Tien Giang (VNS/VNA) – The Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang has developed new agriculturalproduction models that provide farmers with a reliable income to cope withclimate change in its eastern districts and Go Cong town.

They include growingrice in the rainy season and breeding shrimp in the dry season in the samefield. Others include growing vegetables, dragon fruit and other crops insteadof rice.

Located downstream ofthe Tien River, a major tributary of the Mekong, the province is severelyaffected by saltwater intrusion in the eastern districts of Cho Gao, Go Cong Tay,Tan Phu Dong, and Go Cong Dong and Go Cong town.

They have total land ofmore than 101,000ha, or 40.4 percent of the province’s total, including73,000ha of farmlands.

The districts, which areon or close to the coast, are normally affected by drought and saltwaterintrusion for three to six months every year during the dry season.

In the past localfarmers grew only rice and had modest incomes because of low yields in the dryseason. With the encouragement of local authorities, in recent years they havebegun to rotate rice with other crops or switch completely to fruits and othercrops.  

Pham Van Minh, who has a3.5ha rice field in Tan Phu Dong district’s Phu Tan commune, said he has begunto alternate between rice in the rainy season and shrimp and crabs in the dryseason.

He earns around 214million VND (9,200 USD) a year now, twice the amount from just rice, he said.

Le Hong Dang of Tan PhuDong’s Phu Dong commune has begun to grow red chilli and lemongrass instead ofrice on his 1.1ha of land. Last year, he earned 60 million VND (2,570 USD) fromthem, he said.

Nguyen Van Hai, head ofthe Tan Phu Dong Agriculture and Rural Development Division, said farmers theresuccessfully grow lemongrass in rice fields, establishing the province’slargest lemongrass growing area.

The district has morethan 1,500ha under the crop and an annual output of 20,000 tonnes, he said.

More than 500ha ofpaddies in the district are also used to rotate between rice and shrimp,providing farmers with annual incomes of hundreds of million of VND perhectare, he said.

Tan Phu Dong hasdetermined lemongrass is one of its key crops to adapt to climate change andprovide steady incomes to farmers since it is easy to grow even in areas wheresaltwater intrudes.

Farmers said they couldharvest 15 tonnes of lemongrass per hectare each year, earning 1-1.5 millionVND per tonne.

In Go Cong Dong, manyfarmers are now using their paddies to grow vegetables and fruits to Vietnamgood agricultural practices (VietGAP) standards.

In its Kieng Phuoc commune,60 farmers grow red-flesh dragon fruit on 40ha and earn high incomes.

The commune has set upthe Kieng Phuoc VietGAP Dragon Fruit Cooperative and plans to expand the areaunder dragon fruit to 250ha in areas contaminated by saltwater.

Cao Van Hoa, Deputy Directorof the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said in theeastern districts’ rice farmers have begun to rotate rice and another crop onnearly 15,000ha and grow other crops only on nearly 2,000ha of paddies in thelast two years.

The districts havetaught farmers new techniques to improve quality, he said.

Under the province’splan to restructure agricultural production in eastern districts by 2025, whichbegan two years ago, the districts will only plant two rice crops a year orrotate between rice and one other crop.

Tan Phu Dong districtwill switch to other crops that can tolerate saltwater. The district will growhigh-value vegetables and other crops and expand the models of rotating betweenrice and fish or shrimp.

Pham Anh Tuan, Vice Chairmanof the provincial People’s Committee, said the plan would cost more than 1.66trillion VND (71.1 million USD).

“Climate change is achallenge and an opportunity for difficult areas like Go Cong to restructureand develop sustainably,” he said.-VNS/VNA