EaSoup: Escaping Poverty

Unlike other places in the Central Highlands, the border-sharing EaSoup lies in the middle of “khop” forest. Ea Sup is now the poorest district and is seen the “navel of flooding” in Dak Lak province. With a population of more than 57,000 people, the rate of poor households in many communes is still over 60 per cent. Even, more than 65 per cent of households in border-sharing Ia Rve and Ya Lop communes are poor. Besides, with a large number of migrants, the poverty fight is a harder task for the district.

 

EaSoup is the largest cashew growing district in Dak Lak province, with 14,000 ha. Up to 90 per cent of agricultural production is highly mechanised. Mr Phan Xuan Linh, Chairman of EaSoup district, said: The district economy is positively progressing. Agricultural production, especially the winter-spring crop in 2008, beat the plan in terms of acreage and output. Since 2000, machines are widely used in the district. However, farmers have little financial supports to buy farming machines. Such assistance programmes like Programme 135 have ineffectively implemented in the district. To meet the goal of wholly mechanised agriculture, farmers need more assistance for techniques among others.

 

Free mobility of residents primarily affects economic development of EaSoup. According to the statistic since April 2007 to date, Cu K’bang commune has seen 2,768 people from other places settle their lives in the locality. A sudden increase of population has made local authorities difficult to govern and especially to ensure the good livelihood for the people. The highest desire of Cu K’bang villagers is to build an irrigation system to take water from Ea Khanh to serve production and livelihood. Without irrigation system, Cu K’bang commune only farm in the rainy season. Therefore, an irrigation system needs to be built to water 1,800 ha of rice to help Cu K’bang in particular and EaSoup in general escape poverty. The new watering system will enable the district to double its crops from only insure one. In recent years, Dak Lak province has assisted EaSoup to build big irrigation works like upper EaSoup and lower EaSoup, upgrade canals system and send electricity to villages. Other programmes like housing land, farming land, crop and livestock assistance have given a hand to EaSoup people to seek a poverty exit.