Farmers in Nghe An province are switching to different crops and livestock, increasing production value.

Nearly 10 years ago, on a 1-hectare plot of poor, swampy land, Mr. Hoang Huu Son's family in Hiep Hoa hamlet, Hoa Son commune, Do Luong district, raised aquatic products combined with pigs. However, production was ineffective because the pigs were often affected by disease. For the past three years, Mr. Son has reorganized the pond and livestock system and land to raise aquatic products and also ducks and frogs.

Mr. Hoang Huu Son said: "In 2015, on the same swampy land, my family reclaimed the land to create a farm. However, pig farming was unsuitable and ineffective, so in 2015, I renovated the ponds and switched to raising fish and ducks, which yielded higher returns. This change in livestock is suitable for the land and is not affected by natural disasters. And thanks to good disease control and stable output, profits have increased many times compared to before."

Next, Mr. Son went to the South to learn more and realized that frog farming could be applied and developed in his hometown, so he started implementing the project. In 2021, his family built four frog ponds covering 200 square meters.²He brought the froglets back to experiment with raising them for commercial purposes. The breeding process was successful; with accumulated capital plus a loan from the Social Policy Bank, he built four more tanks to raise froglets, with 500 parent frogs. He sold the froglets on the market and used the rest as breeding stock for his own farm.

Each year, his family sells 4 tons of commercial frogs and 100,000 froglets, mainly to mountainous districts such as Tuong Duong, Quy Hop, and Que Phong.

Mr. Son shared: "The frog farming model is gradually becoming popular in many localities, and market competition is increasing. Therefore, farmers need to have access to systematic commercial frog farming techniques to achieve the best economic efficiency and generate high profits."

According to current market prices, frog meat costs 50,000 VND/kg, and one-month-old froglets cost 1,000-1,200 VND each. The current farming process is as follows: ducks are raised for 2 months per batch, fish for 7-10 months per batch; and commercial frogs are raised for 3 months per batch. Currently, after deducting production costs and labor expenses, the annual profit is approximately over 100 million VND.

Mr. Thai Dinh Tuan, Deputy Head of the Farmers' Association of Hoa Son commune, said: "Mr. Son's family is one of the exemplary households excelling in economic development in the commune. They regularly share their experience and provide technical guidance to many people, helping them succeed in farm economics. The transformation of the commune's crop and livestock structure has affirmed the correct direction in the local economic restructuring, and people's incomes have increased significantly. To develop crop and livestock models, the farmers' association promotes and encourages people to borrow capital for production through the Social Policy Bank and the Farmers' Association; at the same time, it organizes training courses on farming and livestock techniques for the people."

Or consider the case of Mr. Tran Dinh Quyen's family in Dien Van commune, Dien Chau district. Following the local policy encouraging the conversion of inefficient agricultural land into aquaculture, he converted over 1 hectare of rice paddies to shrimp farming. Currently, he sells nearly 3 tons of commercial shrimp per season, earning hundreds of millions of dong in profit.

Mr. Quyen shared: "With the local policy of encouraging the conversion of inefficient agricultural land into aquaculture, I have converted my land to shrimp farming. Currently, I sell 2.5 to 3 tons of commercial shrimp per harvest. The grocery business, deer farming, and shrimp farming bring in over 200 million VND per year for my family, providing us with the means to support our children's education."

Climate change and extreme weather events have led to severe droughts and floods, significantly impacting agricultural production in the province. Each planting season, the province experiences 9,000 to 11,000 hectares affected by saltwater intrusion and drought. The increasingly severe extreme weather patterns necessitate strong adaptation and transformation by farmers. Farmers' associations at all levels are working alongside farmers by organizing training courses to develop effective transformation models; arranging study tours to learn from experience; and supporting sustainable market access… As a result, thousands of hectares have been transformed, yielding significantly higher economic returns compared to rice cultivation.

However, for sustainable development, it is essential to work alongside farmers in guiding them to choose suitable crops and livestock, avoiding spontaneous and uncontrolled development that negatively impacts economic efficiency.