Recycling by-products: Towards circular agriculture

An abundance of leftover by-products

Tay Ninh has a total agricultural production area of over 700,000 hectares, with more than 500,000 hectares under cultivation each year.

Major crops such as rice, dragon fruit, lemon, vegetables, sugarcane, and cassava generate around 4 million tons of agricultural by-products each year.

However, only about 20–25% of these by-products are collected, processed, or reused, while the remainder is simply burned, left to dry, or left to decompose naturally in the fields.

In communes such as Chau Thanh, Tan Bien, Tan Hung, Moc Hoa, and Thanh Hoa, farmers often burn agricultural by-products after each harvest.

According to statistics from the Department of Agriculture, each hectare of rice generates an average of 3–4 tons of straw, and Tay Ninh is estimated to produce over 3 million tons of straw annually. Most of this straw is burned directly in the fields, releasing CO₂ and PM2.5 fine dust, which seriously harms the environment and increases the risk of fire, particularly during the dry season.

Mr. Le Van Hoa, a rice farmer in Vinh Thanh Commune, shared: “After each rice crop, if we don’t burn the straw, we have no idea how to deal with it. It’s also difficult to rent a straw baling machine because there are so few available in the area. Even when we manage to bale it, there are times when no one wants to buy it. So many farmers still end up burning the straw. We know it’s harmful to the environment, but without burning, we can’t plow the fields and sow the next crop.”

Straw collected for feeding cattle

Not only straw but also by-products from vegetables, cassava residue, bagasse, and corn stalks and leaves are being discarded wastefully. According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, agricultural by-products make up a significant proportion of the total solid waste generated by farming activities.

If not properly managed, these by-products pose a risk of polluting the soil, water, and air, as well as increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

Turning “Trash” into “Gold”

Faced with this situation, the reuse of agricultural by-products has become an inevitable solution. This approach not only helps farmers reduce input costs and increase production value, but also eases environmental pressures, creating dual benefits. In animal husbandry, for example, many farmers make use of agricultural by-products as feed for their livestock.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Cong from Hoa Khanh Commune said: “In addition to feeding straw directly to my cows, I also mix straw with probiotics to make silage. This provides a source of green feed that helps the cows eat better and reduces feeding costs by 20–30%.”

In addition, processing agricultural by-products into organic fertilizers is also being implemented. Several cooperatives in communes such as Rach Kien, My Le, Long Cang, and Phuoc Ly have invested in composting vegetable waste to produce organic fertilizers. From each ton of vegetable waste, 300–500 kg of organic fertilizer can be obtained, helping farmers cut chemical fertilizer costs by 30–40% while improving soil quality and fertility.

Mr. Kieu Anh Dung, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Phuoc Hoa Safe Vegetable Cooperative in Long Cang Commune, said: “The cooperative uses vegetable waste from preliminary processing to produce organic fertilizer. Thanks to this source of organic fertilizer, we have been able to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and expand the area under clean vegetable cultivation.”

Organic composting tank at Phuoc Hoa Safe Vegetable Cooperative, Long Cang Commune

In general, a major challenge today is that most agricultural by-products are scattered, and there is no infrastructure for their collection or storage after harvest. Moreover, few businesses are interested in investing in this field due to its low profitability.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the Department will soon propose that by-product treatment be included as one of the criteria for evaluating advanced new rural areas in the coming period. At the same time, it plans to introduce mechanisms to encourage and support cooperatives and farming groups with equipment such as straw balers and bio-fertilizer composting machines. In addition, the Department will strengthen communication on the benefits of by-product treatment and develop pilot models for wider replication.

Agricultural by-products are no longer “waste” when they are properly utilized. With such a vast agricultural production area, the treatment and reuse of these by-products are the “key” to improving production efficiency, fostering circular agriculture, and moving towards green growth./.

By Bui Tung – Translated by Tuong Vinh

Source: https://baolongan.vn/tai-che-phu-pham-mo-loi-cho-nong-nghiep-tuan-hoan-a199757.html