From forest areas assigned for management and protection, numerous households across the commune secure additional stable income streams, as living closely with forest green turns forest resource protection into a voluntary action that contributes to maintaining sustainable livelihoods.

Quài Tở commune currently holds over 7,938 hectares of forested land with coverage reaching 43.6%. Leveraging this advantage, the locality orients the development of under-canopy medicinal plant areas, where after over two decades attached to cardamom, residents across several highland villages introduced amomum, star anise, Lai Châu ginseng, and Ngọc Linh ginseng into commodity-oriented cultivation over the past five years, elevating economic value on forest land while creating stable livelihoods for local households.

Warm and prosperous medicinal plant harvest seasons

In mid-July following days of heavy rain, Lầu A Dia alongside households in Há Dùa village headed into the forest early in the morning to inspect cardamom areas on mountain slopes near the village. Dia’s family stands among the pioneers introducing cardamom beneath forest canopies, expanding from a modest initial area to nearly 1 hectare after multiple successful harvests, with each season generating stable income to cover living expenses and reinvest in economic development.

Lầu A Dia shared that heavy rain accompanied by strong winds prompted him to inspect the cardamom fields, noting that seeing carefully tended plants growing stably reassures him while awaiting harvest, adding that cardamom brought additional income to his family and fellow villagers to ease living hardships.

Under-canopy medicinal plant cultivation rapidly spread to other villages, leading from Há Dùa to Ten Hon, which holds the largest under-canopy cardamom area in Quài Tở commune at nearly 50 hectares. Among 135 households in the village, over 97% participate in cardamom planting, with Mùa A Pó’s family maintaining nearly 2 hectares stably for many years to earn an average of 10 million VND annually from selling dried cardamom, while utilizing assigned forest land to plant green amomum beneath canopies to enhance economic efficiency per unit area. Pó noted that cardamom eased family hardships and traders purchase directly at the village, adding that earning income from forests necessitates protecting them well so medicinal plants can thrive.

Recognizing the efficiency brought by cardamom, Quài Tở commune encourages organizations and individuals to develop high-value medicinal plants under forest canopies. Since 2022, an enterprise in Tuần Giáo district collaborated with Ten Hon villagers to pilot 2,000 Ngọc Linh ginseng plants, which adapted well to local climate and soil after over four years to open new economic development avenues.

Consensus on protecting forest resources

Developing under-canopy medicinal plant areas generated positive transformations in forest management, protection, and fire prevention across Quài Tở commune, as no deforestation or forest encroachment occurred over the past decade across five highland villages including Há Dùa, Thẳm Nặm, Ten Hon, Xá Tự, and Huổi Anh. Because under-canopy medicinal plants thrive only when natural ecosystems are protected, protecting forests represents safeguarding community livelihoods for resident households.

To maintain green forests, forest protection and fire prevention regulations were integrated into village conventions and pacts, with residents reminding each other against clearing forest for farming while actively joining patrols over assigned areas, turning forest preservation into self-motivated awareness rather than relying solely on functional forces. Lầu A Sính, Vice Chairman of the Quài Tở commune People’s Committee, noted that local authorities focused on developing under-canopy medicinal plants alongside forest protection over recent years, guiding residents to exploit assigned land efficiently through medicinal plants to build sustainable livelihoods and protect forest resources.

Opening directions for sustainable forest economic development

To date, Quài Tở commune holds 83.5 hectares of cardamom, 85 hectares of star anise, nearly 70 hectares of amomum, alongside 3.3 hectares of Ngọc Linh ginseng and Lai Châu ginseng under forest canopies.

These medicinal plant regions generate income for residents while laying premises for the locality to develop raw material areas linked to production and consumption, with every expanded acreage creating additional value from forests to ensure that as residents earn a living from forests, green canopies will be preserved as a foundation for long-term development across Quài Tở commune’s highland villages.