A Hler's house built in 2015

Before 1995, Xo Dang people in Kon Kolok hamlet experienced a hard life as they upheld old cultivation method and harvested one crop a year. Even in good weather conditions, they could produce enough food for living from hand to mouth. Hler didn’t accept the fate, he traveled to Dak Lak and Gia Lai province to learn production skills. In 1996 he began to grow coffee and rubber, besides traditional terraced rice. He has applied technology on production and expanded his farm to 2 ha of coffee, 1 ha of rubber, 0.2 ha of rice, a big herd of cattle and poultry.

He earns a net profit of about 11,000 USD annually. Hler talks about his success: “We should continuously learn new knowledge and apply scientific methods on production. We should also support each other and unit in life and production. In the past I had to work very hard, now we have machines and equipment to save time and labor.”

In 2015 Hler built a concrete house with comfortable furniture. Hler has generously shared his experience with others to tend coffee, rubber, and rice. A Bom, patriarch of Kon Kolok hamlet, talks about Hler: “Hler has enthusiastically helped other villagers. He gave them advice and went with them to the farm to tell them planting techniques. Many households have earned higher incomes and had savings.”

A Hler has 2 sons and 2 daughters, who have stable jobs. Hler said he encouraged his children to study more because knowledge is very important. Dinh Thu, an official in Dak Mar commune, said: “A Hler has always encouraged villagers to learn and apply scientific know-how on production. In 2016 the villagers voted for him as one of the 4 most prestigious people in the commune.”

Families in Kon Kolok hamlet has developed agricultural models toward sustainable production and earned stable income. There is no poor household in Kon Kolor hamlet.