Integrated farming is a whole farm management system which delivers more sustainable agriculture, that integrates livestock and crop production.
Nguyen Van Them lives in Thanh Thoi Commune, and is one of many rural farmers who rely on cattle farming and coconut cultivation for their sources of income. However, due to longer drier seasons and fluctuating market prices, the livelihoods did not prove to be stable.
Them went into frog and shrimp farming to take advantage of his strategic location near a river. He constructed canals to ensure the fresh flow of water for the frogs.
To feed his frogs he started farming worms as well. The result was an increase in frog numbers and size. Neighbouring households saw that his innovative idea of an integrated farming model was successful and soon a collaborative group on frog farming was formed. Farmers from other communes have met to share technical knowledge and practices.
Them continues to raise cattle and uses cattle dung along with compost made from worm faeces (vermicompost) for his fruit trees, thereby further adding to the integrated farming model.
More households are interested in joining the collaborative group as they have observed the success of the worm-frog farming model. Although Them and the other farmers currently sell their produce to the local market, there is potential to expand production to nearby cities.
Drip irrigation
In the Nguyet Truong village farmers relied on rice cultivation as their main source of income. However, due to the higher elevation of the land and low water availability, the yield from rice cultivation was not sufficient. As a result many switched to vegetable farming.
There are different approaches To climate change impacts and the different potential adaptation models suitable in different locations.
One such model involved growing green onions and using a drip irrigation system to water the crops. They all grow Green Onion as their main crop along with other crops like dragon fruit and Chinese Chive.
After two months of growing green onion, Be was able to make a profit of over 1 million VND (around US$ 42) per 1000m2 cultivated. This is double the income he received from growing rice.
Be also notes a 30 per cent increase in production since using the new irrigation system.
"In the past I watered the crops by hand and this took a lot of time and effort, now with this irrigation system it is easier to water the crops, less labour intensive and the crop yield is better than before."
According to the commune officer, the collaborative group included four near-poor households and two households in poverty, all of whom were able to overcome their situations with the Green onion and irrigation system model. Because of its success, the project and the commune officers hope to replicate this model in other villages in the commune.
To expand production and plan for the future, each member in the collaborative group contributes 100,000 VND every three months to a revolving fund. This fund is used for the operation and maintenance of the irrigation systems, for a disadvantaged group member and future planning. The farmers meet regularly in order to share information and updates on crop production, and commune officers have created platforms and host workshops in order for the farmers of different villages to share their technical expertise.