Green again wilderness

Ngoc Dinh village fields are full of reed grass, sedge and wild plants at the end of 2024.

At the end of 2024, Thanh Hoa Newspaper had a series of articles on the issue of abandoned fields everywhere in the province. In particular, Hoang Ha commune was given a large amount of space to reflect the situation of abandoned fields with large areas in the province, while analyzing the causes and suggesting solutions. Surveying at the end of 2024, reporters recorded that many fields such as Dong Ben in Ha Thai and Dat Tai 2 villages; Co Cuong in Dat Tai 2 village had mostly been abandoned for many years. In particular, in the fields of Ngoc Dinh village, about 80 acres of land, equivalent to about 40 hectares, were covered with weeds. Through research, the field, once considered the most fertile in that area, had not been plowed for nearly 10 years, causing reed grass, sedge grass and many other weeds to grow as high as an adult's waist.

Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoang Ha Commune, Nguyen Viet Thiem, said: "Previously, the situation of people leaving their fields fallow in the locality had been going on for many years, causing waste of land. Some fallow fields are mainly adjacent to villages and cemeteries, so rats cause a lot of damage. Another reason is that internal transportation is difficult, agricultural production does not bring high value. Meanwhile, local people have a side job of selling popcorn, electronic scale services and children's toys in big cities and provinces, so there is a shortage of labor... The total population of the commune is 4,300 people, but at many times there are less than 1,000 people left in the countryside, most of them are elderly people and children."

According to information from the People's Committee of Hoang Ha commune, the whole commune has 190 hectares of agricultural land for annual crops, mainly rice fields. The commune has 4 villages, but Ngoc Dinh village is a religious village with a secondary occupation, so many families are no longer interested in farming. This is also the largest village with nearly 500 households, with fields in 2 large fields, including the area near Cach bridge and behind Ngoc Dinh parish church, both of which have been abandoned for many years.

After receiving feedback from Thanh Hoa Newspaper and instructions from superiors, in 2024, the Hoang Ha Commune Party Committee issued a separate resolution, proposing solutions, in which the commune organized support for renovation, called on and supported people to consolidate into large fields, and reinvest in cultivation.

Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoang Ha Commune, Nguyen Van Khang, shared: "In order to implement the resolution, the commune has determined that by the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025, it must organize plowing and drying, striving for 70 to 80% of the rice land area to be cultivated. The slogan "plowing and drying" was put forward by the commune, and at the same time deployed to each village and strengthened mobilization, so many households have supported. Households lacking labor or not interested in production, who previously refused to give up or lease their fields, have now agreed to let other households consolidate into large areas to bring in machinery for cultivation."

Green rice fields in Ngoc Dinh village in the 2025 spring crop after reclaiming fallow land.

With the determination of the entire political system and the consensus of the people, before the recent Lunar New Year, a movement to renovate fallow land took place in Hoang Ha. Many fragmented fields were consolidated into large plots for households in need to rent them out in large areas. Plows and tillers were put into action, the banks of the fields were reshaped and widened. By the 2025 spring crop, 80% of the fallow land area of ​​the commune had been quickly renovated. The green color of rice plants spread out, replacing the long stretches of weeds and reeds.

Returning to Ngoc Dinh field, the reeds, sedges, wild spinach, and water hyacinth are basically gone. In the fallow fields a few months ago, the rice stalks have sprouted, creating a rich green color. Mr. Luu Van Huyen, a resident of Ngoc Dinh village, shared: “My family had 2 sao of rice in the village field, but nearly ten years ago it was abandoned. The whole village with nearly 500 households also has abandoned areas. However, in preparation for this spring rice crop, the local government mobilized, most households rented machines to reclaim the fallow fields and cultivate again.”

The success in renovating dozens of hectares of fallow fields in just a few months in Hoang Ha commune has suggested solutions and directions for eliminating fallow fields that cause waste of land resources in many places in the province. Because in reality, many localities still do not have solutions to overcome this situation and it has become a "bottleneck" in agricultural production in the province. If there is determination and participation from both the government and the people, it is completely possible to turn weedy fields into prosperous production areas.

Article and photos: Le Dong

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/xanh-lai-dong-hoang-248793.htm