Thach Thanh (Thanh Hoa) – When Gen Z adores organic agriculture

When her peers tried their best to study to find jobs elsewhere and make a career in other fields, the girl born in 2004, Truong Thi Hien Hien, Cam Bo village, Thanh Minh commune (Thach Thanh) chose to stay in her hometown with her family to try her hand at non-chemical agriculture after graduating from high school. After more than 1 year of production, the Muong ethnic girl has built a group called Cam Bo Organic Vegetables, with products that are highly appreciated by the market for their quality.

Truong Thi Hien Hien introduces onion and garlic products produced according to the organic standards of the group.

Photo: Le Hoa

It is not too ostentatious to say that Truong Thi Hien Hien is one of the representatives of the "intellectual farmers" of the Gen Z generation who are changing the production methods of local ethnic people. Hien Hien shared: "I was exposed to organic agriculture very early. Those were the days when I tagged along my mother to attend training courses and workshops of the Bread for the World (BftW) funded project, which was implemented by the Center for Promoting Development for Women and Children (DWC). It introduced good practices in the fields of climate change, renewable energy, and agricultural ecology. From those project activities, I realized that developing clean production was of great significance not only for the ecological environment but also for high economic efficiency. Therefore, I encouraged my mother and many local people to participate in the organic melon production model implemented under the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) project that DWC coordinated with the Provincial Coordination Office of New Rural Development Program and Thach Thanh District People's Committee."

Through the introduction of Hien Hien, we visited the Muong Bai field, where a group of households participated in organic production. This is the 2^nd year of the group operation, with many products such as melon, onion, garlic, and some other vegetables. The essential infrastructure of the PGS organic rice, tuber, and fruit production area, such as water tanks, and irrigation systems are invested according to minimalist criteria but achieve high efficiency. In the harsh weather of summer, dozens of farmers in Cam Bo village still ply the fields. Ms. Truong Thi Loan, a member of the production group said: "Melons are in the flowering period; Rice and other vegetables also need caring to grow and develop stably, so we have to catch worms promptly and pollinate the plants to achieve the highest efficiency. The entire production process is built according to the knowledge trained and guided by a BftW-funded project. Besides, our team leader, Truong Thi Hien Hien, is the youngest and the tech-savvy member, so she regularly updates her knowledge and adjusts production techniques to apply effectively in the local land."

Since the day she was charmed with organic production, the "Gen Z" girl, Truong Thi Hien Hien, has always been in the field taking care of the plants. She drew experience along the way and spent a lot of time learning the characteristics of each plant, soil conditions, climate, and local water sources to actively apply for scientific and technical advances and ensure a favorable environment for the good development of various plants. Crops such as melons, onions, and garlic are grown organically, so they are of guaranteed quality and safe for consumers. As the first organic production model in the locality that had been surveyed, evaluated, and confirmed by many organizations and professional agencies, the products of the first crop are sought after by many clean agricultural businesses. Hien Hien added: "The first batch of melons, the group produced 8 sào (1 sào equals 360m²), thanks to good care, the output was about 7 quintals/sào. All of that was contracted by Biggreen Food Store System and Tan Lap Xanh Company in Hanoi with an average selling price of 20,000 VND/kg, the revenue reached 14 million VND/sào. This is the highest economic value achieved by local people in the aforementioned field area. Therefore, people realize the superiority of organic production, that is good product quality, favored by the market, no more worries on the selling price due to advanced contract, etc., I'm excited with upcoming crops."

With the first victory on their land, the Cam Bo organic vegetable production group has attracted 2 more members, bringing the total group to 14 households and expanding the area to 15,500m² with products ranging from melon, onion, garlic, rice, etc. Right from the beginning of the season, many businesses have come with the desire to link and sell the products of the group. Watching the fondling crops with promising high yields and economic efficiency, the group members have mixed feelings of both happy and ashamed to recall the first days of production. Mr. Bui Anh Cong shared: "As a completely new production model, besides the advantage of support from the project and local authorities, the most difficult thing is how to break the “cover” of traditional behaviors. Because organic production is difficult, the standards are strict, while the production level of people in the group is limited. In addition, under the use of materials and plant protection products of organic origin, the crops will have a longer development period than using chemical ones, so there was a time that we were very discouraged!"

In 2022, at the beginning of the project, the group leader, Truong Thi Hien Hien, not only diligently researched and practiced in the field but also enthusiastically mobilized and encouraged member households to make efforts and persist with the project. With a pure smile, Hien Hien confided: "At first, I did it because I wanted to encourage my mother to keep up with the modern and environmentally friendly production trend at home so that I could still go to university like my peers. But the more I do, the more I find organic production difficult but extremely interesting. Through the process, I fell in love with the local land - a great undiscovered treasure. Moreover, my efforts are recognized and trusted by the aunts and uncles in the group, so I am more determined to choose organic production as my future development. I will work with people to expand the production area so that each villager understands and implements the organic production process to improve economic efficiency, contribute to environmental protection, and raise the status of local agricultural products."

Certainly, the level of enthusiasm, creativity, and determination will always persist with unanimous steps to bring new, modern, and environmentally friendly production mentality for the locals. The initial success of the production model of the 20-year-old girl Truong Thi Hien Hien and her group has suggested a promising new direction for agricultural production in Thanh Minh commune (Thach Thanh district) in particular and across the province in general.

Le Hoa

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