Creating livelihoods for the poor to rise up

Ang Cang Commune Farmers' Association (Muong Ang District) cooperated with Viet Bac Coffee Import-Export Company Limited to support organic fertilizers for coffee growers in the commune.

Despite favorable conditions due to its geographical location near the center of Muong Lay town, Huoi Min village, Song Da ward is one of the particularly difficult villages. The reason for this difficulty, in addition to the lack of infrastructure and roads, is the old awareness and thinking in production. Instead of taking advantage of the terrain conditions and advantages for raising livestock and growing crops, people basically only cultivate upland rice, with low productivity.

Faced with that situation, with the participation of local Party committees and authorities, the Provincial Farmers' Association has coordinated with the departments and offices of the town to promote propaganda and mobilize people to pay more attention to livestock farming and production. Along with that, coordinating to organize short-term vocational training courses such as: Techniques for caring for and preventing diseases for rice; techniques for raising and preventing diseases for livestock and poultry... After being organized, the training courses have helped people raise awareness in farming and livestock farming.

Mr. Lau A So, Huoi Min village, excitedly said that the village currently has more than 20 households, 100% of whom are Mong ethnic people. Previously, the villagers had a very difficult life, relying on their fields all year round for production, so they often went hungry. In recent years, thanks to the propaganda and mobilization of the Farmers' Association at all levels and local authorities, people have understood the benefits of changing the structure of crops and livestock, actively participating in vocational training classes for rural workers, and applying scientific advances in production. Therefore, from the barren rice fields of the whole village, the village has now converted more than 10 hectares of terraced fields, producing 2 crops, with a yield of 50 - 53 quintals/ha.

Wishing that many members and farmers would be trained in vocational skills, in recent years, farmers' associations at all levels have regularly coordinated with specialized agencies, such as: Farmers' Support Center, Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs, Center for Continuing Education - Vocational Education of districts, People's Committees of communes and wards to conduct surveys, grasp the vocational training needs of people, socio -economic development conditions of the locality to organize vocational training classes for rural workers. Vocational training classes focus on agriculture such as: Intensive fruit tree cultivation techniques; mushroom planting and preservation; safe vegetable growing techniques...

With the motto of "hand-holding", "learning goes hand in hand with practice", through each vocational training course, the majority of students, especially ethnic minorities, grasp basic and practical knowledge in agricultural occupations, gradually eliminating backward production methods, promoting the application of science and technology in livestock and crop farming. In the period of 2018 - 2023, the associations at all levels organized nearly 500 classes with the participation of over 15,000 farmer members, of which the Farmer Support Center opened 31 classes, and the associations at all levels coordinated to organize 425 classes.

Not only focusing on vocational training, every year, the Provincial Farmers' Association also coordinates well with the Social Policy Bank to entrust loans to poor households and policy families with a total outstanding loan balance of nearly 1.2 trillion VND, over 20 thousand households borrowing. In addition, the Association is currently maintaining the operation of the Farmers' Support Fund at all levels. From the Fund, the Associations at all levels are currently implementing 77 projects for 460 households borrowing.

Mr. Lo Van Thuan, Thanh Luong commune, Dien Bien district shared: In 2014, my family was given the opportunity by the Association to participate in the project of raising breeding buffaloes and cows. With a loan of 50 million VND from the Farmers' Support Fund, along with additional money mobilized from relatives, I was able to buy 3 buffaloes and 4 breeding cows. Through the care process, with the support and technical guidance from the Farmers' Association officials, my herd of buffaloes and cows is now developing well. Up to now, I have paid off the loan, and my family's life is more stable.

To motivate farmers to overcome difficulties and rise up, along with activities to support livelihood creation, every year, the Provincial Farmers' Association also regularly launches the movement of Farmers competing in good production and business. After many years of launching, up to now, the movement has been maintained and developed extensively to 129/129 bases with 1,444 branches, attracting over 35,000 farmer households to register to participate; over 3,000 farmer households meet the standards of good production and business at all levels. Every year, more than 1,000 farmer households escape poverty and hundreds of households become well-off and rich...

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