Cam Hiep Commune: Creating sustainable livelihoods for ethnic minority communities.

Implementing the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, Cam Hiep commune has recently focused on vocational training, creating local livelihoods for laborers, and promoting and encouraging people to introduce high-yielding plant and animal varieties to develop the economy, bringing stable income to the people here.

Creating livelihoods for the people.

The Minh Du 3 chicken farming model, implemented by the Khanh Hoa Provincial Agricultural Extension Center since the end of September 2025, has initially shown promise for many ethnic minority households in Cam Hiep commune. Each participating household receives support in the form of chicken breeds, guidance on coop design, brooding procedures, nutritional techniques, and disease prevention schedules.

Mr. Tran Vy Long - Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Cam Hiep commune (center) inspects the Minh Du 3 chicken farming model at the household of Ms. Cao Thi Thanh in Suoi Coc village.

The family of Ms. Cao Thi Thanh (Suoi Coc village) is one of the households benefiting from this program. Many years ago, despite having a large garden area and 2 hectares of hillside behind their house, ideal for raising livestock and poultry, the family struggled to choose suitable animals. Previously, she raised chickens, but due to a lack of care, the chickens frequently fell ill, resulting in low economic returns. As a near-poor household in the commune, Ms. Thanh and her husband considered giving up livestock farming several times due to prolonged losses.

In September 2025, Ms. Thanh's family benefited from a chicken farming project, receiving 300 Minh Du 3 chickens. This breed has high resistance to disease and is well-suited to the free-range farming methods of ethnic minority communities. Immediately after receiving the support, her family built chicken coops according to the instructions of the provincial agricultural extension center's staff. Ms. Thanh shared: "My family not only received 100% support for the chicks and feed, but also received training and technical guidance from agricultural extension officers on coop construction and farming techniques to ensure the chickens grew and developed well. Starting from chicks weighing nearly 200 grams each, with the support of the commune's veterinarian and provincial agricultural extension officers, after 70 days of raising, the chickens reached a weight of about 1.3kg - 1.5kg each and were healthy."

Mr. Cao Van Mau (Suoi Coc village) also enthusiastically said: "With the local government's support of 300 chicks, my family invested in 300 square meters ^of land to build a chicken coop and 5,000 ^{square meters} of garden land under the mango trees to raise them free-range. The flock of chickens adapted very quickly to the weather conditions and local farming practices, so they grew very fast." For Mr. Mau, this flock of chickens not only opens up opportunities to increase income but also creates stable jobs for him and his family members.

The model needs to be replicated.

Although the two villages of Valy and Suoi Coc no longer have poor households, the risk of falling back into poverty is very high due to the lack of sustainable livelihoods. The Minh Du 3 chicken farming model aims to create sustainable livelihoods for the local people. Combining traditional farming methods with local resources is suitable for the conditions of ethnic minority and mountainous areas. This also serves as a foundation for the commune to continue expanding the model, aiming for sustainable livestock development that is appropriate to the local conditions.

Mr. Tran Vy Long, Chairman of the Cam Hiep Commune Farmers' Association, said that in recent years, the Association has coordinated with various levels, sectors, and functional agencies, as well as the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, to introduce to the people effective models, collective models, cooperatives, and professional associations, such as the Minh Du 3 chicken farming model and the bamboo cultivation model, which have initially proven effective. In the coming time, the Cam Hiep Commune Farmers' Association will continue to coordinate with various levels and sectors to organize 5 to 7 more training courses to help people access scientific and technical knowledge to apply to agricultural production, increase product value, improve income, and help people develop a stable and sustainable economy.

MA PHUONG
 

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/kinh-te/202512/xa-cam-hiep-tao-sinh-ke-ben-vung-cho-dong-bao-dan-toc-thieu-so-f3d3ffb/