Enhancing knowledge for farmers participating in low-emission rice farming

The Southern Office of the National Agricultural Extension Center, in coordination with Dong Thap province's Center for Agricultural Services, Participatory Irrigation Management, and Rural Clean Water, Thap Muoi district's Agricultural Extension Station, and Thang Loi Agricultural Services Cooperative (My Dong Commune, Thap Muoi District), organized a training course on high-quality, low-emission rice farming procedures. The program ran from May 21 to May 22 in My Dong commune, Thap Muoi district, Dong Thap province. This initiative aims to support the pilot model for the "Sustainable Development Project for one million hectares of specialized, low-emission high-quality rice in association with green growth."

Participants in the training course, primarily farmers, were provided with knowledge on high-quality, low-emission rice farming procedures. The program also offered insights into the benefits of this sustainable rice farming practice, including reduced labor, lower seed costs, reduced fertilizer usage, increased value, and enhanced production efficiency. These factors will ultimately raise the income level of local rice farmers. Additionally, the training promoted environmental awareness, reduced chemical fertilizer usage, climate change resilience, and greenhouse gas emission reduction.

Members of the Thang Loi Agricultural Services Cooperative were introduced to high-quality, low-emission rice farming procedures; the cooperative's role in organizing production and consumption linkages; advanced scientific and technological solutions; MRV (Measurement, Reporting, and Verification) procedures, and notable mechanization models in rice farming.

Following the training course, 30 cooperative members, with nearly 45 hectares of rice production area, have registered to implement the pilot model for the "Sustainable Development Project for one million hectares of specialized, low-emission high-quality rice in association with green growth."

Thang Loi Agricultural Services Cooperative has implemented a SRP-compliant rice production model since 2019, with an emphasis on the "1 Must, 5 Reductions" and "3 Reductions, 3 Increases" principles, biosafe production, and alternate wetting and drying irrigation model. As of present, 150 hectares of rice production areas belonging to cooperative members are engaged in a partnership with Chon Chinh Import-Export Company, which is a company eligible for collaboration with the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV). SNV is an organization implementing a community-based climate change response program in Vietnam, funded by the Dutch government. This initiative aims to assist farmers in producing the 2024 summer-autumn rice crop in compliance with carbon credit requirements.

Mr. Ho Phuoc Nghia, a farmer from Hamlet 5, My Dong commune, Thap Muoi District, and a member of Thang Loi Agricultural Cooperative, is currently cultivating 4.7 hectares of rice. Mr. Nghia expressed great enthusiasm at being chosen by the cooperative's management to attend the training course. During the program, Mr. Nghia received guidance on cluster sowing in combination with buried fertilization - an innovative technical process that is not widely adopted within the district.

According to Mr. Nghia, the adoption of the cluster sowing and buried fertilization techniques allow rice farmers to save on seed and water, as well as prevent fertilizer loss. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of following the Project's high-quality rice farming process in enhancing climate resilience and reducing production costs. The resulting rice grains from this process also meet safety requirements, thereby contributing to the protection of consumer health. Consequently, Mr. Nghia plans to collaborate with other cooperative members after the training course to implement the Project's high-quality rice farming process; and establish partnerships with businesses to secure an output market for the 2024 autumn-winter crop.

Mr. Doan Thanh Binh, Chairman of the Thap Muoi District People's Committee, believes with prior experience in advanced rice farming processes, members of the Thang Loi Agricultural Services Cooperative can adopt the high-quality, low-emission rice production process with ease. In addition to the training course, Chairman Doan Thanh Binh instructed the leadership of My Dong Commune People's Committee to enhance communication and mobilization efforts, thereby encouraging active participation in the Project for one million hectares of high-quality rice the "Sustainable Development Project for one million hectares of specialized, low-emission high-quality rice in association with green growth."

According to Mr. Ngo Van Day, former Deputy Director of the Southern Office of the National Agricultural Extension Center, the training course aims to assist farmers, cooperative members, local agricultural extension officers, community agricultural extension workers, and local technical staff in effectively adopting the high-quality, low-emission rice farming process. Subsequently, stakeholders will be able to implement and establish pilot models under the "Sustainable Development Project for one million hectares of specialized, low-emission high-quality rice in association with green growth" in participating regions within the Mekong Delta by 2030.

The content of the training course primarily focuses on high-quality, low-emission rice farming processes; the role of cooperatives in organizing, producing, and establishing high-quality, low-emission rice consumption linkages; building high-value rice product value chains; reducing emissions in the Mekong Delta region; and introducing technological solutions, MRV procedures. Upon completion of the training course, participants will go on field excursions and engage in hands-on practice in the rice fields.