Something similar happened in Irian Jaya (Indonesian half of New Guinea). The government moved people, at random, to the island in their “transmigration” program and gave them plots of land and seeds, tools, resources, etc. To turn the jungle into productive farmland (and solidify their claim to the land).
When the farms did not produce they spent lots of time and money on programs, etc. to try fix the problems. I’m not sure if they ever determined that taking city people at random with no farming experience played a part of the poor performance? Or that they were given free plots of land? Or that the soil doesn’t grow much except native sweet potatoes?
Government "solutions" always fail. The problem is there are just enough brain dead idiots to perpetuate this by being able to vote largess. It is a never ending problem.