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Vietnamese Farmers Reap Rich Rewards with Garden Pond and Pigsty model
The garden-pond-pigsty model abbreviated in Vietnamese as VAC has achieved unimaginable success and is gradually becoming a more widespread used model among Vietnamese farmers. The reason is it works. This model combines orchard development, fish breeding in ponds and animal husbandry.
The Viet Nam Gardeners' Association was established 20 years ago. Since its establishment is has rapidly developed and expanded. It beginning was in the hard times when the American war ended and most of the families were poor. The national economy was then under developed.
The VAC program was initiated with the motto "Everyone, every family, everywhere applies VAC". This VAC program by the Vietnam Gardeners association started initially as a very simple model. Farmers could only grow short-term vegetables in their plots and fruit trees and raise hens for eggs. The purpose was that it would help them provide nutritious diets for their families.
The nutritious VAC model developed quickly and other people were encouraged to follow the model. The successes of the model have helped the State implement it as a strategy to fight malnutrition in the post-war period.
Local climates and environmental features of different regions soon determined what model the people followed. It was either the VAC, VA (developing gardens and fish ponds) or VC (developing gardens and animal husbandry) models or alternatives.
When it started many untended gardens, ponds and unused plots of land existed all over the country. The Gardeners' Association mobilized a movement to make use of these resources, and people responded enthusiastically to the movement. Advanced farming technology was applied to many areas to create an abundance of agricultural products. The success of the VAC model helped farmers successfully develop their household economies. Many households combined their land to form larger farms.
Viet Nam now has nearly 120,000 farms in service on different production models that make farmers get more income. Innumerable members now have annual household incomes of VND50 million. 'Ngo The Dan', deputy chairman of the Gardeners' Association, stated that the VAC model is helpful in increasing production.
It still needs to expand and its members need to be skilful and dedicated to their work. The quality of agricultural products needs to improve in order to integrate them into the international economy. The Vietnam Gardeners Association has decided to further train its members in gardening skills to raise production and enjoy economic success
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