Attracting ethnic minority and religious community members to become farmer association members: The approach in Quang Lac commune.

Continuously innovating its operational methods to better suit the needs of farmers; paying attention to and promptly resolving the difficulties faced by its members... are important solutions that the Quang Lac Commune Farmers' Association has been implementing, thereby attracting and gathering a large number of farmers to participate. This is also one of the bright spots in attracting and gathering farmer members who are ethnic minorities and religious followers in Nho Quan district.

Comrade Doan Thi Thu, Chairwoman of the Farmers' Association of Quang Lac commune, said: Quang Lac is a mountainous commune, far from the center of Nho Quan district, with a population of over 7,000 people, of which the Muong ethnic group who follow Catholicism account for 72%. The people mainly engage in agriculture , so the lives of farmers and the general population are still facing many difficulties.

Most farmers of working age are working far from home, leaving them with limited time to participate in the Association's activities, and therefore often hesitate to join. The lives of some farmers in the commune are still difficult; their levels of awareness are uneven, significantly impacting the dissemination and implementation of the Association's tasks in the locality in general, and the recruitment of members among ethnic minorities and religious communities in particular.

In light of the above situation, the Standing Committee of the Farmers' Association of the commune has proposed solutions to overcome difficulties, focusing on innovating the content and methods of operation of the branches to meet the requirements of members and suit the specific work and religious beliefs of the members.

Farmers' associations in villages and hamlets have intensified various forms of propaganda and mobilization, and sought the support and assistance of religious leaders, officials, and influential people in the community to organize meetings and seminars, integrating them with the activities of the Association; propagating and mobilizing Catholic farmer members to effectively implement the motto "living a good life and upholding moral values," and actively participating in local emulation movements.

According to the Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Quang Lac commune, one of the important and core issues in attracting and gathering members is that the Association must truly accompany farmers in their profession and employment. Recognizing this, for many years, the Farmers' Association of Quang Lac commune has focused on and effectively implemented activities to support farmers in developing their economy .

Every year, the Farmers' Association at all levels in the commune actively coordinates with relevant agencies and departments to organize training sessions on scientific and technical knowledge transfer regarding techniques for caring for and controlling pests and diseases in rice and other crops; techniques for caring for and preventing diseases in livestock and poultry... for its members and farmers.

Over the past five years (2018-2023), the Farmers' Association of the commune has coordinated with relevant agencies to organize 13 technology transfer sessions for 1,040 members, providing them with knowledge and skills in crop cultivation, livestock farming, care and pest control for rice, crops, livestock, and poultry. This has helped members transform their farming models towards increasing value and efficiency, exploiting the potential and advantages of the locality as well as the financial and human resources of their families.

Attracting and gathering farmer members from ethnic minority groups and religious communities: The approach in Quang Lac commune. — With the scientific and technical assistance of the Farmers' Association at all levels, farmers in Quang Lac commune have expanded, developed, and made pineapple cultivation one of the locality's main agricultural products.

Capital creation activities to help farmers invest and expand production have also been given significant attention. Over the past five years, the commune's Farmers' Association has acted as an intermediary with the District Social Policy Bank, managing over 9.6 billion VND in loans for 206 member households; mobilizing the establishment of four linked loan groups at the District Agricultural and Rural Development Bank, providing loans to 110 households totaling over 10 billion VND; and disbursing 228 million VND from the Farmers' Support Fund at various levels to 10 member households.

With the capital, many farmers have invested in production, maintaining and developing key local agricultural products such as pineapples, cassava, and livestock such as pigs, cows, goats, and bees, contributing to economic development and sustainable poverty reduction.

In addition to supporting farmer members in economic development, the Quang Lac Commune Farmers' Association actively mobilizes farmers to participate in local emulation movements, especially the emulation movement for building new rural areas, advanced new rural areas, and model new rural areas.

Accordingly, the Farmers' Associations at all levels in the commune have actively propagated and mobilized farmer members to participate in donating land, contributing over 1.8 billion VND and more than 1,000 man-days to jointly build rural roads, irrigation systems, participate in environmental protection, build a cultured lifestyle, etc., contributing together with all levels, sectors and people in the commune to complete the criteria, bringing Quang Lac commune to achieve the new rural standard in 2021.

Comrade Doan Thi Thu, Chairwoman of the Farmers' Association of Quang Lac commune, shared: "Innovating the content and methods of operation has helped many farmers see the practical benefits of participating in farmers' movements, thereby building trust and voluntarily joining the Association. Thanks to this, the work of the Association and the farmers' movement in Quang Lac commune is developing more and more."

Over the past five years, the Farmers' Association of Quang Lac commune has admitted 151 new members, including 76 farmers who are religious followers of the Muong ethnic group, bringing the total number of members in the commune to 939, meeting and exceeding the annual membership recruitment target of the district. The number and quality of members have improved, the Association's activities have become more organized, and the role and position of members have been enhanced, contributing positively to building a strong Farmers' Association in the commune.

Currently, the commune has 8 farmers' associations in 8 villages, with over 50% of the members being Muong ethnic people who follow Catholicism. For the past 5 years, the Quang Lac Commune Farmers' Association has consistently been ranked by the District Farmers' Association as a unit that has successfully completed its tasks, including two consecutive years of outstanding performance.

Text and photos: Mai Lan

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