LookAtVietnam – One man’s belief in the power of knowledge is helping farmers escape poverty in Hoa Vang district, Da Nang city.

Farmers read books at a private library. They now have a better chance to access information for their farming work.

“I used to lose a lot of money because I didn’t know enough about business, so I sold my products for less than market prices,” he said.

“Then I came up with the idea of opening a library for farmers.”

As a member of the Good Young Businessmen’s Club, run by the district’s Youth Union, Quoc raised his idea to open a library and immediately got approval from other members.

Quoc himself covered all the expenses needed, about VND30 million (US$1,700). He also bought facilities for the library such as computers, printers and books. Other support came from the club, the union and the district’s department of agriculture. It opened in the middle of last month and now has hundreds of books on agriculture, poultry, cattle raising and animal diseases.

Since the middle of July, farmers and farm owners in the district began visiting library on the way to Ba Na tourist area.

“I consider expenses for the library equal to advertising costs for my business. Instead of TV or radio, people know more about me and my business when they go to the library,” said Quoc.

Now, farmers have a better chance to borrow books, search for information on the net, learn how to treat diseases or check the market price of farming products and fertiliser. The library has already made a big difference to people in the mountainous district, most of whom make a living from the land.

According to secretary of the district’s Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, Tran Dinh Ngo, local people have faced many difficulties in buying and selling farm products due to lack of market information.

“But even though the library has only been open for a short time, the difference it has made can be clearly seen.”

Farmer Hong Van Dinh, 57, who works in Hoa Trung ward, said: ” I spend most of my time on the fields so I didn’t use to have time to access up-to-date information. Now, if I have any questions, I simply go to the library.”

To help farmers access information, Quoc’s brother Tran Duc Khanh is on hand to manage the library. He also guides farmers on how to use the internet. Sometimes, he even goes as far as the city centre, 30km away, to download necessary information for farmers.

To get more people through the doors, Quoc is planning to issue a free weekly leaflet about agriculture-related information.

“We also plan to seek more markets for local products or contact with fertiliser producers for example, to ensure the most reasonable price for farmers,” he said.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News