Smart rice farming model-a solution for saline land in Mekong Delta

The Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company in collaboration with Agricultural Promotion Centers of three provinces of Ben Tre, Bac Lieu and Kien Giang, on September 21, held an online meeting to review the program on smart rice farming in Mekong Delta with the theme "Farming solutions for smart rice farming in the saline land of Mekong Delta".

Up to now, the 2021 summer-autumn rice crop in Mekong Delta has entered the end of harvest. In which, the smart rice farming model has all been completed with the average yield is higher than that of those outside the model from 100-300kg/ha and profit increased from VND1.6 to VND3.4/ha.

According to evaluations, most of the provinces have achieved good results. Farmers following the model have made much progress in applying effective farming technical measures into production. Thereby, it can be confirmed that the smart rice farming model has helped reduce production costs of which the most significant are those of seeds, fertilizers, pest management, and climate change adaptation. In addition to productivity and economic efficiency, social effects through training in farming techniques, building cooperative relationships in improving production efficiency among households and cooperatives are also highly appreciated by local people and authorities.

Mr. Le Van Dung, Head of Information and Technology Transfer Department (Kien Giang Agricultural Promotion Center) said: “Kien Giang is a coastal province so every year, rice farmers face many difficulties due to saltwater intrusion at the end of the winter-spring and the beginning of the summer-autumn crops. Moreover, the land faces a shortage of irrigation water and suffers from alum infection so it is very difficult to cultivate rice there.”

Over the years, Kien Giang's participation in the smart rice farming program has brought many remarkable results. Specifically, in the summer-autumn rice crop of 2021, farmers in Son Binh Commune, Hon Dat District who joined the smart rice farming model have grossed a profit of over VND18.7 million /ha, about VND4.1 million higher than that of the normal rice farming.

In addition, the smart rice farming program also creates opportunities for farmers to join science and technology training courses in rice farming via Livestream, approach scientists, be provided with information, guided in applying technological advances to effective rice production and access to effective fertilizers for use on acid soils.

Thereby, it has contributed to changing the farmers’ perception about reducing the sowing density on acid soils while still ensuring the yield; reducing the content of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers but helping the rice to harden, less falling, less damage by pests; limiting pesticide spraying in the first 40 days and reducing harm to the environment and human health.

In Phong Tan Commune, Gia Rai Town (Bac Lieu Province) where rice cultivation used to face difficult, farmers participating in the smart rice farming model in summer-autumn crop 2021 are now very excited because the model has helped them reduce the amount of sown seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, land preparation costs, farming and harvesting labor... Rice cultivated in the field applying the model has a higher yield of 170 kg/ha than others. Farmers have also achieved the highest profit of VND14.5 million/ha in this modeled field.

Mr. Huynh Quoc Khoi, Director of Bac Lieu Agricultural Promotion Center, said: “The model implementation is very necessary and suitable to the local real production conditions. It aims to transfer scientific and new technical advances in farming and helps farmers cope and adapt well to the increasingly harsh climate changes. In addition, the model is contributing to helping people gradually change their old farming practices such as sowing seeds with reasonable density, using the right and sufficient fertilizers in terms of multi-micronutrients to help rice withstand environmental conditions and adapt to climate change. It helps boost the mechanization in production to reduce costs.”

Mr. Ngo Van Dong, General Director of Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company said: ‘The Covid-19 pandemic has caused many difficulties and great impacts on training farmers about the process of applying smart rice farming techniques. Despite that, the National Agricultural Promotion Center, the Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company, scientists and the Centers for Agricultural Promotion in Mekong Delta provinces and farmers have made efforts to connect and participate in the implementation of the model so that to make it successful in the summer-autumn crop of 2021.”

Results have shown that the smart rice farming model applied in 13 provinces and cities in Mekong Delta, has achieved effectiveness in terms of productivity, quality, and economic efficiency. The model has brought about a higher benefit than that of rice cultivation outside it.

According to Mr. Dong, to further succeed from the summer-autumn crop of 2021, in the next rice crops, farmers are requested to boldly apply scientific and technical advances in their rice farming fields.

Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company hopes that in the coming years, all participants will make efforts to connect more strongly the application of 4.0 technology in agricultural production through internet software such as YouTube, Facebook and Zalo to transfer many more intelligent techniques. Thereby, they will help guide and train rice cultivation for farmers in Mekong Delta to understand and adapt well to agricultural production in the current climate change conditions.