By Trần Quang

HÀ TĨNH — The central province of Hà Tĩnh has been through its share of difficulties, but after six years of building new-style rural areas, the province is full of fields and gardens of high economic value.

One of the goals the province has introduced for new-style rural area building is that 70 per cent of fences in the areas must be covered with green trees.

The province set the goal because in many other areas, concrete is used to build fences, which while being cleaner and sturdier, lack rural beauty. Thus the province uses the goal to ensure the rural landscape and economic value at the same time.

Proving effective

Ngô Viết Hạ, secretary of the Party Committee of Hương Trà Commune in Hương Khê District, said that after years of setting up new-style rural areas, local residents are reaping the rewards.

Green trees are planted along the roads, with trees such as paper flowers, rose-mallows, loopah trees and gourd trees resplendent.

“Both local residents and authorities are happy and enthusiastic to work,” said Hạ.

Remembering the very first days of the programme, Hạ said that local authorities met many obstacles.

“Many households did not understand the programme so they refused our requests. Village and commune managers educated and instructed them, so at last, they agreed and followed our directions,” said Hạ.

Đinh Phúc Tân, secretary of the Nam Trà Village Party Committee, said that now Nam Trà Village has 20 model gardens. Every year, the village welcomes hundreds of delegations from other provinces nationwide to visit and learn from its experiences.

The Yên Mỹ Village in Cẩm Yên Commune, Cẩm Xuyên District is also a good example of the work.

Nguyễn Quốc Sỹ, chairman of the Cẩm Yên Commune People’s Committee, said that 70 out of 120 gardens in the village are model gardens, and the rest are green and clean.

“When local residents have some work far from home, they can water their gardens via an automatic system controlled by mobile phone,” he said.

Rich gardeners

Sỹ added that on the average, each model garden brought VNĐ71-100 million (US$3,100-4,400) per year. Most of them plant vegetables and fruit trees.

One typical household in Yên Mỹ Village is Nguyễn Thị Thuận’s family whose income exceeds VNĐ100 million ($4,400) per year thanks to growing oranges.

Thuận said that earlier she planted different kinds of trees in the garden, with her income unstable. Since she became a model garden, the garden was more beautiful and brought better income.

Enjoying gardening

At present more than 7,500 households in the province have registered to build model gardens, of which 1,725 reached norms of model gardens and enjoy supportive policies from provincial authorities. It is expected that by the end of this year, 1,000 more gardens will qualify.

Trần Huy Oánh, office manager of the Hà Tĩnh New-Style Rural Areas Operation Department, said that the province recognised seven communes as new-style rural areas in 2013, but the common landscape in the province was not good.

Thus the provincial authorities planned to set up model of new-style rural areas in three villages, and provide each village VNĐ300 million ($13,300) for the effort. 

The movement of setting up new-style rural areas has spread rapidly. In several villages such as Tân An, Yên Mỹ and Hồng Lĩnh, local residents are determined to establish such gardens.

Dương Kim Huệ, secretary of the Party committee of Tượng Sơn Commune, Thạch Hà District said that the commune had six co-operatives, 21 working teams and four enterprises running effectively so they worked with local residents in manufacturing.

“It is the most important factor helping model gardens sell their products, and therefore be stable,” said Huệ.

Expansion

Ngô Tất Thắng, deputy director of the National New-Style Rural Areas Operation Department, said the model gardens initiative was a success of Hà Tĩnh Province.

“The model focuses on micro manufacture and being suitable with rural areas,” he said.

“Thanks to re-organising their lives, local residents will better understand their role in the national target programme on setting up new-style rural areas,” said Thắng.

Thắng said the provinces best achievement was that, via the model gardens, local residents’ health, awareness and living standards were improved.

Workers and managers from provincial level to village level have also worked together so their guidance and instruction to residents is clear.

“Thus local residents participated in the programme enthusiastically and believe in its results. And as a result, the province has made outstanding achievements,” said Thắng. — VNS