New Rural Areas and their Goals, Functions and Basic Characteristics

1.1.1.2. Concept of resources for new rural construction

Resources for new rural construction are understood as a set of factors that the new rural construction program uses to implement the program's goals.

Resource concept

- According to the system perspective, “Resources are all the elements and means that the system has the right to control, manage and use to achieve its goals. For the socio-economic system, resources can be divided into different parts such as: human resources, financial resources, material resources and information resources” .

- Things considered as resources must be things that are used or have the potential to be used during the expected development period. Potential that has not been put into use or has the potential to be put into use is not considered as a resource.

Among resources, human resources play a very important role.

There are many different definitions of “human resources” :

- Human resources are the human resources of organizations (with different scales, types, and functions) that have the ability and potential to participate in the development process of the organization along with the socio-economic development of the country, region, and the world. This understanding of human resources comes from the concept of considering resources with material and spiritual factors that create capacity and strength to serve the general development of the organization;

- Human resources are the sum of internal and external factors of each individual that ensure creativity and other contents for the success and achievement of the organization's goals.

Although there are different definitions depending on the research approach, the common point that we can easily see through the above definitions of human resources is:

- Number of human resources: When talking about the human resources of any organization, locality or country, the first question is how many people there are and how many more people there will be in the future. These are questions for determining the number of human resources. The development of the number of human resources is based on two groups of internal factors (for example: actual work needs requiring an increase in the number of workers) and external factors of the organization such as population growth or labor force due to immigration;

- Human resource quality: Human resource quality is a synthesis of many components such as intelligence, qualifications, understanding, ethics, skills, health, aesthetics, etc. of workers. Among the above factors, intelligence and physical strength are two important factors in considering and evaluating the quality of human resources;

- Human resource structure: Human resource structure is an indispensable factor when considering and evaluating human resources. Human resource structure is reflected in different aspects such as training level structure, gender, age, etc. The human resource structure of a country in general is determined by the training structure and economic structure, accordingly there will be a certain proportion of human resources. For example, the labor force structure in the private economic sector of countries around the world is commonly 5 - 3 - 1, specifically 5 technical workers, 3 intermediate vocational workers and 1 engineer; for our country, this structure is somewhat reversed, that is, the number of people with university and post-graduate degrees is greater than the number of technical workers (3). Or the gender human resource structure in the public sector of our country also shows signs of imbalance.

In short , human resources is a comprehensive concept including factors of quantity, quality and development structure of workers in general both at present and in the future, and is the potential of each organization, each locality, each country, region and the world.

1.1.2. New rural areas and their basic goals, functions and characteristics

1.1.2.1. Concept of new rural model

The concept of new rural areas must first be rural, not urban. Second, it must be new rural areas, not traditional rural areas. If we compare new rural areas with traditional rural areas, then new rural areas must include new structures and functions.

Building a new countryside is not about turning villages into cities or keeping farmers in rural areas. Farmers are the important driving force for building a new countryside. Building a new countryside must be placed in the context of urbanization. Meanwhile, shifting rural labor is an important part of building a new countryside with farmers' organizations as the main subjects. New-style farmers' cooperatives play a special role in this work.

In general, the new rural model is a commune and village model that is comprehensively developed in the direction of industrialization, modernization, democracy and civilization. The new rural model is defined by the following characteristics: Meeting development requirements; Having innovation in organization, operation and environmental landscape; Achieving the highest efficiency in all economic, cultural and social fields; More progressive than the old model; Containing common characteristics that can be popularized and applied nationwide ( Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, 2010) .

1.1.2.2. Objectives of the new rural program

- Building new rural areas with modern economic and social infrastructure: Reasonable economic structure and production organization forms, linking agriculture with rapid industrial, service and urban development according to planning.

- Stable rural society, rich in national cultural identity; Protected ecological environment; Enhance the strength of the political system under the leadership of the Party in rural areas.

- Building the peasant class: Strengthening the alliance between workers and peasants and the intelligentsia, creating a solid socio-economic and political foundation, ensuring the successful implementation of the country's industrialization and modernization in the direction of socialism (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, 2010 ).

1.1.2.3. Functions of new rural areas

- Modern agricultural production function

Rural areas are where most of the agricultural production activities of countries take place. It can be said that agriculture is the natural function of rural areas. The basic function of rural areas is to produce high-quality agricultural products. Different from traditional rural areas, agricultural production in new rural areas includes the structure of new industries, modernized agricultural production conditions, popular application of advanced science and technology and the construction of modern agricultural organizations.

- Function of preserving traditional culture

Over thousands of years of development, rural villages were formed based on communities with the same customs, habits, and bloodlines. The rules of behavior of a society of acquaintances were built on the basis of long-established customs and habits.

