Producing high quality, low emissions rice

Timely direction

Currently, due to small production scale, high costs, and fragmented rice value chain, farmers' income is not commensurate with the value of rice. Many farmers still abuse inputs such as seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation water, causing waste, negatively affecting the environment, and increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

Farmers implement the Project on Sustainable Development of 1 million hectares of high-quality and low-emission rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030

To address the above situation, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 1490, dated November 27, 2023, approving the Project "Sustainable development of 1 million hectares of high-quality and low-emission rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030". Implementing this Project, on April 5, 2024, Vice Chairman of Provincial People's Committee - Nguyen Minh Lam signed Decision No. 3176, approving the Plan to implement the Project "Sustainable development of 1 million hectares of high-quality and low-emission rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta region by 2030" in the province.

In the province, the project sets the goal of forming 125,000 hectares of high-quality and low-emission rice cultivation areas associated with reorganizing the production system according to the value chain, applying sustainable farming processes to increase value, sustainably develop of the rice industry, improve production efficiency, business and income of rice growers, protect the environment, adapt to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to the implementation of Vietnam's international commitments. The project is implemented in the province in 8 districts and towns: Tan Hung, Vinh Hung, Moc Hoa, Tan Thanh, Thanh Hoa, Duc Hue, Thu Thua and Kien Tuong town with an area of ​​125,000 hectares, divided into 2 phases: 2024-2025 and 2026-2030.

The decision of the Provincial People's Committee also mentioned the criteria for selecting areas to participate in the project; main tasks and solutions; capital sources and implementation organization.

The Provincial People's Committee decided to establish a Steering Committee for the implementation of the Project to direct the general tasks, coordination and support between departments and branches to speed up the Project and achieve the highest efficiency. The structure of the Steering Committee includes: Leaders of the Provincial People's Committee (head of the committee); leaders of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (deputy head of the committee); members include leaders of departments, branches, People's Committees of related districts, towns and professional groups.

According to the Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development - Nguyen Thanh Truyen, the construction of a specialized area for high-quality and low-emission rice cultivation in the province is a breakthrough in reorganizing rice production, increasing added value throughout the chain, ensuring sustainable development in the context of increasing climate change, contributing to green growth and the Government's commitments at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Summit (COP26), towards the goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

Technical and technological improvements

The project includes specific technical and technological improvements to increase productivity and reduce emissions (mostly methane) compared to traditional methods.

Laser application in leveling rice fields is one of the techniques mentioned in the Project

In the land preparation stage, after harvesting the Winter-Spring crop, plowing and drying are required, the remaining crops need to apply the method of tilling, rolling and raking; the field surface must be flat, the difference between the highest and lowest points must not exceed 5cm, applying wet leveling measures based on water level or leveling using laser beams; cleaning the field, reinforcing the embankment to manage water, making water ditches (especially in the Summer-Autumn crop) to drain alum, kill golden apple snails; after land preparation, farmers must drain water 6-12 hours before operating the seeding machine; etc.

Farmers need to use certified seeds, the amount of seed sown must not exceed 70kg/hectare, treat and soak seeds according to the manufacturer's recommendations and suitable for each sowing method. Farmers sow and plant simultaneously according to the sowing schedule of the professional agency; use row or cluster sowing machines with row and cluster spacing according to regulations.

Water management is very important. When the soil is flooded (anaerobic environment), microorganisms in the soil will decompose carbon to produce methane gas causing the greenhouse effect. When the water demand of rice plants is reduced, farmers need to drain water, changing from anaerobic conditions to aerobic conditions so that microorganisms cannot function. Farmers should not let the fields be flooded before sowing for more than 30 consecutive days; should apply water withdrawal according to the principle of alternating wet and dry. Farmers must only add water to the fields when the water level is 15cm below the ground or the field surface is cracked with a maximum water level of 5cm; drain water 7-15 days before harvest; etc.

Fertilizing rice needs to be reasonable, balanced according to the needs of the plant, specific region and season. It is necessary to analyze the soil periodically every 5 years to determine the limiting factors and develop a suitable fertilizer formula for rice according to the season and specific region. It is recommended to use 1.5-3 tons of organic fertilizer per hectare for direct-sown rice; the amount of nitrogen fertilizer in the Summer-Autumn and Autumn-Winter crops should be reduced by 15-20% compared to the Winter-Spring crop; when sowing rice combined with burying fertilizer, the amount of nitrogen fertilizer should be reduced by 10-15% compared to the method of sowing rice without burying fertilizer; it is recommended to use a rice leaf color comparison chart to adjust the appropriate amount of nitrogen fertilizer.  At the same time, integrated pest management, post-harvest management and treatment are also specifically and clearly instructed.

Farmers have traditionally had the habit of burning straw or burying it in water. This increases the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Realizing this, the Project instructs not to burn or bury straw in flooded fields; collect straw from the fields with a straw roller, prioritize reusing or circulating straw locally; Dry straw of suitable quality can be used for mushroom cultivation or animal feed production, biological bedding and production of plastic substitutes such as flower pots, etc.; wet straw or decomposed straw is used to cover the base of trees; moldy straw is used to produce organic fertilizer. All types of straw and by-products or waste from mushroom cultivation and animal husbandry should be used as organic fertilizer.

The project also encourages the application of measures to promote the decomposition of stubble in non-flooded conditions such as plowing, chopping or crushing stubble, and spraying additional biological products. Winter-Spring crop: Plow or bury stubble immediately after harvest as soon as possible, maintain dry conditions (not flooded) for at least 3 weeks after burying. Summer-Autumn and Autumn-Winter crops: Till the field immediately after harvest and combine spraying biological products such as Trichoderma before tilling the field.

The province is taking concrete steps in building and developing green agriculture (specifically for rice), helping farmers increase their income, and joining hands with the world to fight climate change. However, this is a long-term story, requiring close coordination of relevant parties. It is necessary to show farmers the benefits, and above all, the awareness to act voluntarily, thereby bringing high efficiency./.

By Huynh Thong - Translated by Q. Thien

Source: https://baolongan.vn/san-xuat-lua-xanh-chat-luong-cao-phat-thai-thap-a184782.html