In mid-2016, people in Hoa Trach commune (Bo Trach, Quang Binh) were surprised when a young couple, Ms. Le Thi Thanh Thuy and Mr. Le Dinh Qua, returned to the hilly area to start a business. Relatives find it strange because before that, the young couple had a university degree and a steady job in the city of Quy Nhon (Binh Dinh).

7 years of diligent improvement of the floor in compliance with the “5 nos”

The couple chose the rocky, hilly land where Acacia melaleuca is grown as a place to fulfill their dream of developing an organic farming model. The couple sold a house on the street and invested all their savings from nearly ten years as a “state person” in the village of Ket in Hoa Trach Municipality. A temporary house for a family of 4 was built on this barren land, combined with the construction of an ecological farm.

The difficult first years were filled with difficulties. The land that Thuy and her husband bought is set amidst scenic hills. Up a dusty dirt track, the couple took turns riding an old motorcycle to take their children to school while carrying vegetables to market for sale. When it’s sunny, the Lao wind is blowing, and looking at the wilted vegetables, the couple can’t help but be touched.

Initially, the couple had to work on their own and did not dare to hire workers. No matter where the power is, do it. The vegetable cultivation area is gradually expanded over the years, not massively. Then, little by little, the company stabilized according to your plan, true to the orientation of developing organic agricultural products. Every year, the couple spends a lot of money to buy manure, transport it, fertilize plants and use more microbial organic phosphorus to improve the soil.

To take a firm and sustainable step, the An Nong Farm (An Nong One Member Limited Liability Company) brand was born. So that he could give free rein to his passion for agriculture, Ms. Thuy, as director of the company, learned to develop markets and market products.

Mr. Le Dinh Qua shared, “One Nong farm strives to implement organic farming and say ‘no’ to harmful chemicals. In particular, we adhere to no chemical pesticides, no fertilizers. chemical fertilizers, no growth stimulants, no genetically modified seeds, no herbicides…”.

Although the area is not large, An Nong Farm is developing towards a diverse ecology. Anh Qua boldly experimented with many new cultivation methods in line with current trends. In addition to maintaining 2 greenhouse areas covering more than 1,500m2, which are low rolling houses with plastic covers, around the farm, Mr. Qua also planted a system of windbreak trees such as casuarina and melaleuca. “Because the weather has many negative fluctuations, it is necessary to have a wind barrier to protect greenhouses and crops,” added Mr. Qua.

Not only the cultivation according to “vegetables of this season”, on the An Nong Farm the structure of the vegetables is also calculated according to scientific knowledge. According to Mr. Guo, leafy vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, etc. often suffer from pests and diseases. Therefore, alongside these vegetable beds, beds of pungent vegetables such as onion, coriander, carrot… “By experimenting with such cultivation method, pests and diseases for leafy vegetables were limited,” said Dr Guo.

Walking through the gardens with all kinds of fruit trees with green color, the ground was porous under his feet, Mr. Qua said it was the result of nearly 7 years of persistent production and soil improvement towards organic production. A dry gravel land has become a very fertile land. After many years of promoting “soil health”, soil fertility has been improved, so that the amount of organic fertilizer to be applied annually has gradually decreased, while crop yields are increasing day by day.

Between the vegetables, Mr. Qua also divided the area, and the “barricades” were rows of heavy bananas. Mr. Qua said An Nong Farm’s goal is to build an ecological production chain while helping other farmers in other areas of the province to develop a chain of clean agricultural products.

At present, An Nong Farm is building a production chain of sweet potato (in Hien Ninh Township, Quang Ninh District) and watermelon (Loc Ninh, Dong Hoi City) with seed supply, agricultural technical support and production spending for the people. In addition, the asparagus production chain is also used by the company and promises high profitability.

An Nong Farm is also a pioneer in developing kinds of experience services and eco-tourism. In the near future, An Nong will target pre-school, kindergarten and elementary school ages with two programs: “Children Practice Farming” and “An Nong Summer Day, Sunshine on Green Leaves”. The programs are loved by parents and schools for the many nature-related activities. This helps children to get closer to nature, to get acquainted with the protection of the living environment and to get used to it from an early age.

Always turned to the ecological environment

As soon as she started growing organic vegetables, tubers and fruits, Ms. Thuy went to every kindergarten and elementary school in Bo Trach District to introduce An Nong Farm’s products. Their marketing method at the time was very simple, taking prestige and belief in the product as a solid foundation, aiming to use clean agricultural products for the benefit of customers. The number of customers who trust An Nong Farm’s agricultural products has gradually increased, the market has expanded and reached the surrounding areas, so the farm has stable production.

As the farm grew and consumed most of the acreage and the product became more, An Nong opened the first product shop in Dong Hoi City. After only a short time, the customers accepted and trusted. After that, a second store was also opened in Dong Hoi to meet the needs of consumers.

So far, An Nong Farm’s consumption market has been expanded not only within but also outside the province. The farm is a close customer of many farms, supermarkets, schools, etc. According to Ms. Thuy, it is the result of An Nong’s hard work for the ecological environment and efforts to bring the best benefits to customers.

“An Nong Farm pays great attention to minimizing the impact on the environment in the production and business process. For example, the plastic bag of farm produce has been replaced by their eco-friendly bag experiment. , then banana leaves, cardboard… “An Nong Farm also has many policies to encourage customers to learn about eco-friendly products, like giving away vegetables, tubers, and fruits to customers who don’t carry plastic bags; Price reductions for customers who bring alleys, paper bags for shopping,” said Ms. Nong Farm ., Thuy quietly confided.

We entered the An Nong Farm store on Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Dong Hoi City. In the morning the housewives came quite busy to select goods. Ms. Hoang Ha (Bac Ly Township), who is also a regular customer here, said, “Me and many people often come here to buy groceries, knowing that this is an An Nong product that has clean farms is made or associated. Just coming here is enough for a housewife to have all kinds of vegetables and fruits for daily meals without having to go to many places,” Ha said.

From farms to product distribution businesses, An Nong has created stable jobs for over 20 employees with incomes exceeding VND 6 million/month. On average, the vegetable source supplying the market has brought in over VND1 billion each year for An Nong. Speaking about his vision for the future, Mr. Le Dinh Qua said that he will continue to set up more product distribution stores in Dong Hoi City. “An Nong Farm is striving to become a strong brand in local organic agricultural production,” said Mr. Qua excitedly.