Hoa An vegetable farm revives after the flood - Cao Bang Electronic Newspaper

The great flood left the land of Hoa An - the largest vegetable granary in the province - devastated. The fertile alluvial layer that had been built up over generations was suddenly washed away by the raging water, leaving behind only rocks and mud. Dozens of hectares of vegetables, which were the "rice pot" and the "arm" that fed many families, were wiped out. As soon as the water receded, before their feet had time to dry, the hard-working farmers went back to the fields, diligently cultivating and bringing life to the land. They worked hard to clear away rocks, level the soil, and dig up the barren soil to find green again, determined to turn the dead land back into fertile rice fields.

Nearly 20 hectares of vegetables in Hoa An commune have now grown again.

Revival from the hands

We returned to Hoa An commune on an early winter day, when the sweet cold began to creep through every mountain pass - this place is known as the vegetable capital of the province with a concentrated cultivation area of ​​up to 65 hectares. Names such as Na Teng, Thai Cuong, Ma Quan... have long been brands providing green vegetables to the central urban wards and neighboring areas, however, in the recent historic flood, 37 hectares of vegetables were submerged and destroyed.

Leading us to the fields of Na Teng hamlet, Mr. Lo The Giang absentmindedly recalled: My family has 5,000 m2, put all capital and effort into it. Green beans, tomatoes, peas, cabbage... were in good condition, promising a big harvest. But after just one night, everything was lost. Roughly calculated, the damage was up to 300 million VND. According to Ms. Chu Phuong Thanh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoa An commune, up to 10 hectares of cultivated land had its surface washed away, leaving bare rocks, sand and gravel.

    “As long as there are people, there is property.” This old saying seems to be the only motivation for farmers to start “patching” their fields. The image of Mr. Lo The Giang and his wife bent over carrying bundles of sticks in the middle of a messy field moved us. Their hair was already turning gray, but their hands were still nimble and strong. They were rebuilding trellises for peas and cowpeas to climb. While wiping sweat from his forehead, Mr. Giang shared: For more than a month, my wife and I have been working hard, without a day off. After the flood, everyone was busy dealing with the aftermath, so we couldn’t hire manual laborers. From cleaning up trash and rotten tree trunks, to picking up each stone, tilling the soil, sowing seeds… everything has been done by these two old people.

Thanks to the diligence to make up for the losses, up to now, the 5,000 m2 garden that was once devastated has started to grow green again, with coriander, cabbage, tomatoes, and short-term beans growing strongly next to the ruins of the flood.

Also in Na Teng hamlet, Mrs. Ma Thi Mai is diligently "separating the soil for color". Mrs. Mai said: To have the soft soil beds like today, she had to spend hundreds of working days picking up rocks and carrying them to the river bank. Thanks to that perseverance, combined with the government's seed support, nearly 1,000 m2 of vegetables can now be harvested and sold soon.

The strategy of “taking short-term to support long-term” is thoroughly applied by people. Mrs. Long Thi Sen said: Instead of growing long-term crops, I prioritize growing herbs and short-term leafy vegetables such as sweet cabbage. Mrs. Sen calculated, planting onions and coriander to harvest quickly, in just over a month, she would have money, in time to sell at the end of the year to cover her living expenses and have capital to reinvest in the next crop.

Walking along the Na Teng field in Thai Cuong today, mixed with the brown color of the new soil is the green color of the young sprouts. It is the green color of cabbage, kohlrabi, and bean trellises stretching their tops. It is the hope that is rising strongly from the hardship.

“Leverage” from policy and science and technology

People's efforts are the decisive factor, but for production recovery to take place quickly and effectively, the "midwife" role of the government and specialized sectors is indispensable.

Ms. Chu Phuong Thanh, Vice Chairman of Hoa An Commune People's Committee, affirmed: Right after the storm, under the direction of the Provincial People's Committee and the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the commune identified the urgent task of immediately restoring the winter vegetable growing area. We focused all resources on two key hamlets, Thai Cuong and Na Teng. On the one hand, the commune government encouraged people to go to the fields to improve the soil. On the other hand, the commune sent specialized staff to the fields to "hold hands and guide" people on new technical processes. According to Ms. Thanh's analysis, the soil after the flood was washed away with nutrients and had many pathogens, so the cultivation techniques had to be different from usual. We oriented people to grow crops with high economic value, suitable for the cold climate of the winter crop such as cabbage, kohlrabi, and herbs. In particular, the commune connected and received support from the Plant Seed Center (Vietnam Academy of Agriculture) to distribute free mustard green seeds for people to plant in a timely manner.

Not only providing technical and seed support, Hoa An commune also does a good job of socialization. According to Ms. Thanh, the commune has mobilized organizations and individuals to support farmers with a budget of up to 2 billion VND. This amount of money is like a "life buoy" to help people have capital to buy fertilizer and materials to rebuild production when they are almost empty-handed. Thanks to these synchronous solutions, up to now, the whole Hoa An commune has restored more than 20 hectares of vegetables.

Looking at the whole province, the production recovery is also taking place urgently. According to statistics, the whole province has up to 7,356 hectares of crops damaged by floods, of which vegetables account for a large area. The winter-spring crop plan for 2025 aims to plant 3,180 hectares of various vegetables and beans to make up for the shortage.

To achieve this goal, Ms. Doan Thi Thuan, Acting Head of the Department of Crop Production, gave recommendations for winter crop production. Ms. Thuan commented: Winter crop has cold, humid weather and short days, which are ideal conditions for pests and diseases to arise, but also pose challenges for plant growth. Therefore, we instruct farmers to strictly follow the process: prepare the soil thoroughly, fertilize with composted manure with microorganisms to improve the poor soil after floods. Absolutely do not plant when the temperature drops too low.

Calculating the solution to "keep warm" for vegetables, Ms. Thuan also emphasized: Farmers need to take advantage of straw to cover the roots and surface of the beds. For outdoor areas, white plastic canopy should be used to avoid cold rain and frost. Prioritize the use of biological pesticides according to the "4 rights" principle to ensure food safety.

That advice and support has been and is being transformed into concrete actions on each vegetable bed, helping farmers feel secure in sticking to the land and the profession.

Officers of the Department of Crop Production and Hoa An commune guide people in Na Teng hamlet, Hoa An commune on vegetable care techniques.

In every misfortune there is a blessing, the historic flood has swept away many things, but it is also an opportunity for Hoa An in particular and Cao Bang in general to review and restructure the vegetable industry in a more sustainable and modern direction. We cannot continue to cultivate in the old way, depending entirely on nature.

According to Vice Chairman of Hoa An Commune People's Committee Chu Phuong Thanh, implementing the high-tech application program for the period 2025 - 2030, in the near future, the commune will deploy net house and membrane house models to produce safe vegetables and organic vegetables, minimizing risks caused by natural disasters.

The model of organic chili production linkage with DACE Company in recent times is an important premise. From this success, Hoa An commune is aiming to build a specialized area for organic vegetables, with a brand, and traceability to serve the increasing demand of consumers. Ms. Thanh added: We are reviewing the planning, advising people not to grow too much of one type of vegetable to avoid the situation of 'good harvest, low price'. At the same time, we encourage farmers to increase the use of organic fertilizers to improve the soil sustainably, reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers.

With the support of the government, "vegetable granaries" like Hoa An not only become green again, but also become smart and prosperous agricultural areas.

Royal Throne

Source: https://baocaobang.vn/vua-rau-hoa-an-hoi-sinh-sau-lu-du-3182921.html