Quang Nam (VNS/VNA) - Born in Dien Ban town, Quang Nam province, 37-year-old Duong Hien Tu has
developed the area’s first organic ecological agriculture system and a
sustainable farming model over the past seven years to create the An
Phu organic farm brand.
As one of the first farming families in Go
Noi, an agriculture-intensive area in the province, they began their adventure
in organic farming on 2ha of land as part of a business-farmer
co-operative model in 2012.
Farmers who made a living from traditional
agricultural production for years were assigned to follow organic
farming under strict regulations and responsibility-related contracts as
well as market price guarantees.
“It was a real change among traditional
farmers in the region. They were told to use their skills and set prices
themselves,” Tu said.
“Each family was put in charge of a segment in
the production chain, including livestock, rice, vegetables and fish.
Livestock farms now supply meat and bio-fertilisers for vegetables, while
garden waste from herb farms is used to feed livestock,” he explained.
He said this helped farmers to reduce
production costs by 35 to 40 percent for chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
According to Do Huu Vinh, 69, a member of An Phu
Farm, organic farming is a tough process because it takes more time.
“Most farmers prefer to chill out after spraying
chemical fertilisers and weedkillers. They leave their farms for days to enjoy
weddings, parties and festivals, but organic farming needs daily
care,” Vinh said.
“We switched to organic farming two years ago,
and it’s fresh and healthy. We stopped using toxic chemical
fertilisers and pesticides. Now it’s all about hard work and herb-based
pesticides to clear harmful insects,” he explained.
Healthy farming
Nguyen Viet Binh, a farmer in Dien Phong
commune, said organic farming would be the sustainable choice for the
future.
“Organic farming can be expensive due to labour
costs, but we can work healthier on chemical-free fields. We can earn
more on a small farm as organic products often sell for twice as much
as chemical-based farms,” Binh said.
“Farmers ensure quality control and organic
farming, while businesses ensure a stable price for safe farm produce. It
helps reduce the risks from market fluctuations,” Binh added.
Hoang Hung, a biology engineer, believed that
organic farming would continue to grow as people became more aware of where
their food was coming from.
“Housewives look at quality rather than
price. They want to know where the food they’re feeding their children is from,
and even visit the farms. This has pushed farmers to switch to organic
methods,” Hung said.
The 23-year-old engineer, who works on a
5,000sq.m farm outside Da Nang, recycles garden and livestock waste
to produce bio-fertiliser and bio-pesticides.
“Garden waste is fermented to
produce bio-insect spray, while bees and ants help protect
the farm from insect infestation. Earthworms are also
to decompose organic waste,” he said.
The organic farm collective helps
businesses reduce their initial investments by 20 percent.
“Farmers offer land, seeds, skills,
labourers and knowledge of agricultural production, while businesses
ensure supply chain development, sales, technical assistance and quality
certification,” Hung said.
Links
Vo Lam Vu, the owner of an organic farm in
Mang Den in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, said building links
among organic farms nationwide would help set a firm foundation
for an organic growth wave.
“It’s necessary. One organic farm by itself
can’t meet market demands, while shops need diversity for
their products, ranging from vegetables, fruit, rice and seafood,” Vu
said.
“Our farm, which turned to organic farming seven
years ago, supplies on average 1.5 tonnes of safe farm produce – mainly roots
and fruit – to Da Nang alone,” he said.
“Each farm specialises in key products,
while others supply aquaculture, rice, or packaged coffee
and tea,” he said.
He explained that organic farms would
reduce the risks of market changes, while maintaining a stable income for
farmers.
Do Thi Tuong Vy, manager of the An Phu Farm shop
chain, said farmers held a 40 percent share in the organic production
chain.
“Each farming family can earn from 12-14
million VND a month from organic farm produce. Poor families can also add
to their coffers from making traditional cakes, pork and beef pies using
materials from organic livestock and rice farms,” Vy shared.
She said a specialised livestock farm and
processing plant had been built in Phu Ninh district
to supply the central region market.
Vy said the farm had built links with three
other organic farms in the region to promote produce diversity.
Thai Van Quang, an agricultural expert, said
organic farming was still seen as an emerging market as awareness of
over-used chemicals and stimulants in cultivation was limited.
Quang said the city, in co-operation with
Chikujo town and experts from Kyushu University and Saga University,
Japan, had launched a pilot project to produce liquid fertiliser
made from organic waste from farms and public gardens.
Tu said organic farming would be key
for An Phú Farm for domestic and export markets in the near future.
He said organic production was not only about
making money; farmers had a social responsibility to deal with
serious health problems partly related to over-used chemicals, toxic
weedkillers and pesticides./.