Mekong Azolla Research Network (MARN)

Mekong Organics initiated a new initiative entitles Mekong Azola Research Network (MARN) which supports researchers and practitioners in the Mekong Delta to develop a network of researchers and farmers to scale up reintroduction of azolla into the organic rice paddy fields. This initiative is led by Mr Huynh Ngoc Duc (a lecturer of soil science at An Giang University) and Mr Le Quoc Viet (a practitioner and farmer who conserve the traditional rice and azolla) for sustainable agriculture. The team members also include Mr Pham Tan Dat, a founder of Ech Op farm, and Mr Nguyen Minh Dang, a research assistant of the Living Deltas Hub at the Climate Change Institute of An Giang University. The work is supported and funded by Dr Van Kien Nguyen (in-kind) of the Mekong Organics PTY LTD. We also have Dr Tran Thi Linh Nham who is the senior researcher at Bac Lieu University. Dr Nham focuses on researching application of azolla in green feed industry for aquatic animals in the Mekong Delta.
This work is voluntarily set up, not for a profit, aims to develop a network of azolla famers and organic rice farmers in the South of Vietnam through the successful practice of Mr Le Quoc Viet, who grows azolla on the traditional rice paddy fields at Cu La Village, Chau Thanh District of Kien Giang province.
Vietnam committed to net zero carbon at COP26 Vietnam Outlines Progress on COP26 Commitments (vietnam-briefing.com). Azolla provides solution to sequence CO2 which is a potential area of research.
With the rise of adoption of ecological & organic rice farming in the Mekong Delta, Azolla is reintroduced to the traditional ecological rice system successfully in the Mekong Delta.




The Azolla team is experimenting with the growth of Azolla in the paddy field, to test nutrient contribution to the rice growth, test water quality and measure carbon sequence at Mr Viet’ farm in the Mekong Delta.
Team members

- Mr Huynh Ngoc Duc (Team leader) – https://www.facebook.com/duc.hn.5

- Mr Le Quoc Viet (Co-team leader) – https://www.facebook.com/lequocviet1964


- Mr Truong Thanh Dat (member) – https://www.facebook.com/ttdatag

network

- Mr Nguyen Minh Dang (member, project coordinator), https://www.facebook.com/dangminhnguyen97
