Thanh Mien farmers volunteer to help each other overcome damage caused by storms and floods

Reduce the cost burden

More than ten days after storm No. 3, the guava field of Mr. Vu Van Hung's family in Tao Khe village (Chi Lang Bac commune, Thanh Mien) was still covered in garbage and fruit trees were falling all over. Mr. Hung's family had 11 hectares of guava. Storm No. 3 flooded the field, forcing him to use all the machines to pump out the water. However, due to the impact of the flood after the storm, this area was flooded even deeper. The water outside the river was so high that he could not pump it out. Mr. Hung was so discouraged that he gave up on saving the guava field.

With timely encouragement from the commune leaders and the Chi Lang Bac Commune Farmers' Association, Mr. Hung used a machine to drain the water. After the water level decreased, 15 members of the Farmers' Association's Disaster Prevention and Damage Relief Team in Tao Khe village came to help Mr. Hung clean the garden, collect fallen leaves, rotten guavas and re-establish the trees. With this help, Mr. Hung's guava garden is likely to be "revived" in the next 1-2 days.

According to Mr. Hung, the cost of hiring a worker to clean up leaves and rotten guava fruits is 200,000 VND/day, while someone experienced in setting up guava trees will have to spend 400,000 VND/day. “Not only does it cost a lot of money, but it is not certain that we can hire workers because after the storm and flood, everyone is busy cleaning up their family's gardens and trees. I am truly touched by the affection and concern of the members of the group. Without this encouragement and help, my family would have definitely given up and stopped trying to save the guava garden,” Mr. Hung said emotionally.

Due to the impact of the storm and flood, Mr. Vu Van Phong's family in Trieu Duong village (Chi Lang Nam commune) suffered about 600-700 million VND in damage. The iron bars of the greenhouse and net house were lying around in the garden, making it difficult for him to clean up. At this time, the Farmers' Association for Disaster Prevention and Support to Overcome Damage in Trieu Duong village came to help his family. Some removed the frames, carried the iron, others pulled out the dead melon plants... "Without the support, my family doesn't know when we will be able to clean up and start restoring production," said Mr. Phong.

Timely support

To cope with storms and floods, the Thanh Mien District Farmers' Association has requested each branch to establish a Farmers' Association Team to take action against natural disasters and support damage recovery with 5-10 farmer members/team. Ms. Tran Thi Tuan, President of the Chi Lang Nam Commune Farmers' Association, said that the Commune Farmers' Association has established 3 teams in 3 branches, the An Duong and Hoi Yen Village Farmers' Associations each have 10 people, and the Trieu Duong Village Farmers' Association has 16 people. In addition to Mr. Phong, the Commune Farmers' Association has also helped a poor farmer member clean up his house and restore production. The members all work on a voluntary basis and support each other as much as possible.

Although Ms. Ngo Thi Dung's family in Trieu Duong village has 5 sao of rice fields, and the area of ​​flowers and trees was also greatly affected by the storm, they still spent time helping Mr. Phong. Ms. Dung said: "I took the opportunity to clean up at home, then spent most of my time supporting households in need so that they can quickly restore production."

According to the Thanh Mien District Farmers' Association, all communes and towns in the district have established a Farmers' Association Team to prevent natural disasters and support damage recovery. This is an important force in participating in preventing local storm and flood incidents and supporting members in cleaning up and overcoming damage after storms and floods. "Without this support, many families would have difficulty hiring people and spending more money. This is an activity that shows encouragement, sharing, and accompanying each other in times of difficulty and hardship," said Mr. Vu The Sang, Chairman of the Thanh Mien District Farmers' Association.

According to the assessment of the Farmers' Association of Hai Duong province, the model of the Farmers' Association's volunteer group for natural disaster prevention and damage recovery support of the Farmers' Association of Thanh Mien district is very creative and suitable for practice. During its operation, the group has promoted its effectiveness, bringing practical benefits to its members. This model needs to be replicated in localities to respond to unexpected and sudden cases that cause damage to farmers.