Changing the mindset on economic development

We visited Yen Chau (Son La province), a land known for its "sweet bananas and fragrant mangoes," a place where the Thai, Kinh, and Mong ethnic groups live together in harmony. In recent years, thanks to the effective implementation of national target programs on building new rural areas and developing the economy of ethnic minority communities, the people of various ethnic groups in the highland communes of Yen Chau district have been competing to develop their economy, applying scientific advancements to agricultural cultivation, and striving to become wealthy on their own land.

As previously arranged, we visited the enclosed cattle and buffalo farming model of Mr. Quang Van Chien's family, a Thai ethnic minority member from Luong Me village, Chieng Dong commune, Yen Chau district (Son La province). Instead of free-range grazing in the fields, Mr. Chien's family has invested in building enclosed barns to control diseases and provide sufficient nutrition for their herd. Mr. Chien's farming model is built far from their house. The farming areas are well-organized, with separate areas for raising animals and processing feed.

Mr. Chien shared: "Because we live in a rural area, like many households in the village, my family relies only on short-term crops on the hillside such as corn and cassava, which don't bring in much income, and our family faces many difficulties. Undeterred by these challenges, and determined to find a new path, I realized that raising buffalo and cattle offers high economic efficiency. Furthermore, the local area is implementing the New Rural Development Program, and with the encouragement and promotion from the Party Committee, the government, and the Farmers' Association at all levels, with my family's limited capital, I boldly developed buffalo and cattle fattening."

Mr. Quàng Văn Chiến, from Luống Mé village, Chiềng Đông commune, Yên Châu district (Sơn La province), feeds his herd of cows. Photo: Văn Ngọc

Currently, Mr. Chien's family maintains a livestock farming model with 15-20 buffaloes and cows raised for fattening. To ensure sufficient feed for his herd, Mr. Chien has converted a small portion of his less productive rice paddies to growing elephant grass, banana trees, and sweet potatoes. In addition to fresh green feed, to ensure proper nutrition for the animals, his family supplements their diet with starchy feeds such as corn bran and rice bran. Furthermore, to ensure the animals grow healthily and quickly, his family strictly adheres to disease prevention measures and provides full vaccinations as recommended by agricultural officials.

"My family has been raising cattle for over 7 years now, and currently we maintain a herd of 15 to 20 commercial buffaloes and cows. I feed the cows three times a day, morning, noon, and evening; I regularly clean the barns, feed troughs, surrounding environment, and ensure the cows' bodies are always clean. Last year, I sold buffaloes and cows and earned a profit of over 100 million VND," Mr. Chien said.

The buffalo and cattle farming model of Mr. Quàng Văn Chiến's family in Luống Mé village, Chiềng Đông commune, Yên Châu district (Sơn La province). Photo: Văn Ngọc

In Yen Chau, the ethnic minority people not only promote livestock farming but also earn high incomes from developing fruit trees on sloping land, replacing short-term crops with low economic efficiency. The longan orchard of Mrs. Lo Thi Tam's family in Huon village, Chieng Dong commune, Yen Chau district (Son La province) is located on a hillside. Previously, her family cultivated one crop of corn on this orchard, which yielded low economic returns.

In 2014, with her family's savings and money borrowed from relatives, Ms. Tam bought 500 longan saplings to expand her orchard and develop her economy. Ms. Tam was the first person to bring the Hung Yen longan variety to plant in Chieng Dong commune.

The longan orchard of Ms. Lo Thi Tam's family in Huon village, Chieng Dong commune, Yen Chau district (Son La province) is located on a hillside. Photo: Van Ngoc

According to Ms. Tam, compared to other longan varieties like the "cùi" longan, the Hung Yen caged longan tree takes less time from planting to bearing fruit, only about 3 years. During the cultivation process, she noticed that the Hung Yen caged longan tree is quite suitable for the local weather and climate. One of the factors contributing to Ms. Tam's family's success is that she received guidance on planting and caring techniques from agricultural extension officers and learned from the experience of other longan growers.

"After each lychee harvest, my family focuses on pruning, shaping, and fertilizing. Thanks to implementing all the necessary technical measures, we produce clean, high-quality lychees. Traders come directly to the orchard to buy all the lychees we produce, so my family doesn't have to worry about finding buyers. Each lychee harvest yields over 10 tons, selling at 20-30 thousand dong per kilogram. After deducting expenses, we earn over 150 million dong," said Mrs. Tam.

Thanks to fruit tree cultivation, the family of Ms. Lo Thi Tam, in Huon village, Chieng Dong commune, Yen Chau district (Son La province), has a stable income. Photo: Van Ngoc

Sustainable agricultural economic development

Mr. Lo Chung Thuy, Secretary of the Party Committee of Chieng Dong commune, Yen Chau district, Son La province, said: Chieng Dong is a Category III commune in Yen Chau district, its economy is mainly based on agricultural production, and the lives of the people still face many difficulties. The entire commune has over 1,800 households, of which over 90% are ethnic minority households. In recent years, the commune has actively coordinated with the District Ethnic Affairs Department to fully and promptly implement policies for ethnic minorities as prescribed.

Farmers in Chiềng Đông commune are boosting livestock development to increase their income. Photo: Văn Ngọc

To implement the breakthrough in agricultural production development towards a commodity-based approach, the Party Committee has issued numerous resolutions guiding economic development with tasks and solutions appropriate to the actual conditions. It has promoted the replication of effective economic models, such as: renovating unproductive orchards to grow late-ripening longan and grafted mangoes in Chai village; fish farming in Nam Un village; garlic cultivation in Dong Tau village; melon and asparagus cultivation in Luong Me village; and free-range chicken farming in Then Luong village...

People of various ethnic groups in Chiềng Đông commune are promoting mechanization in agricultural production. Photo: Văn Ngọc

In this context, Party members are the leading force in supporting and guiding people to apply science and technology to production, structuring suitable crop and livestock varieties, producing in a safe manner, and increasing income. Currently, the entire commune has over 630 hectares of fruit trees, 60 hectares of vegetables, and 80 hectares of garlic; maintaining over 6,680 head of livestock, 34,000 head of poultry, and 25 hectares of water surface for aquaculture.

It can be seen that economic development models have changed the mindset and practices of the people, applying scientific and technological advancements to improve production efficiency; contributing to job creation and promoting the socio-economic development of ethnic minority areas in the district.

Van Ngoc