Covering hills and mountains with the green of fruit trees

Thanh My, a village located on a hill in the west of Quang Nam, is home to 60 youth households who are interested in changing their lives. It is managed by Nguyen Ngoc Thu, an officer of the Quang Nam Youth Volunteer Team.

Planting rocky mountains with green trees

On the road to the youth village of Thanh My (Nam Giang district, Quang Nam province), it is easy to find green fruit gardens. The fruit-laden gardens are the result of the efforts and aspirations of the young people who go there to settle down. They have turned dry lands into lush fruit tree gardens.

Arat Buoc, a Co Tu resident of the youth village, has been taking care of his garden with different kinds of fruit trees. He did not have a stable job, so he still lived with his parents though he was married.

When the village for the youth was built, Buoc and other Co Tu men registered to live there. They were financially supported to build houses. At the same time, they were provided with chicken and pig seeds along with six months of rice.

Besides, the youth in the village were helped with farming techniques. They started planting rice, maize, and cereal crops for food, growing acacia, and developing fruit tree gardens.

Thanks to the fruit tree garden and the acacia mountain field, Buoc’s family has a better life. His stable income is enough for his children to go to school.

Do not leave vacant land

The youth in the village do not leave vacant land. Where there is land, there are green trees. These youths are very hard-working. They go to their mountain fields and work on the farms all day.

Hoih Thi Aví’s family has an over-one-hectare mountain field of vegetables and fruit trees, including beans, mustard greens, pennywort, sweet potatoes, bananas, grapefruit, and guava. There is no vacant land to be found in this large hilly area.

Next to Avi’s house is Ho Xuan Binh’s. He is a demobilised soldier. He has a farm of chickens and pigs in combination with a garden of seedless lemon, guava, and jackfruit. The model of crops combined with livestock farming brings about high economic efficiency.

Silent contributor

At the beginning of the village, there is a green-skinned pomelo garden with more than 300 fruit-bearing trees. According to Nguyen Ngoc Thu, it is the result of many efforts from the villagers.

8 years ago, Thu was assigned to manage Thanh My village and help the villagers with farming techniques. He had plans and strategies for the village's development. First, he built his own model of farming. Then he instructed the villagers to follow. He chose to grow green-skinned pomelos and raise chickens and pigs successfully.

8 years later, all 60 households living in the youth village have a solid foundation with gardens and farms. The villagers are all enthusiastic about working. No one has to leave the village. During the past 8 years, Thu has lived with and supported the villagers, but he has been away from his family.

Currently, Arat Buoc and Hien Chuu have become Thu’s effective assistants. Along with taking care of their farming and animal husbandry models, they provide technical assistance for the villagers. The youths in the village are now, in turn, helping new youths go there to settle down. It is an interesting thing in Thanh My youth village.

Looking at his green garden of guava and mangosteen, Nguyen Ngoc Thu is thinking about a model of farming in combination with ecotourism in Thanh My youth village.

(Source: tuoitre.vn)

Translated by HO THU