Conservation and development of agro-biodiversity is one of the key focuses at the Center for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD) in order to support local people and partners with sustainable development. One of our important projects is "Agro-biodiversity conservation and development for poor communities in response to climate change - Son La Province" which is funded by Bread for the World (Germany) and Manos Unidas (Spain).
On the 26th and 27th of September, SRD organized a field visit for 36 representatives of local people and leaders in Muoi Noi and Bon Phung communes in Son La province to visit the model "Climate Smart Village" implemented by CIAT Vietnam in Vinh Kien Commune of Yen Binh District and in Mau Dong Commune of Van Yen District in Yen Bai Province.
SRD’s team members were very impressed by the project activities that CIAT Vietnam and NOMAFSI are carrying out, and were pleased by the warm welcome of the staff and leaders in Yen Binh and Van Yen district, and Vinh Kien commune. The visiting team were also impressed by the enthusiastic discussions of people who have been carrying out various project activities such as, implementing climate-smart rice cultivation, using fertilizer and sow rice seed by tray, raising chickens on a bio-buffer, and cultivating cassava on sloping land. and village 10 of Mau Dong and Ma village Vinh Kien commune.
SRD's team noted that, although the models were not big, there were some outstanding features that the villagers could learn and apply at home. Firstly, they may be more motivated to continue to cultivate climate-smart rice and grow plants in a pure ecological way, without the use of herbicides, high toxicity pesticides, and chemical fertilizer. Secondly, the self-made bacterial fermenting from wine yeast will also help households in the SRD project to be more proactive in handling and disposing of animal and poultry dung, and use biological pads in chicken raising. Thirdly, people could develop worms (perionyx excavates), both to handle the animals dung and feed poultry. Fourthly, intercropping of legumes or peanuts on sloping land or in corn, coffee and plum crops, will help maintain soil fertility, soil moisture and soil improvement, and can indirectly help restrict the spraying of herbicides.
Experiences and lessons learned from CIAT Vietnam and NOMAFSI projects in Yen Binh and Van Yen district will likely be acquired and discussed at SRD and other related parties such as, the Provincial Department of Plantation and Plant Protection, the People's Committee of Thuan Chau District, and the People's Committees of two communes Muoi Noi and Bon Phang. They will need to find a method to apply them in late 2018, and the following years, when Son La province, and Thuan Chau district, have strong and sustainable agricultural development policies.
Representatives of CIAT - local people and SRD staff share the project in Yen Bai and Son La provinces.
"According to what I observed, the model of raising worms (perionyx excavates) helps to feed chickens, and deodorize and handle large amounts of dung waste from 3 to 4 cows. The protein content in the worm is also good for chickens and for fertilizing the crop. I no longer have to use chemical fertilizers"- Ms. Bac Thi Hien, Na Ne villagers, Bon Phe commune shared after visiting the worm raising model in Ma village.
"In the past, the SRD project taught us how to use bacterial fermenting yeast for biological pads for chickens, and how to process cow dung. However, after I got to visit Ma village today, I also learned that the people here have used wine yeast with rice bran to ferment bacteria for biological pads for the chicken. This will help me and everyone save money since we won’t need to buy bacterial fermenting yeast in the district. Intead, we can buy wine and make it easy, "said by Ms. Quang Thi Phuong, farmer in Nguong village, Muoi Noi commune.
Chicken raising on the bio pad.
"I got to visit Kien's house model. He and his wife are disabled people, but he works very hard to get out of poverty. At home, I will apply to my family and will propagate to other households to follow up. "- Mr. Quen Van Chuong - Keo Phay village, Bon Phang commune - commented after visiting Kien family.
People in Ma village shared with the visitors about the new method of sowing rice seed and using dung when farming climate-smart rice.
The delegation paid careful attention to observe and record when visiting the model garden without the use of herbicides, pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
Visiting cassava cultivation on sloping land and planting grass to keep nutritious soil, avoiding soil erosion in village 10, Mau Dong commune, Van Yen district.
Centre for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD)
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