Motivated by market demand and a desire to bring safe produce to consumers, Hà Thị Hiền from hamlet 13, Thanh Nưa commune (Điện Biên province), persuaded fellow villagers to set up a safe vegetable cooperative group. Founded in 2019 with just four members, the group has now grown to 22, cultivating nearly four hectares of vegetables and fruit under VietGAP standards. With diverse seasonal produce and strict food safety practices, the cooperative supplies over 10 tons of fresh greens to the market each season. Members earn a steady monthly income of around VND 7 million.

Hiền didn’t stop at changing farming methods; she personally trained members in the “four rights”: applying the right pesticide, at the right dose, at the right time, and disposing of packaging properly. Beyond vegetables, her family also raises fish on more than 5,000 square meters of ponds and keeps hundreds of chickens.

“I always believe farming is not just about making my own family better off, but about helping the whole village prosper”, Hiền said. “To build new rural areas, we must first ensure stable incomes and better living standards. That’s why I strive to learn new techniques, find safe, efficient ways to farm, and share my experience with others.”

According to Quàng Văn Nguyên, Deputy Chairman of the Thanh Nưa Farmers’ Association, Hiền’s cooperative has boosted the value of local produce, fostered clean production habits, and linked farming with markets, bringing quality products to the community.

In Mường Phăng commune’s Huổi Hộc village, farmer Lò Văn Diện is another pioneer. In 2012, he boldly borrowed nearly VND 100 million to launch a VAC model (garden - pond - livestock). Combining cattle and pig raising with fish ponds and vegetable plots, his farm now generates VND 15 -200 million annually. Diện also shares his know-how, encouraging others to restructure crops and livestock and adopt new techniques. Thanks to his guidance, Huổi Hộc households have embraced change, worked together, and lifted themselves out of poverty. Today, the village has no poor or near-poor households, and average per capita income is nearly VND 50 million a year.

Across Điện Biên, 3,764 households have earned recognition as outstanding farming and business households. Many of them actively support others with capital, supplies, and technical assistance. Farmers have also contributed significantly to rural development: donating over 14,700 square meters of land, providing 7,403 workdays for public projects, repairing rural roads, cleaning and dredging 759 kilometers of irrigation canals, and helping build or repair 34 bridges, culverts, and drainage systems.

The results show that when farmers embrace innovation, apply science and technology, and work together, they not only escape poverty but also become key drivers of rural transformation in their communities.