Effective and Sustainable New Rural Development

In more than 10 years of carrying out the National Target Program on New Rural Development, Son La province has achieved remarkable results, particularly the better outlook of rural areas and improved people's livelihoods. The province strives to have 83 communes certified to meet new rural development standards by the end of 2025, with Son La City completing new rural development tasks and Quynh Nhai District certified to meet new rural development standards.

Na Muong commune in Moc Chau district of Son La province, is officially recognized for meeting the new rural standards

Many positive results

Mr. Ha Nhu Hue, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief of the Son La Coordination Office for New Rural Development, said: Being clearly aware that new rural construction is a key task that “only has a starting point, no ending point”, the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People’s Council and the Provincial People’s Committee seriously directed the implementation of this program and achieved many encouraging results.

The rural social and economic infrastructure system is built, renovated and upgraded synchronously according to plans, featured by inter-commune and inter-district connectivity by region, especially rural traffic. Traffic, electricity, education, residential housing and environment criteria are well met, and the poverty rate is falling. Many economic development and social security models are developed and promoted effectively and pervasively, helping increase income for rural people.

In 2023, Son La City continued to carry out new rural construction tasks. Quynh Nhai district aims to achieve new rural development standards by 2025. In 2023, the province recognized six more communes to fulfill new rural development standards, exceeding the assigned target and bringing the total certified new rural communes to 65, and three more advanced new rural communes, bringing the total communes of this class to eight. The face of rural areas has been comprehensively uplifted towards modernity and sustainability, developed multi-values from production, trade, service and tourism.

In 2024, Son La province is striving to have at least eight more communes meet new rural development standards and two more communes certified to satisfy advanced new rural development standards. Each commune will meet an average 13.12 criteria or more, with no communes fulfilling fewer than five criteria. The province will review and reassess 54 certified communes in 2015 - 2021 according to prescribed processes and procedures and strive to have all certified communes to keep these recognitions. To accomplish this objective, right from the beginning of the year, the Provincial People's Committee launched a plan to carry out the National Target Program on New Rural Development in 2024. The province clearly assigned responsibilities to agencies and individuals, brought mobilized resources into full play; integrated, arranged and effectively used decentralized funding sources; focused on building and perfecting unmet criteria and targets to have more communes to be accredited to fulfill new rural development standards according to the proposed roadmap. In 2024, the province expected to have VND440.71 billion to continue the National Target Program on New Rural Development.

Agricultural restructuring aligned with new rural development

Improving the income and material life of rural people is one of Son La's most important criteria in new rural construction. Accordingly, localities in the province defined agricultural restructuring as a central and thorough task in socioeconomic development coupled with new rural construction.

Sticking to this direction, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has focused on leading, directing and effectively carrying out VietGAP-standard, organic and high-tech agricultural production development tasks associated with solving emerging social issues like insufficient farming land, jobs, income, ecological environment and sustainable development. The province has strongly shifted from an ineffective smallholding individual economy to a collective economy and enhanced the work performance of agricultural cooperatives.

The province now has over 84,000 ha of fruit trees and hawthorn trees, with an annual output of nearly 456,600 tons. It has five high-tech agricultural regions; 2,714 ha of crops applied with good agricultural practices (GAP) and equivalent standards, with a yearly output of 43,570 tons; and 8,200 ha of organic and organic production. The province operates 280 safe agricultural and aquatic food supply chains, has 294 planting area codes for over 3,150 ha; 28 brand-protected products; and 151 certified OCOP products.

Son La will continue to speed up agricultural restructuring towards building high-tech agriculture and large commercial production. The province will effectively implement guidelines and policies to support the development of agriculture, farmers and rural areas; develop smart, circular agriculture, international integration, climate resilience, improve added value and sustainable development associated with new rural construction. The locality will continue to improve the system of agricultural product consumption channels closely connected along the value-added chains of production, purchasing, processing, preservation and consumption; and link agricultural production and consumption.

In addition, the province will mobilize and focus prioritized investment resources to gradually improve the infrastructure of concentrated production areas, and form input supply areas for agricultural processing, especially for export. By the end of 2024, agriculture, forestry and fisheries will account for 25% of the GDP; 99% of rural residents will have access to hygienic water; and forest coverage is stable at 48%.

Consequently, Son La will gradually increase the economic value of agriculture, raise people's income, and build the province into the largest fruit and vegetable production and processing center in the northwest region. This is also an important foundation for local socioeconomic development, including new rural development.

“Obviously, agricultural restructuring is both a goal and a solution to implement the National Target Program on New Rural Development and new rural development is in turn a driving force for agricultural restructuring. Son La province has been effectively carrying out these,” said Mr. Ha Nhu Hue.

By Hoài Nam, Vietnam Business Forum