The Rac Lay ethnic minority living in Bac Ai District in the central province of Ninh Thuan grow rice which helps them escape a life of poverty. 
A large district, Bac Ai used to be mired in poverty due to poor farming methods used by its residents, most of whom are Rac Lay. They fished in lakes and planted rice on mountains to eke out a meager livelihood.
In 2005, the 69 million cubic meter Song Sat reservoir was built to irrigate hundreds of hectares of paddy and vegetables fields.
The province then set up a committee comprising Youth Union members to guide farmers in Phuoc Thang commune in growing rice. The province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development provided seeds, technology, and fertilizers.
Chamalet Thi Luyen in Ma Oai village said her three-member family was given 0.3 hectares of land in 2008 on which it grows over 900 kilograms of rice in a year, helping resolve the food problem.
Karte Chieu, Party secretary and chairman of the Phuoc Thang Commune People’s Committee, said needy people in distant areas have received more attention since the government issued a decree for combating poverty in poor districts around the country.
