HA TINH After organic rice cultivation, the fields became fertile. That was also a favorable condition to 'call' the rươi back after many years of disappearance.
In recent years, organic rice production in the earthworm and clam farming areas in some localities in Ha Tinh not only produces safe rice products, but this model also contributes to environmental protection, restores natural earthworm and clam resources, and brings high economic efficiency.
Recently, some localities in Ha Tinh have promoted their advantages, expanded organic rice production areas combined with earthworm farming towards building specialized production areas to increase economic value.
The earthworms and the clams return.
The Lam Riverbank area in Xuan Lam Commune (Nghi Xuan District, Ha Tinh) has an area of over 12 hectares of rice fields that are regularly silted up with alluvium, so the soil is quite rich in humus, favorable for rice and earthworms to grow and develop. However, after many years of traditional farming, rice yields were low and earthworms gradually decreased.
Earthworms have appeared more and more in organic rice fields in Xuan Lam commune (Nghi Xuan district, Ha Tinh). Photo: Nguyen Hoan.
In order to restore the natural source of earthworms and increase the productivity and quality of rice, in September 2022, Xuan Lam commune directed the implementation of field renovation to implement an organic rice production model combined with earthworm farming in villages 2 and 3 with a scale of 10 hectares, assigned to Thong Nhat Agricultural Cooperative (Xuan Lam commune). After the cooperatives completed land leveling, field renovation, and ensured conditions, in the spring crop of 2023, the cooperative members began to plant the first organic rice crop.
Mr. Le Anh Son's family in village 2, Xuan Lam commune is one of the households participating in the organic rice production model combined with raising earthworms deployed by Thong Nhat Agricultural Cooperative. The spring crop of 2024 is the second crop that Mr. Son's family has planted ST25 rice variety on earthworm fields. In addition to the higher organic rice yield than the first crop, earthworms also appear at a higher density than before.
Mr. Son said: "After the fields were renovated, the field surface was lower, creating favorable conditions for river water to flow in and out, depositing alluvium. Along with organic rice cultivation, the soil is rich in nutrients, so in addition to the harvested rice yield of 270kg/sao (500m2 sao), 50kg/sao higher than before, we also exploited more rươi.
If the natural field of earthworms previously only had a density of 10 - 15 individuals/m2 and was harvested from September to October (lunar calendar), now the organic rice fields are supplemented with nutrients so the density has increased from 35 - 40 individuals/m2, in some places over 100 individuals/m2 and are harvested in May - June (lunar calendar). Although the family only produces 4 sao of rice, the first crop has harvested more than 1 ton of rice and nearly 100 kg of earthworms, worth over 100 million VND. Through monitoring, this crop will definitely yield more earthworms.
Checking the source of earthworms in organic rice fields at Thong Nhat Agricultural Cooperative. Photo: Nguyen Hoan.
Mr. Nguyen Van Chien - Director of Thong Nhat Agricultural Cooperative said: The implementation of this model aims to exploit the advantages of the locality, create safe rice, rươi, and cay products, thereby creating a basis for the locality to build rươi rice products that meet 3-star OCOP standards; aiming to build a product value chain, increase added value, and contribute to increasing income for people.
After 2 production seasons, the organic rice yield in the field of earthworms has increased significantly, reaching an average of 54 quintals/ha, earthworms reaching 2.5 quintals/ha, and clams reaching 3.5 quintals/ha. From the initial area of 10 hectares, the cooperative is continuing to build a specialized area for organic rice combined with earthworm and clam farming with a concentrated scale of 80 hectares.
Hearing about the restoration of the earthworms is really fun.
The organic rice production area on the field of rươi in Dong Lang area, Dau Giang village, Ky Khang commune (Ky Anh district, Ha Tinh) is a low-lying area (next to Nha Le canal), the brackish and salty water area here used to have a lot of natural rươi. However, for a long time, due to people using pesticides, rươi as well as other living organisms in the fields gradually disappeared. After 6 seasons of persistently implementing organic rice cultivation, "saying no" to pesticides and chemical fertilizers, rươi and crab have reappeared. That is a good sign for people here to have the right to hope to bring back new values, opening up a new direction for economic development.
