Despite the fact of not being a target locality in the nationalprogramme on new rural development, Thuy Van commune in Thai Binhprovince has become a role model in the campaign, thanks to theconsensus reached among the local authorities and people, according to aradio report.
The local administration’s effort in mobilisingthe local people’s trust and contributions to the programme has madeThuy Van commune’s new rural development a success, radio The Voice ofVietnam (VOV) said.
All of the roads connecting the hamletsand villages in the Van commune have been paved, facilitating theoperation of vehicles. Locals say they are happy with the betterinfrastructure.
As 65-year-old Nguyen Thi Mua put it, "It’s moreconvenient for us to travel now. In the past, it was extremelydifficult for us to walk on dirt roads, especially after a rain. I hope Ican live a bit longer to enjoy this more comfortable life. Most of thelocal people, including old people like me, responded enthusiasticallyto the local administration’s appeal to contribute money and labour tothe new rural development programme."
Another farmer, NguyenThi Thu said that after the programme and its benefits were clearlyexplained, they fully supported it.
"We understand that we arethe ultimate beneficiaries of the national programme on new ruraldevelopment. With the materials provided by the government, we arealways ready to contribute our labour to make new roads as this improvesour living conditions and business activities as well," Thu said.
Applying new technologies and modern machines, and rezoning fieldsis considered an important yet difficult part of new rural developmentbecause of ingrained farming habits. But after the benefits of suchactivities were explained, local farmers were willing to change. A totalof 340 ha of farm land has been rezoned, making it much easier for thefarmers to grow their crops.
According to Dao Viet Bo, chairmanof the Thuy Van commune People’s Committee, local staff did theirbest to explain the new rural development programme and persuade thelocal people to take part in. In 2011, the commune managed to persuadelocals to contribute land, money and labour to field-rezoningactivities, worth around 1 million USD. By last December, it hadmobilised nearly 5 million USD for the new rural development programme,mostly from the local administration's budget and by local residents.
"Without the people, we would not have gained such achievements," Bo stressed.
Placing the people, their concerns and benefits at the centre of theprogramme, Thuy Van commune has long acknowledged the importance ofboosting productivity while reducing labour by applying new moderntechnologies and incentives.
The success is attributed tothe local authorities’ efforts to ensure democracy, openness, andtransparency in management while mobilising local contributions to theprogramme.-VNA