Building professional farmer groups and associations associated with economic development

Along with promoting the effectiveness and replicating the models and movements of "Farmers producing and doing business well, uniting to help each other get rich and sustainably reduce poverty", Farmers' Associations at all levels in the province focus on developing strongly and paying attention to improving the quality and efficiency of the activities of professional Farmers' Association branches and groups associated with building cooperatives and agricultural cooperatives to improve the capacity of members and farmers in production and business.

Chairwoman of the Farmers' Association of Thong Nong Town (Ha Quang) Nong Thi Tuyet Mai said: The craft of making wooden manuscript paper in Lung Quang, Thong Nong Town by manual methods has existed for hundreds of years, is one of the professions that brings stable income, solves jobs for many workers during the off-season. In order to connect households together to support each other in terms of capital, overcome difficulties in the production process and especially find more favorable output for products, in August 2022, the Association established the Lung Quang Paper Craft Farmers' Association with 15 participating members. Thereby, households increase their connection, share sources of product consumption, traders come to their homes to buy, and products are sold as soon as they are made.

Recognizing the importance of establishing professional branches and professional groups in the Farmers' Association at all levels to create a connection between the task of building a strong Association and the task of developing the local socio -economy, developing sustainable agriculture and building new rural areas, the Provincial Farmers' Association issued an official dispatch urging the implementation and guiding the process of establishing and organizing the activities of professional farmer branches and professional farmer groups. Directing the districts and city associations to guide the establishment of professional branches and groups based on production organization models, loan groups, in cooperatives, cooperative groups, models and projects built by the Association, from members who have the need to link production, business and services. Up to now, the Associations at all levels in the province have established 33 professional branches with 751 members and 42 professional groups, with 694 members participating, mainly in livestock farming and fruit tree growing. Typically, the Farmers' Association of Bao Lam district directed communes and towns to promote propaganda and mobilize members and farmers to build collective economic models and cooperatives suitable to the conditions of each locality; organized 13 training conferences and provided guidance on the process of building and establishing branches and professional farmer associations with the participation of over 500 cadres, members and farmers. Currently, there are 7 professional associations in the district with 271 members; The Farmers' Association of Quang Hoa district maintains 28 professional associations with 259 members, mainly operating in the field of animal husbandry (buffalo farming, pig farming, fish farming, etc.) and general service business.

Provincial Farmers' Association visited pig farming model in Trung Khanh district.

Branches and associations operate according to the principles of "5 self" (self-awareness, voluntariness, autonomy, self-management, self-responsibility) and "5 together" (sharing the same vision in the field of production and business, sharing the same interests, sharing the same responsibilities, and enjoying the same). Branches and associations, depending on the type of organization, hold activities from 1 to 3 months/time, with the main content of activities focusing on exchanging information on prices, markets, means of production, disease prevention for crops and livestock, and sharing experiences in production, preservation, processing, and consumption of products. The work of coordinating training, transferring the application of science, technology, and new technologies into production has been of interest and implemented by the Association at all levels. To continue to replicate the model of branches and professional associations, from 2023 to present, the Provincial Farmers' Association has focused on integrating resources from the "Farmer Support" Fund to support branches and professional associations to invest in equipment, develop production and business scale; strengthen direction, professional guidance, inspection and supervision for effective operation of the model. In 2023, the "Farmer Support" Fund at all levels disbursed 98 projects with an amount of 22.44 billion VND; Farmers' Associations of districts and cities mobilized, guided and supported the establishment of 13 cooperatives with 95 members, 84 cooperatives with 481 members. In the first quarter of 2024, the "Farmer Support" Fund disbursed 31 projects with an amount of 5.6 billion VND. The models are effective thanks to the proper use of capital.

Chairman of the Provincial Farmers' Association Duong Hung Dung said: Farmers' Associations at all levels continue to direct and support the establishment of professional farmer association branches and groups; when developing projects to borrow capital from the "Farmer Support" Fund, professional farmer association branches and groups will be established among members operating in the same field; direct the grassroots associations based on effective models to borrow from the "Farmer Support" Fund to continue to support and promote the establishment of professional farmer association branches and groups. Thereby, promoting linkages to develop commodity production, improving the lives of members and farmers.

Da Dang

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