I am Pham Tan Phu, born in 1987, a farmer from Khanh Cuong, Yen Khanh, Ninh Binh, Vietnam.
In the past, people in my hometown, including myself, used to use chemical fertilizers and herbicides for rice production. Rice straw was mainly burned after harvest season. As a result, the land became barren. The beneficial animals ceased to exist–significantly affecting the living environment and human health.
Now, we, farmers in Khanh Cuong commune are adapting to organic rice production. In the past two years, at the Farmers’ Union level, organic rice production projects have been implemented as well as a high-quality rice production model using the SRI rice cultivation method. This brought positive effects economically, socially, and environmentally. Slowly, it helped people become aware and changed methods from destructive old farming practices and grasp the organic rice production process. We no longer burn straw but use SUMITRI fertilizer to decompose straw into organic fertilizer. We switched from chemical fertilizers to bio-organic fertilizers. The soil has gradually improved. Useful animals such as crabs and fish are now back on the farms. All these contribute to reducing environmental pollution and ensuring the health of producers and consumers.
I hope that the authorities will promote the building of organic rice production models and conduct training on farming techniques for farmers. This is an important premise for Farmers’ Unions at all levels to continue to multiply organic rice production areas, create safe and environmentally friendly rice products.
Pham Tan Phu
Vietnam
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