“Tam nông” Resolution and the spectacular change in the face of Binh Duong countryside

Identifying farmers as the subject and center of the agricultural development process, Binh Duong province has many incentive policies and programs to arouse the aspiration to rise up, so that farmers are able to earn their livings right on their own land. Per capita income in rural areas of 71 million VND/person/year is the clearest evidence of the active role of farmers.

Smart farmers

According to the assessment, over 15 years of implementing the “Tam nông” Resolution (Agriculture, Farmers and Rural Areas), Binh Duong farmers have better proved their role as actors, who actively restructure production, apply science and technology, participate in cooperation, association, restoration and development of rural industries. According to statistics, for many consecutive years, per capita income in rural areas of the province grew continuously; in 2021, reached 71 million VND/person/year (much higher than the national average of nearly 42 million VND/person/year).

With the right policy and a desire to rise up, many farmers have succeeded in their own land. For example, Dinh Ngoc Khuong (An Binh commune, Phu Giao district). Khuong has a 7.5-hectare chicken farm located in the middle of vast rubber plantations. He was originally from Nam Dinh, was born in a poor family, with a tiny land, struggled all year round to earn a living. At the age of 15, he started working in many places in the North and Central Vietnam, doing all kinds of manual jobs. Finally, he decided to go to the South to find a chance to change his life. And he stopped at An Binh commune, Phu Giao district.

Like many other farmers, at first, Khuong faced many difficulties due to his inexperience, lack of good techniques, frequent diseases and epidemics, and price squeeze. To find his own direction, Khuong decided to switch to high-tech chicken farming. He learned knowledge of raising chickens with cooling system from training courses on husbandry techniques for farmers; went online to find out more effective chicken farming models.

Farmer Dinh Ngoc Khuong gets rich on his own land.

In 2017, Khuong decided to borrow money from his family and friends to invest in barns applying high-tech model, increasing his flock to 80,000 chickens. “Chicken houses with cooling system minimize effects of using antibiotics, do not require many workers and shorten the day".

At the program "Pride of Vietnamese farmers" held in 2021, among 63 excellent Vietnamese farmers in 2021, Dinh Ngoc Khuong was the farmer earning the highest income, 90 billion VND/year with the model of chicken farming with cooling system.

In Binh Duong, not only Khuong, but also many farmers are billionaires.  The clearest evidence is that the Provincial Farmers' Union established the Binh Duong Billionaire Farmers' Association. The association currently has nearly 50 members. Members of this association are excellent farmers doing good effective business, enterprises, and even scientists.

According to Provincial Farmers' Union, there are many excellent farmers in the province who are good at producing and doing business based on high-tech farming and breeding models on a large scale, with an annual turnover of billions of VND. However, the linkage between farmers is only at a low level, not tight, not commensurate with the current production scale. Therefore, the Provincial Farmers' Union established the Billionaire Farmers' Association in order to create an environment for exchange, connection and learning experience in farming and breeding in a scientific and professional manner; create a playground for farmers to have the opportunity to meet and learn experience.

The Binh Duong Billionaire Farmers' Association is the bridge between the province's good farmer members, the pioneer in the emulation movement of good farmers in production and business, uniting to help each other get rich and alleviate poverty sustainably; will build stronger association for the purpose of developing prosperous agriculture, prosperous farmers, and modern civilized rural areas.

All for the sake of the people

In the closing speech of the 5th Central Party Committee’s conference, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, assessed: Farmers in our country have better promoted their role as actors, been actively in production restructuring, applying science and technology, participating in cooperation, association, restoration and development of rural industries; building new countryside, preserving national cultural identity, protecting political security, social order and safety in rural areas. Farmers' income is increasing, their material and spiritual life is improving; the rate of poor households in rural areas decreased rapidly; grassroots democracy is heightened.

Farmers are the subject and center of the agricultural development process; focus on raising the level and mastery capacity of farmers in the direction of comprehensive and civilized development; uphold the spirit of patriotism, solidarity, self-reliance, self-reliance, self-reliance and innovation; the will to rise, the aspiration to build the homeland, a prosperous and happy country; have advanced production organization level, civilized lifestyle, social responsibility, respect for the law, protect the environment; enjoy the fruits of socio-economic development and have access to services and access to urban areas. Agricultural and rural development must aim to comprehensively improve the material and spiritual life of farmers and rural people; take the interests of people as the highest goal.

This issue has been recognized by the Provincial Party Committee and has strategic decisions to enhance the role of farmers. Specifically, during the process of leading the development of high-tech agriculture and building new rural areas, the Provincial Party Committee pay much attention to reality, the interests of farmers, "taking the people as the root" to apply guidelines and policies of the Party in accordance with the conditions of the province.

With reasonable policies on allocation of land use rights, agricultural tax policies, and capital, the province has really promoted the sense of self-reliance, self-reliance, fully exploited labor force, knowledge, experience, capital among farmers for comprehensive agricultural development; use intellectual labor and contributed capital from the people to build infrastructure and develop the economy in rural areas.

From the valuable lesson that is to maximize the role of the people with the motto "people know, people discuss, people do, people inspect, people supervise, people benefit". This has brought into full play the folks’ strength, utilized the initiative, creativity, self-reliance and self-reliance of the people, mobilized resources for the construction of works serving the people's livelihood. Namely, in the period 2011-2019, the total investment capital for new rural construction in the whole province reached over VND 25,722 billion; in which budget capital accounted for 49.5%, mobilized capital, credit capital and contributed capital of the community accounted for 50.5%.

With many policies and solutions, Binh Duong has achieved the ultimate goal of the “Tam nông” Resolution, which is to improve the material and spiritual life of the people, placing the people at the center as the goal, the driving force of development.

Reported by Thu Thao - Translated by Ngoc Huynh