Training in Organic Farming & Village Planning for Tri Luc Organic Cultural Village, Thoi Binh District, Ca Mau province, Vietnam

26 September, 2022 by mekongorganics001

Project “Education to minimize the use of plastics and chemicals in Vietnam.”, funded by the University of Barcelona through Dr Estela Gutierrez and managed by Mekong Organics PTY LTD Australia.

Partners: Tri Luc People’s Committee, Thoi Binh District, Ca Mau province; Minh Phu Mangrove Shrimp Social Enterprise (Minh Phu Seafood Cooperation); Ca Mau Department of Agriculture & Rural Development, Sub-Department of Crops and Plant Protection, Climate Change Institute–An Giang University, Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD), Ech Op Farm (Long Xuyen), and Abavina JSC (Can Tho), Bac Lieu University, and Soc Trang Community College.

The expected outcome of the training is the co-designed organic village planning for the Tri Luc Commne to use for policy development and investment.

Tri Luc Organic Cooperative is in the Tri Luc Commune of Thoi Binh District of Ca Mau province. Organic rice-shrimp farming has been promoted and developed with strong government, NGO and private sector support. The total area of potential organic rice shrimp reaches over 15,000 ha in the Thoi Binh District, of which over 1000 ha is distributed in the Tri-Luc Commune. There is an urgent need from the community to convert it into an “organic village” using international experiences.

Climate change adds risk to the current rice-based food systems in the Mekong Delta. Rice yields will be affected negatively by sea level rise and climate change in the Mekong Delta (Wassmann et al. 2004; Thuy and Anh 2015). Recent severe drought events, together with saline intrusion, caused losses worth VND 8.9 trillion (USD 4 million), destroying 250,000 ha of rice fields (in 2016) and 362,000 ha of rice fields in 2020 (Asia News 2020). Agriculture generates 19-29% of total GHG emissions (The World Bank 2019). Improved practices for paddy cultivation are crucial to reducing agricultural emissions by 8–25% (The World Bank 2019).

In response to these challenges, some smallholder farmers have developed a highly innovative organic rice-shrimp farming system resilient to drought and saline intrusion. These farmers cultivate rice in the wet season (August to December), which flushes out salinity and provides sufficient fresh water for a productive rice crop. During the dry season (January to May), these farmers allow saline water to intrude into selected fields. Salt-water shrimp are then grown in these fields. This system does not demand fresh water for dry-season irrigation. Instead, this unique system has adapted to the natural seasonal wet-dry water dynamics. Rice and marine shrimp integration are highly suited for high-value organic food production. Rice-shrimp farming areas are less likely to be contaminated by chemical fertilizers and antibiotics than intensive shrimp farming or chemically intensive shrimp farming system that dominates the Mekong Delta (Braun et al. 2019). This rice-marine shrimp system is naturally independent of agrichemical inputs. If farmers used pesticides on their rainy season rice, shrimp might not survive during the saline phase. While this system is environmentally sustainable, its economic viability is currently constrained as it is less intensive and produces lower yields of both rice and shrimp. What is lacking is internationally recognized organic certification and links to discerning markets willing to pay a premium for organic rice and shrimp. 

Since 2017 several domestic rice businesses partnered with the local authorities and the Tri Luc cooperative to grow organic rice (one crop/year) on the shrimp farm. The organic rice was certified by USDA/NOP, EU and JAS standards for the international and domestic markets.

There is a strong need from the local farmers, the cooperative and authorities to scale up this successful organic rice-shrimp system, trade it to other villages in the Thoi Binh District, and upgrade it into an “organic village” using the international experience.

Mekong Organics received a formal request from the local government (Tri Luc People’s Committee), the private sector (Minh Phu Seafood Cooperative), and the Tri Luc Cooperative to design and operate the “organic village” using the international experience from the Mekong Organics expert network.

In July 2022, Mekong Organics hosted a field visit to the Tri Luc commune, Tri Luc cooperative, local government and private sector to undertake a per-feasibility assessment with the support from local authorities and Minh Phu Seafood Cooperation, Minh Phu Mangrove Shrimp Social Enterprise. We found a high opportunity to support the Tri Luc cooperative and Commune to lead the Mekong Delta’s first organic cultural village initiative. We will assist the community to co-design using their own village experience combined with international best practices and operate it. We are seeking international and national support & grants to undertake this initiative.

We consider the roles of gender in sustainable resource management and organic agriculture farming and trade in using the local natural resources. Through the discussion with the women and men at the Tri Luc Cooperative and the MCD, a local NGO as well as the social enterprise (Minh Phu Mangrove Shrimp Social Enterprise), we have seen the women in this village are pretty proactive in participation in public meetings and discussions for community development.

We set up the MoU for this potential project and support training in English for rural kids and students in the village and to train local staff and farmers on how to design and operate the organic village in 2023.

WORKING PROGRESS

On 5 October 2022, Mekong Organics and MCD, a local NGO in Hanoi, Vietnam, first discussed the “Organic Village” initiative for the Tri Luc Organic Rice Cooperative. We explored the synergies of the two organization’s development activities on the ground for future collaboration.

On the afternoon of 5 October, the Mekong Organics team members hosted the meeting with local stakeholders, including Ca Mau DARD, the Department of Crops and Plant Protection, Minh Phu Mangrove Shrimp Social Enterprise, and the Tri Luc People’s Committee. We undertook a co-designed process to identify relevant stakeholders, existing resources, social networks, and political wills of the community to promote the organic cultural village in the Tri Luc commune. We identified building human capital as the key to leading this initiative. Mekong Organics continue to explore other opportunities with relevant stakeholders, NGOs, and private sectors to co-design the strategic and action plan for the community to implement their vision.

The training program will be taken place from 15 to 21 May 2023 at Tri Luc’s People Committee Office, with the registration of 30 participants who are staff of the cooperative (Tri Luc), Hoi Quan Tri Luc Group, Thoi Binh Sub-DARD, Ca Mau DARD, and Minh Phu Mangrove Shrimp Social Enterprise.

Training Materials – Bài Giảng

Program delivery

1. Dr Van Kien Nguyen – paperwork, program development (in-kind contribution, five days, program development and report to the donor)
2. Mr Alan Broughton – trainer – delivery
3. Dr Pham Huu Tai, marketing communication of the project
4. Dr Timo Stadtlander from The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Switzerland
5. Dr Tran Thi Linh Nham (Bac Lieu University) – trainer/Assistant
6. Dr Le Thi Xa (Soc Trang College)- trainer/Assistant
7. Mr. Truong Thanh Dat, Director of Ech Op Farm in Long Xuyen – trainer
8. Ms Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa, Director of Abavina in Can Tho – trainer
9. Mr Vo Van Oc, Climate Change Institute – An Giang University – trainer/Assistant
10. Mr Nguyen Minh Dang, Climate Change Institute – An Giang University – trainer/Assistant
11. Mr Lam Thai Xuyen, Minh Phu Seafood Cooperation, social enterprise – assistant
12. Mr Nguyen Tran Thuc, Director of the Department of Crop and Plant Protection – Ca Mau Department of Agriculture & Rural Development- in-kind support
13. Staff from Tri Luc Commune – in-kind contribution, meeting room
14. Staff from Tri Luc Organic Rice Cooperative, in-kind contribution, venue for training
15. Ms Than Thi Hien, Deputy Director of the Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD) – in-kind support.
16. Other staff from Mekong Organics in Vietnam

Detailed training program (in Vietnamese)