Quang Ninh’s Agriculture and Environment sector: 80 years of sustainable development

After the August Revolution of 1945, in a time of countless national hardships, President Ho Chi Minh signed Decree No. 71/SL on November 14, 1945 to establish the Ministry of Agriculture (Canh Nong) - the predecessor of today’s agricultural sector. In Quang Ninh, the young revolutionary government soon formed agricultural management structures at local levels, marking the beginning of sectoral development.

During the resistance war against French colonialists (1945 - 1954), farmers in Quang Ninh both produced and fought, contributing to securing food supplies for the frontline. Movements such as “Increase Production” and the “Rice jar for resistance” spread across rural areas from Dong Trieu and Uong Bi to Tien Yen and Binh Lieu.

Entering the economic recovery period (1955 - 1960), despite severe consequences from war and natural disasters (particularly Typhoon Kate in 1955) the provincial agricultural sector strove to revive production. Strong campaigns were launched to reclaim land, build dams, reinforce irrigation canals, and expand rice, maize and sweet potato areas. Land reform, rectification and agricultural cooperativization were carried out in accordance with Central Resolution 14 (1958), laying the foundation for long-term sustainable development.

From 1960 to 1975, following the policy of comprehensive cooperativization, agro - forestry - fishery cooperatives were established across most localities. Responding to the “Tree planting festival” initiated by President Ho Chi Minh (Spring 1960), Quang Ninh vigorously deployed a province-wide movement to plant trees and restore forests under the “4 self-principles”: self-sourcing seeds, self-nursing seedlings, self-planting, and self-protecting; and the “4 good”: good cooperatives, good specialized teams, good nurseries and good planting-care-protection practices. At the same time, irrigation development was identified as a top priority for production: hundreds of reservoirs, dams and canals were built, such as Khe Tau reservoir (Dong Trieu), Yen Lap reservoir (Hoanh Bo) and Cao Van reservoir (Cam Pha).

Between 1964 and 1975, Quang Ninh became a frontline in the fight against U.S. airstrikes, simultaneously producing and fighting. Movements such as “plough in one hand, rifle in the other”, “self-defense farmers” and “holding onto land and fields” symbolized the spirit of miners’ rural communities. The agricultural sector continued to affirm its role as a pillar of the economy, ensuring civilian livelihoods amid fierce wartime conditions.

After national reunification, especially during the Doi Moi reforms, Quang Ninh’s agricultural sector entered a period of strong restructuring. State management was strengthened, shifting from a subsidy mechanism to a market-based model, granting greater autonomy to producers. The province prioritized developing specialized farming zones for high-value crops and livestock, such as tea, fruit trees, livestock and coastal aquaculture. The “household contract” movement under Resolution 10-NQ/TW (1988) unleashed farmers’ initiative and creativity. New-style enterprises and cooperatives emerged, boosting commodity production. Many irrigation works, dykes, pumping stations and reservoirs were upgraded, securing summer-autumn rice and improving productivity.

Particularly during 1996 - 2000, Quang Ninh focused on sustainable forestry development, promoting production forests and coastal/border protective forests. Forest cover surpassed 40%, laying the groundwork for the long-pursued strategy of “greening barren hills.”

Entering the 21st century, Quang Ninh defined agriculture - rural areas - farmers as key pillars of sustainable development. Between 2001 and 2010, the province witnessed a strong shift toward commodity production, technical advancement and mechanization. From 2010 onward, many major programs and projects were implemented, including the Agricultural Restructuring Scheme, creating breakthroughs in productivity, quality and rural incomes. The New Rural Development Program and the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program were strongly adopted and delivered notable results.

By 2025, the province achieved and surpassed all targets of the New Rural Development Program. Rural infrastructure has become increasingly modern and synchronized; rural landscapes have visibly improved; and the rural economy has developed toward modernity, greenness and sustainability. Cultural, educational and healthcare services, along with social security, have been strengthened, promoting traditional cultural values.

Quang Ninh effectively implemented the movement “All people unite to build new rural areas and civilized urban areas” and enhanced social supervision and feedback, reinforcing the central role of residents in building new rural areas. This helped inspire responsibility, creativity and broad participation across society in rural development and sustainable poverty reduction. In May 2025, the Prime Minister recognized Quang Ninh as a province completing the New Rural Development mission for 2024.

The province advanced the OCOP initiative, attracting 168 economic organizations and achieving 196 out of 421 participating products rated 3 - 5 stars; more than 90% of products now carry electronic traceability codes. Trade promotion activities and OCOP fairs are frequently organized to connect and expand markets. As a result, rural per-capita income in 2025 reached VND 84.14 million/year, 2.8 times higher than in 2015 and multidimensional poverty has nearly been eliminated.

The New Rural Development Program has become a model of rural growth for the province. Maintaining the perspective that “new rural development has no endpoint, only a starting point” has created momentum for communes to sustain and improve standards. Entering a new phase, Quang Ninh aims to continue renewing collective-economic production, investing in rural infrastructure, developing rural tourism and widely applying circular economy and low-emission agriculture.

Alongside these efforts, environmental protection and natural resource management have received unprecedented attention. Close coordination between the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment has helped address cross-sectoral issues such as land management, water resources, biodiversity conservation and green economic development. Notably, in March 2025, the merger of the two departments into the Department of Agriculture and Environment marked a major strategic milestone, reflecting Quang Ninh’s vision: sustainable agricultural development linked with environmental protection, strict land management, rational resource use and an integrated “one sector - two pillars” governance approach balancing growth and sustainability.

Looking back over 80 years, Quang Ninh’s Agriculture and Environment sector has continuously grown alongside the province and the nation. From its earliest steps, the sector has built a solid foundation of state management, a dedicated professional workforce and increasingly complete infrastructure for production and environmental protection. The core values of responsibility, creativity, solidarity and sustainability have become driving forces for the sector to continue confidently along its new development path.

Building on its 80-year tradition, Quang Ninh’s Agriculture and Environment sector is entering a new period filled with opportunities and challenges. With its strong foundation, capable workforce and the consensus of residents and businesses, Quang Ninh is well-positioned to realize its aspiration of developing a comprehensive, modern, green, clean and nature-harmonized Agriculture and Environment sector - for a sustainable future.