Basing on local strengths

In recent years, taking advantage of the downstream of the Cau River, many women’s union members in Nham Bien township have invested in developing aquaculture models. The family of La Hong Phuong, head of the women’s fish farming group in Tan Cuong village, Nham Bien township now has more than 1 hectare for fish farming in combination with rice cultivation. Each year, she grows a rice crop and raises a fish crop.

The model of women’s fish farming group in Nham Bien township (Yen Dung) has initially proven effective.

Phuong said: “Many rice growing plots of my family are in low-lying areas, we can only grow only one rice crop so the effectiveness is not high. After studying and assessing the advantages and disadvantages of my home land, my husband and I decided to improve the land and apply a rice-fish model.”

She has actively learned experience from effective models inside and outside the province, while exchanging land plots to expand the area. Fish species that she chooses to raise are grass carp, carp, and tilapia. When raising fish in combination with rice farming, her family saves a great deal of money from fertilizer expenses. Fish eats rice pests, stirs muds and kills weeds. Those discharged by fish provide nutrition for the land.

The family of La Thi Xoa and Tran Van Tho in the same village also enjoyed better economic conditions thanks to raising fish. Since 2017, they have completely switched from one to two fish crops. They spend most of their more than one hectare of water surface on raising commercial fish and the rest for breeding fingerlings. 

Initially, her family also faced many difficulties due to lack of experience. After studying the characteristics of fish, Xoa invested in building embankment and cleaning the pond bottom with lime powder and then planted grass on the pond shore to feed them.

In summer, the temperature is high, so fish often suffer from diseases. Xoa borrowed money to invest in water reels, oxygen aerators and automatic feeding machines to save efforts and limit leftovers that pollute the water environment. Each year, she harvests two crops, with about 20 tonnes of fish. Currently, the women’s fish farming group in Nham Bien township attracts about 20 households, with a total breeding area of 12 ha.

The six-member Tri Yen women’s soy sauce production group was established 5 years ago. Each year, it provides about 6,000 liters of soy sauce to the market, at a price of 40,000 VND (1.73 USD) per liter. 

To support the group’s members in production, the district Women's Union has helped them complete legal procedures, register and build product labels, and advertise the product at fairs and showrooms inside and outside the district. Or the women's sweet melon planting group in Dong Viet commune (Yen Dung) also attracts nearly 20 members. They have supported each other in terms of seedlings, capital and workdays to improve production efficiency.

Accompanying disadvantaged women

Implementing the project "Supporting women in starting a business in the 2017-2025 period", Yen Dung district maintains 18 models of women 's production and business groups with more than 300 members. The district Women's Union has helped women access many good models to learn from experience and get preferential loans from the Bank for Social Policies and the Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. 

Members of the Tri Yen women’s soy sauce production group (Yen Dung) exchange production experience.

In addition to activities to support women in starting a business, the union has paid special attention to improving livelihoods for poor women members and those with especially difficult circumstances.

Over the past three years, 66 member families have been supported to buy working tools, seedlings and breeding animals with 5 million VND (216.5 USD) per household. This funding was raised from the programme to accompany the poor women of the district Women's Union.

Thanks to this money, 25 member households in the district have got out of poverty. Among them are Hoang Thi Cuc and Nguyen Thi Thuan in Tu Mai commune; Do Thi Che in Lang Son commune; Nguyen Thi Duyen in Huong Gian commune; Dang Thi Hang and Ha Thi Thao in Nham Bien township.

Pham Thi Nhung, Chairwoman of the district Women's Union, said that the union has also cooperated with many units to organize vocational and technical training classes for women members as well as trips for them to study typical agricultural models with high economic efficiency.

With the motto "Accompanying women in starting a business", the Yen Dung district Women's Union at all levels has contributed significantly to helping women have more motivation to overcome difficulties, exercise self-control in economy and be more confident in life.

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Tuyet Mai