Hoang Van Tuan of the Nung ethnic minority group in Den hamlet, Yen The district, Bac Giang province, is busy all day long working at his farm, from feeding fish to taking care of pigs. His family spent a month turning a low-yield rice field into a fish pond. Tuan said his animal husbandry and fish-raising model now brings him a yearly income of nearly 4,800 USD explaining the reason ‘Since we turned to doing aquaculture, we have been provided with bank loans and breeding techniques by volunteer agriculturists. Our income from aquaculture has been much higher than our income from rice-growing. Our standards of living has improved and we can now buy TVs, fridges, motorbikes, and pay for my children’s education. New rural development has transformed my village.’

The model of turning poor-yield rice fields into fish ponds originated in the practical conditions of Dong Lac commune. Finding it difficult to persuade farmers to merge their fields, volunteer youths in Bac Giang proposed that communal authorities repurpose poor yield land to fish breeding and banana cultivation. The commune’s aquaculture acreage is nearly 70 hectares, with each hectare earning revenue of almost 5,800 USD a year - 4,800 USD for each hectare of bananas. Nang The Thuy, President of Dong Lac’s People’s Council, says‘On top of turning poor yield fields into ponds for aquaculture, a rubber company is building a material cultivation zone in our commune. Local villagers are happy to know the new model which will generate jobs for them and ensure a sustainable growth for the locality.

Last year, the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union selected Dai Trach commune in Bo Trach district, Quang Binh province, to pilot its new rural development model. Under the program, Dai Trach’s young people formed volunteer teams to protect the environment, participate in the construction of infrastructure, ensure traffic safety, and rally other youths to economic development programs. With more than 96,000 USD funded by the central Youth Union and other social organizations, youth members of Dai Trach have developed production and trade and built rural transports. Roads leading to hamlets and communes are now paved. Dai Trach commune has completed 12 of 19 criteria for new rural development, according to Nguyen Van Phuong, the People’s Committee President. Phuong furthers ‘Young people play an important role in new rural development, contributing a great deal to implementing the program and bringing initial successes in transforming rural areas.’

Young volunteers are participating in mud dredging along a ditch in Dong Da district, hanoi. (Photo: Dinh Tran/VNA)

Young people of Quang Binh have donated dozens of workdays to upgrade rural roads, build and repair nearly 200 houses of gratitude and communal houses. The provincial Youth Union has worked with relevant agencies to support youths to develop household economy, increase vocational training, provide consultancy on career, and introduce jobs for them. Tran Quoc Tuan, Vice Secretary of Quang Binh’s Youth Union, elaborates‘The awareness of Dai Trach young people has much improved since the commune was chosen to implement the new rural development pilot program. With support of the Youth Union, local people have contributed to building cement rural roads in pursuance to new criteria. Our program to lighten rural roads has created a spreading influence to the remainder villages in the district.’

VOV