In the past 10 years, saline intrusion in the dry season has become more serious, affecting farmers' rice and vegetable production. In addition, climate change has also caused temperatures to rise, rainfall to be unevenly distributed, and the land to become increasingly arid. Many farmers who previously cultivated rice 2-3 times a year have been forced to abandon their fields or change their models to adapt to new conditions. In the face of difficulties, Can Duoc farmers have found a new and effective direction, which is to switch to growing drought- and salinity-resistant vegetables and applying technology to save water.

Mr. Le Van Toc (Hamlet 4, Long Khe Commune) is one of the pioneers in converting production. Mr. Toc said: “If we grow rice, when the salinity comes, we will lose everything. Vegetables are harder but rotate quickly and have higher value. Each vegetable crop lasts 30-40 days, continuously doing 7-8 crops/year. I installed an energy-saving irrigation system so I can maintain production throughout the dry and salinity season.”

Mr. Le Van Toc (Long Khe commune, Can Duoc district) converted from rice cultivation to vegetable cultivation with high efficiency

With 0.2 hectares of land, Mr. Nguyen Van Tam (Long Khe commune) completely switched to growing short-term vegetables. Thanks to proactively reserving irrigation water and investing in a water-saving irrigation system, he has overcome severe droughts without worrying about water shortages. "The initial investment cost for the entire water-saving irrigation system is about 20 million VND, but the monthly income is stable at 12-15 million VND, many times higher than growing rice," Mr. Tam shared.

In fact, Can Duoc farmers' proactive conversion of vegetable production methods to adapt to drought and salinity is not only a temporary solution but is gradually becoming a sustainable direction in the increasingly severe conditions of climate change. The application of water-saving farming models, the selection of short-term, salt-tolerant crop varieties, the use of organic fertilizers instead of chemical fertilizers, the construction of drip irrigation systems, greenhouses, etc. have contributed to helping many households maintain stable incomes, even increasing profits by reducing input costs and improving product quality.

Notably, this change not only comes from farmers but also has the active support of the provincial Department of Agriculture and local authorities. Through technical training courses, policies to support materials and equipment, and connecting consumption markets, many pilot models have been replicated, forming small specialized areas suitable to the conditions of each land and water source. This is an important foundation for Can Duoc to continue developing safe vegetable growing areas, linked to the value chain, gradually improving the position of the local vegetable industry./.

Reported by Minh Tue 

Translated by NT