, red-fleshed dragon fruit has increasingly affirmed its position and role as a crop helping people in Dong Thinh escape poverty and develop sustainable family economies.

The spacious new house is located on the integrated farm of the Dinh Van Thanh - Duong Thi Tuyet family.

Mr. Dinh Cong Van, Vice Chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee and Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Dong Thinh commune, affirmed: "In recent years, the movement of farmers competing in excellent production and business in the commune has spread strongly and deeply with many effective economic models, providing stable income. Among them, the family of Mr. and Mrs. Dinh Van Thanh and Duong Thi Tuyet is a typical example of the will and aspiration to rise up and get rich on their homeland through diligence, hard work, a spirit of learning, creative thinking, and daring to think and act."

In the coming period, the Farmers' Association will continue to focus on disseminating information and mobilizing people to promote the emulation movement of excellent production and business with models suitable to local conditions, maximizing the potential and strengths of the locality. The Association will always join hands and actively support members with scientific and technical knowledge, capital, and product promotion.

Dong Thinh is transforming. A prosperous life is becoming a reality for more and more households in this mountainous region. The barren land is now blossoming thanks to the hands and minds of hardworking, diligent people who are determined to get rich on their homeland.

Cam Ninh

Source: https://baophutho.vn/suc-tre-khai-pha-dat-can-no-hoa-237467.htm