It is also the homeland culture that has produced valuable spiritual cultural products such as respect for the elderly, love for children, helping each other guard and protect, simplicity, thrift, honesty, and love for the homeland. These valuable cultural traditions require preservation and development in a specific context. The countryside with its characteristics of agricultural production and clan settlement is the most suitable environment to preserve and continue the homeland culture.

- Ecological function

Rural landscapes with their own characteristics have formed a unique cultural color of the village, expressing philosophical ideas such as harmony between heaven and earth, following nature, respecting nature, seeking harmonious development as well as focusing on the continuity and development of clans.

To ensure the preservation of the good traditional culture of the countryside, the construction of new rural areas must not destroy the regional village landscapes that have been formed in history, affecting the inherent harmony of the countryside, losing the identity of the rural village because this not only limits the effects of the countryside but also has a negative impact on the preservation of the rural landscape ecology and traditional cultural landscape.

1.1.2.4. Basic characteristics of the new rural model

- Built on the basic unit of village - commune level.

- The role of the people is enhanced, promoting the spirit of farmers' autonomy.

people

- People are proactive in building development plans and attracting

Full participation of rural members to achieve the set goals effectively.

- The implementation of the plan is based on the development of people's own resources instead of relying mainly on external support.

- Farmers' organizations operate strongly and are highly effective.

1.1.2.5. Principles of new rural construction

(1) The contents and activities of the New Rural Development Program must aim to implement the 19 criteria of the National Criteria Set on New Rural Development issued in Decision No. 1980/QD-TTg dated October 17, 2016 of the Prime Minister on promulgating the National Criteria Set on New Rural Communes for the 2016-2020 period;

(2) Promoting the main role of the local community as the main subject, the State plays the role of guiding, issuing criteria, standards, policies, support mechanisms, training cadres and guiding implementation. Specific activities are decided and implemented by the local community in the village and commune through democratic discussion.

(3) Inheriting and integrating national target programs, targeted support programs, and other programs and projects being implemented in rural areas.

(4) The implementation of the New Rural Development Program must be linked to the local socio-economic development plan, with planning and mechanisms to ensure the implementation of new rural development plans developed by competent authorities.

(5) Publicity and transparency in the management and use of resources; strengthening decentralization and empowering communes to manage and organize the implementation of works and projects of the New Rural Development Program; promoting the role of people and communities as masters, implementing grassroots democracy in the process of planning, organizing implementation and monitoring and evaluation.

(6) New rural construction is the task of the entire political system and society. Party committees and authorities play a role in directing and managing the process of developing plans, projects, and organizing implementation. The Fatherland Front and political and social organizations mobilize all classes of people to promote their role as subjects in new rural construction.

1.1.2.6. Subjects of new rural construction

Some people think that the subject of rural development must be the government. However, in reality, farmers are the real subjects of rural development. This is not because the state does not have enough economic potential to play this role, but no matter how strong the state's economic potential is, it cannot lack the active participation and contribution of the peasant class itself. Obviously, farmers here do not simply mean individual farmers, but must be understood as peasant organizations.

In the process of building new rural areas, farmers must participate from the planning stage, to contributing labor, money and most of the direct labor in the process of creating material wealth and preserving cultural identity.

ethnic groups, and at the same time, they are also beneficiaries of the achievements of the new rural areas. Therefore, farmers are the main subjects of new rural construction, which is a factor that both ensures the success of the new rural construction and ensures the promotion of the active role of farmers (Government, 2008).

1.1.2.7. Criteria for new rural construction

Pursuant to Decision No. 1600/QD-TTg dated August 16, 2016 of the Prime Minister approving the National Target Program on New Rural Construction for the 2016-2020 period;

Pursuant to Decision No. 1980/QD-TTg dated October 17, 2016 of the Prime Minister on promulgating the National Criteria Set on New Rural Communes for the 2016-2020 period;

Pursuant to Decision No. 69/QD-BNN-VPDP dated January 9, 2017 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development promulgating the handbook guiding the implementation of the National Criteria for New Rural Communes for the period 2016-2020;

Pursuant to Decision No. 41/2016/QD-TTg dated October 10, 2016 of the Prime Minister on the promulgation of regulations on management and implementation of national target programs.

* Criteria groups: Including 5 groups

Group I: Planning (has 01 criterion).

Group II: Socio-economic infrastructure (with 08 criteria). Group III: Economy and production organization (with 04 criteria).

Group IV: Culture - society - environment (with 04 criteria). Group V: Political system (with 02 criteria).

Table 1.1. Contents of 19 criteria in the National Criteria Set on New Rural Areas

Name

criteria

Criteria content

Unit

Standard

qualified

I. PLANNING