Mr. Thien, a smallholder rice farmer from Long An Province, faced challenges common in his community: rising fertilizer costs, declining yields, and the degradation of soil and groundwater sources. Despite knowing that the over reliance on industrial inputs and conventional cultivation methods were harming his fields, he was hesitant to change, fearing lower yields and risking his family’s livelihood.
Through the funded initiative, Mr. Thien received training on low carbon farming techniques such as reducing nitrogen fertiliser use, draining paddy fields, and recycling plant material to be used as a soil amendment. Initially sceptical, he tested the methods on a small plot and was surprised to see lowered input costs, fewer pests, and no yield loss. Using a leaf colour chart, he could accurately assess his crops’ fertiliser needs, alleviating his concerns of yield loss due to inadequate nitrogen for his crop.
After successfully applying these techniques, his family adopted the full suite across their 8-hectare farm, increasing profitability by 10% per crop and improving household income. Now, Mr. Thien is confident in the climate smart methods, which are also bringing environmental and health benefits to his community. He hopes to help other farmers adopt climate-smart practices to improve their livelihoods whilst restoring their land and local water quality.
