Finally, finding evidence of sustainability success in the Mekong

Photos from the first farm we visited in Hoa An
(spot the snake in the bottom photo?)

I’m going to be honest, as adventure-filled and educational as our excursions have been, I’ve returned from each one a little disappointed. At places like Long Hoa, Tram Chim and Can Gio we heard about efforts to avoid intensive farming, educate the communities and produce crops without artificial fertilizers and pesticides. So many words, but what seemed like so little success. At Long Hoa only a certain small percentage of farmers were hand-picked for the Oxfam Project and at Tram Chim and Can Gio the issue of sustainable use was a huge point of contention, large enough to threaten the existence of the parks. The closest we got to actually seeing the benefits of an integrated farm system was in My Khanh when we studied the VACB model and built the biogas. However, even this system had its faults and still only a small percentage of My Khanh residents followed the VACB model. Today though, we visited the Hoa An Biodiversity Research Center and for probably the first time, I left a project site optimistic and talking of plans to come back.

Prior to 1975 (Vietnam War), the Center was a cannon station used to protect a city 15 km away. Known as a free bomb zone, the area of Hoa An was completely decimated during the war, destroying the farmland and any surrounding vegetation. Much like at Tram Chim and Can Gio the entire area underwent a re-vegetation process after 1975. Many of the families living in Hoa An before 1975 remained in the area and the cannon station was rebuilt as a research center with the help of the CTU. Under the guidance of Dr. Ni from the CTU, the Center has developed into the ultimate resource for sustainable farming. While the people of Hoa An frequently turn to the center for education on sustainable farming practices and advice in animal husbandry, communities throughout the Mekong Delta region have also begun using the Center as a model for their own farms. Dr. Ni directed our visit at Hoa An, using our time there to lecture on sustainability, which thankfully was based off our experiences in the field and not a powerpoint. 

We spent the morning visiting what Dr. Ni described as two of the poorest homes in Hoa An. After a boat ride down the canal we arrived at the first farm. Again, dirt floors, coconut leaf siding and a TV inside. I can’t remember quite how many hectares the family owned, but the land plot was large enough to support a variety of vegetables as well as a small sized rice paddy. When we visited, there were cucumbers, bitter melon, squash flowers as well as a number of different lettuces being grown. These vegetables were all being fertilized by the compost made by the farmers out of excess leaves and stalks. The rice paddy however was under a three-crop (intensive) cycle and applied store bought fertilizer. Even though the vegetables are more profitable, the family plants the rice because there are only three people to work the land: the wife, the husband and the married son who spends the day with his parents before returning to his home (and wife and child) in another part of the village. There is also a daughter, but she goes to school six kilometers away and stays with the brother. As with most of the farms we’ve visited, we had the opportunity to talk with the family. When asked when the family first moved on this land, the husband explained that his family was here prior to 1975 using the land as an orange orchard, but he left during the war to hide in a pagoda only returning to Hoa An when the fighting was over. Upon returning his family again tried to plant orange trees, but the soil had been so destroyed that vegetables were the only profitable crop at first. We also found out that farmers need to buy new seeds every harvest because the one they produce from their crops are of an inferior generation not preferred by customers.

After speaking with the one farm we went across the canal where they were also growing vegetables and rice. Here the home was much nicer, made of concrete, which the farmer explained was a gift from the government. His family doesn’t have enough money to pay for that kind of house. The family has electricity, cell phones, but only a black and white T.V. The farmer lives with his mother, his wife and four children (6, 9, 11 and 13 I believe). I continue to mention the T.V. and cell phones because they are two luxuries we have at home that are superficially on the list of superiority here. In Vietnam cell phones and T.V.s are seen as necessary and families will be more likely to spend any extra money on buying a T.V. before they have a sanitary toilet installed. And the cell phone reception is just unbelievable. Even out in the middle of Can Gio there was a tower, giving everyone full bars. While cell phones and T.V.s can be ideal communication devices you still wonder as to how necessary they are for these rural families already struggling to make a profit from their farms?

This second family had also remained on their land during the war, but as the husband explained they were not farming during this time and had to hire themselves out to make money by doing labor on other nearby farms. In both families the adults had minimal education, however expressed how they wanted their children to continue their education at the university level in hopes of making a better life than what they already have. The second farm produced their own compost as well, but unlike the first farm used organic fertilizers for all their crops and biological solutions to avoid pests. In the future the family is planning to expand their farm and use the rice field to also raise fish, which is made possible with instruction from the Center.

After finishing these interviews we ate lunch at the Center, enjoying food all fresh from the farms. The beginning of our afternoon was spent a the animal husbandry site looking at the massive biogas they have running off the pigs they raise. This visit was followed by a lecture/discussion with Dr. Ni about sustainable development.

While the Center had originally been developed by the CTU, funds were never abundant. Dr. Ni explained that during the country’s food shortage in the late 1970’s professors who were associated with the Center, like himself, would take classes into the village to solve problems of the people. Their payment typically wasn’t money, but food. This relationship between the students and the village has been continued, with the students becoming the Center. Focusing on soil research, Dr. Ni has been with the Center since its inception and is now the director. Besides SIT orientation, he was the first professor we had who so strongly stressed the importance of doing field work, using observation to answer our questions and what is perhaps most important, following up to see the results of projects and pilot programs.

The vegetables produced at Hoa An can be brought to a big pavilion of sorts at the Center. There the produce is weighed and washed before being packaged with a sticker explaining the farm from which the vegetables came. The position of manager for this operation rotates, allowing all the producers to have the opportunity to make personal connections with their buyers. While right now most vegetables are being brought to smaller markets, the Center is planning to expand to major supermarkets in the Can Tho area as well. The biggest concern with selling to the larger supermarkets is the time frame. Often vegetables will not get put on the shelves until a few days after leaving Long Hoa, reducing their appeal and nutritional value. These vegetables though were incredible, just about perfect with no sign of any pest damage or pesticide use. Having visited the U.S. a few times, Dr. Ni also gave us an interesting perspective of rural life in the U.S. and we discussed with him this new trend we’re developing to want to revert back to the original small farmers’ markets that existed before the Sam’s Clubs and Wegmans. Overall, incredible field trip and if I wasn’t already decided on a topic for my ISP, I would definitely consider doing a project involving Long Hoa.

Speaking of ISP, we have out vietnamese final tomorrow (I’m counting down the hours...) and then we leave for Cambodia on Monday! While it’s going to be sad to leave our homestays, I’ve heard so many amazing things about Cambodia that I’m really interested in comparing it with my experience in Vietnam. Surprisingly, I’m on top of my photos so here are some from Hoa An.