By taking advantage of the height, straight trunk, and sparse branches of the lồng mứt tree to serve as living supports for black pepper vines, Y Men Êban’s family (Sut MDrưng hamlet, Cư Suê commune, Cư M’gar district) has built a solidly prosperous household.
In 1995, when Y Men married and moved out on his own, his parents gave him one hectare of farmland. At first, he planted only coffee as a monocrop, but the income was modest. Life grew harder as his children were born. Determined and hardworking, Y Men actively sought out agricultural know-how—studying scientific methods and visiting successful farmers both inside and outside his area—to change his approach and improve his family’s income. Eventually, he and his wife decided to plant hundreds of pepper vines intercropped among the family’s coffee trees.
Unlike many other local growers, Y Men chose not to use concrete poles but to train the pepper vines on living supports—lồng mứt trees. “These trees grow fast and strong, with straight trunks and rough, non-cracking bark, few dense branches, and reach about six meters in height—two to two and a half meters taller than standard poles. That lets the pepper vines climb higher and produces a bigger harvest each year than most households,” he explained.
Although he has only one hectare of land, he has planted roughly 1,000 pepper posts and several hundred coffee trees. By strictly following proper cultivation techniques, his crops remain healthy and largely free of pests and disease. Each year the family harvests around two tons of coffee and five tons of pepper. At current market prices, after deducting all costs—fertilizer, labor, and other expenses—his family nets about 300–400 million VND annually.
Thanks to the success of this mixed-cropping model, Y Men’s children now have the means to pursue their education, the family can afford modern household appliances, and he has built a spacious, well-appointed home worth more than 500 million VND.