Do Luong farmers' 'delicious, nutritious, cheap' recipe

Commune People's Committee staffTan Sonand the leader of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of the People's Committee of Do Luong district said that currently, the farm model of Mr. Nguyen Trong Quang - Secretary and Head of Hamlet 1, Tan Son commune is being learned by many households here. This method is both cost-saving, highly productive and environmentally friendly, ensuring absolute safety for human health.

Mr. Nguyen Trong Quang harvests winter cucumbers. Photo: Hoai Thu

Indeed, when we visited the family farm of this "home-cooked meal, prison-carrying and village-based" official, and heard him confide, "I wish that more and more people would do organic farming, only this way can we develop sustainably", we truly admired his family's perseverance and passion for a green lifestyle.

The house is in Hamlet 1, but for the convenience of taking care of crops and livestock, Mr. Nguyen Trong Quang and his wife rented a small house right next to their field. The small house became a place to store supplies, tools and a place to gather agricultural products before selling them to the market.

In early November 2022, people are entering the peak harvest season of winter cucumbers. Growing winter cucumbers on rice fields has brought in many times more income than growing rice for the people here. The same is true for Mr. Quang's family. He and his wife grow nearly 1 hectare of winter cucumbers, earning an average income of about 1 million VND per day.

However, what is special about his family's cucumber field is that it is fertilized entirely with organic fertilizer that he and his wife composted themselves from cow and buffalo manure. "From planting to harvesting, I do not use any product.pesticides"I don't use any inorganic fertilizers, but the plants still give high yields and are not affected by pests. I have applied this method for many years, not only with cucumbers but also with rice, corn, potatoes, fruit trees, and even cattle and fish farming," said Mr. Quang.

Mr. Quang's earthworm farming model brings in an average income of 1 million VND per month and provides organic fertilizer for crops. Photo: Hoai Thu

Having said that, Mr. Quang pointed to the roots of three Dien grapefruit trees full of fruit and said, "The land area under the fruit trees is a "field" for raising earthworms, earning an income of 700,000 VND to 1 million VND per harvest.

Ms. Dao Thi Hanh, Mr. Quang's wife, added that raising earthworms sells for 70,000 VND/kg; each month, they sell about 10 kg; while selling worms, they also use soil to fertilize plants. The main food source for worms is cow manure, chicken and duck manure that the family raises themselves. Sometimes, the organic manure from livestock is not enough for the worms, so the couple collects more while working in the fields.

In addition to using cow and buffalo manure to raise earthworms, Mr. Quang also uses this source of raw materials to fertilize orchids to import for customers mainly in Anh Son district. Cow manure is composted with straw and other types of waste from decomposed plants, creating a source of nutrients for plants and killing pests. After harvesting earthworms, the humus layer that the worms have decomposed is a source of high nutritional value and safe fertilizer for crops, from rice, corn to winter vegetables and as food for fish.

Besides raising earthworms and producing fertilizer for flowers, Mr. Quang and his wife also grow rice, vegetables, fruit trees, raise cows and fish. The fish pond alone is about 3,000 m²Each year, there are 2 harvests, mainly grass carp farming with a yield of 1.5 tons of fish/batch, earning more than 100 million VND/year.

Farmers compost their own organic fertilizers to ensure high nutritional value for crops while saving production costs. Photo: Hoai Thu

By-products and organic waste will be used as feed for livestock and poultry. Then animal waste will be used as fertilizer for plants. This method will create a closed "clean cycle" from raw materials to fertilizers for plants and animal feed, greatly reducing costs.

Mr. Nguyen Trong Quang expressed that, as a farmer, my biggest wish is to have more and more people practice organic agricultural production, which is safe for health and protects the environment. For many years, people have used too much inorganic fertilizer in planting and agricultural production, causing the land to gradually become barren and lose its porosity. Along with that, pests and diseases on crops are increasing.

“If people increase the use of organic fertilizers, these limitations will be minimized, costs will be saved and productivity will be high, ensuring all three benefits: "delicious, nutritious, cheap"; and the method is also very simple. If we want agriculture to develop sustainably and be good for human health, we must produce organically. For my family, even the source of nitrogen for crops, I also take advantage of the source of plant and animal nitrogen in the home garden, which gives productivity that is not inferior to inorganic nitrogen, but is more effective for the environment and safe for health" - Mr. Nguyen Trong Quang said.

The farming method of Mr. Nguyen Trong Quang and his wife brings in hundreds of millions of dong in income each year, but the cost of fertilizers and agricultural materials is very low because the source of organic materials from crops and livestock is "cycled". Moreover, this method brings safety to the environment and human health, and is a production direction.green agriculturewhich the world is actively moving towards today.