High-tech is applied to production in Son La province. (Photo: baosonla.org.vn)

The “All people unite to build new-style rural and civilized urban areas” and "All people unite to build a cultural lifestyle" are just two of the programs that have been implemented in Son La province over the years.

These programs have mobilized many people and farmers' associations to participate, said Nguyen Thanh Cong, Deputy Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee.

Cong told VOV, “People's awareness has obviously changed. Their way of thinking about their land – their means of production - has changed to foster higher productivity.”

He added, “Son La is doing this very well. Living standards have improved. Security and social order and safety in rural areas have improved significantly, benefiting the social stability and economic development of the whole province.”

One of the most obvious changes in farmers' awareness is their applying technical advances to production, which has been strongly promoted by farmers' associations.

Farmers have implemented the provincial Party Committee’s resolution on restructuring crops and domestic animals, using varieties and breeds with higher productivity and quality, adopted more effective farming methods, and changed the type of crops planted. Models that integrate farming, gardening, and eco-tourism have been piloted.

In recent years, farmers' associations at all levels in Son La have launched multiple movements to replicate standard production models to create higher-quality products while ensuring food hygiene and safety.

According to Nguyen Thi Sau of Hat Lot town in Mai Son district, the farming mindset of local people, who used to be familiar only with traditional farming methods, has changed radically.

“We’ve been taught how to take care of plants and what kinds of fertilizers result in the highest productivity. Applying VietGap standards has been very beneficial to me. Once we produce a safe custard apple, the market will accept it. Once we build a brand, there will be a bigger market,” said Sau.

To develop a modern rural area with civilized farmers, the Son La provincial Farmers' Association has disseminated information and mobilized farmers to participate in agricultural restructuring and developing high-tech and sustainable agriculture.

Farmers have enthusiastically responded. Son La now has 28,300 farm households good at production and trading.

Many of them have established a small or medium-sized enterprise or cooperatives, formed links, expanded their scale, or increased their profitability.

These households have created 12,000 jobs and provided capital, plant varieties, and animal breeds to poorer households.

Nguyen Ngoc Dung, President of Ngọc Lan Cooperative in Mai son district, said, “There’s a saying ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together!’ If you want to do business sustainably, you should do it in a group. That’s why we’ve joined together into a cooperative. Over the past few years, thanks to successfully building a brand of quality fruit, our sales have been quite good. We’ve also secured a number of products for our members to sell in Hanoi.” 

The direction to develop a modern rural area with civilized farmers plays an important role in promoting the agriculture of Son La province towards modernity, sustainability and upholding its role as a backbone of the economy to soon turn Son La into an agricultural product processing center of the Northwestern region in the near future.