Farmers were overjoyed at the results of smart farming

As the campaign took effect, there was an enhancement in the tradition of cultivation in Soc Trang. Farmers are now informed enough to make use of an adequate amount of fertilizer, which fosters both the quality of agrarian produce and environment conservation.

Since the beginning of 2020, PVCFC in collaboration with Mekong Delta Institute for Rice and Soc Trang Department of Farming and Vegetation Conservation has been experimenting and innovating on rice. Moreover, novel cultivating procedure of My Duc (Soc Trang) is put under a trial run. Lately, this has born fruit, resulting in a good harvest and generating innumerable positive feedbacks from growers.

“We were dumbfounded…”

Despite the sweeping effect of soil salinity, many farmers had successfully rescued their plants. After a fatiguing wait of up to 10 days just to see the elongation of 5cm, the future did not appear provident for Ms. Tran Thi Thu Yen from My Tu town. She was on the brink of dumping all the plants, yet they were salvaged just in time thanks to consultants who were launching the campaign.

‘Given the deteriorating situation, with the benefit of hindsight, I have resorted to giving all my plants up and keeping my fingers crossed for an alive and kicking start. Nonetheless, with the aid of PVCFC and Mekong Delta Institution for Rice, I decided to keep them in anticipation of a way out. To be frank, I was dubious at that moment, but I was left with no other choices,’ said Ms. Yen.

There was finally light at the end of the tunnel. Not only did her crops improve but there was also increased productivity of up to 8 tons per ha. As the cost for farming halved, she was estimated to take in nearly 40 million VND per ha. Moreover, the number of pests was observed to dive remarkably.

‘Had it not been for the engineers’ consultation, I would have lost everything,’ said Ms. Yen.

Taken aback by such an eye-opening way of cultivation, Mr Le Huu Thanh, also from My Tu town, was cynical at first when the engineers told him to cut down on the amount of fertilizer used and expand the distance between each plant. However, blessed with such an unexpected result, he appeared to know the ropes and started following guidelines supplemented by PVCFC, which encourages a 20-30% cut-down of fertilizer, a rise of 10% in productivity and more control of pests spreading.

‘We found ourselves absolutely dumbfounded and realizing that quantity should never define quality’, said Mr. Thanh.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Khoi, Head of My Duc Agricultural Production Team said ‘In this day and age, members from the team are secured against doom and gloom by technological advancements limiting losses of species and use of pesticides offered by the campaign. Instructed from the very start to the ultimate end of a planting process, every farmer is yearning for the lasting of this program.

Growers will be in the driving sit of the climate change ride

This programe was brought into force at the beginning of 2020 and ended in April over 40ha of My Duc Agricultiral Production Team with over 20 participants. It aims to change the traditional mindset fixed on farming, making farmers better-prepared for the mounting concern of global warming. Apart from the cooperation with Mekong Delta Institute for Rice for further major breakthroughs in technology, PVCFC provides an all-inclusive package including N46.Plus, N.Humate TE; Ure Bio; NPK Ca Mau; DAP Ca Mau and Kali Ca Mau together with instructions for optimal application.

‘We have our engineering team help the residents figure everything out. Joining forces with Soc Trang Department of Farming and Vegetation Conservation, we keep close track of the salinity level to ensure the golden time for water intake. This played an instrumental role when the level of saltiness reached its peak in the Mekong Delta over the past year. In addition, at an unendurable stretch of drought, the program entails management of AWD, which does wonders for cultivators,’ claimed Representative of PVCFC.

Also, the spreading of such program to many other provinces and cities is anticipated. The ultimate goal is to reduce the risk of soil salinity, guarantee productivity, economize and take initiative in a fight against climate change which has been become more and more disconcerting recently.