The ecosystem in the rice field combined with organic earthworm farming in Dau Giang village, Ky Khang commune (Ky Anh district, Ha Tinh province) is gradually being restored. Photo: Nguyen Hoan.
Implementing the policy of organic rice production, from the spring crop of 2022, Ky Anh district began piloting a model of transferring organic rice production techniques combined with regenerating and restoring natural rươi resources in Dau Giang village (Ky Khang commune) with an area of 5 hectares, including 8 participating households.
As someone who has been attached to this field for decades and has had income from earthworms right in this land, Mr. Nguyen Van Huan was extremely excited to learn about the policy of restoring natural earthworm products and producing organic rice in the village and commune.
Mr. Huan shared: “In the past, there were a lot of earthworms and clams in this field, but after many years of rice production, people used chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, so the earthworms and clams gradually disappeared. When there was a policy of growing organic rice to restore earthworms and clams, I was so happy that I signed up for the first crop with 15 sao of rice fields. Up to now, I have participated in organic rice production for the 6th crop, and I have seen that the earthworms have reappeared, with some fields having a density of up to 50 - 60 individuals/m2. Last year, after harvesting the summer-autumn rice crop, I harvested a fair amount of earthworms, so I hope to harvest more earthworms this year.
Farmers no longer abandon their fields.
The earthworm is a species that is very sensitive to the living environment, even a small amount of chemicals can cause them to lose resistance, stop growing and die en masse. After nearly 3 years of organic rice production, people no longer use inorganic fertilizers or pesticides in the fields, the ecosystem is gradually restored, the field environment is improved, in addition to earthworms, clams, snails, shrimps and fish have also appeared more.
Mr. Nguyen Van Huan checks the density of earthworms in an organic rice field. Photo: Nguyen Hoan.
Ms. Hoang Thi Vinh - Head of the Rice - Crab Production Cooperative in Dau Giang village (Ky Khang commune) shared: When it was first implemented, many households were hesitant because they thought that organic rice farming was hard work, but after participating in the first few trials, people saw the benefits and were healthier than traditional farming. The fields were only fertilized with organic microbial fertilizers and decomposed manure. The rice plants absorbed nutrients and then the organic matter accumulated in the fields. In the next crop, the amount of fertilizer was reduced from 70kg to 60, then 50kg, but the rice still grew well, reducing investment costs, so people were very happy.
Not only does it produce delicious rice products that sell for high prices, but each crop, farmers also harvest earthworms, clams, shrimp, fish, etc., and sell them to earn an additional income of 500,000 - 700,000 VND/sao of rice field. Therefore, farmers in the area now no longer intend to abandon their fields but strictly follow the organic rice production process, "say no" to chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and at the same time wish to expand the organic rice production area.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hai, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ky Anh District (far right) always accompanies farmers in the process of implementing the organic rice production model on the field of blood worms in Ky Khang commune. Photo: Nguyen Hoan.
In recent years, in parallel with land conversion, Ky Anh district is promoting sustainable agricultural development, in which many models of linked production and organic production have been widely developed, bringing outstanding income.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hai - Vice Chairman of Ky Anh District People's Committee said: After nearly 3 years of implementation, the district has built more than 32 hectares of organic rice. Particularly, with the model of transferring organic rice production techniques combined with regenerating and restoring natural rươi resources in Dau Giang village (Ky Khang commune), from 5 hectares, the area has now been planned to 17 hectares and will expand the area of organic rice production on rươi fields to 25 hectares in the whole district. Along with that, the district is continuing to mobilize all resources to focus on building synchronous infrastructure; transferring techniques for caring for, regenerating and exploiting rươi and cay properly; linking with businesses to both develop production models and build the rice - rươi brand of Ky Anh district.
Ha Tinh continues to expand 57 hectares of organic rice production area in the rươi exploitation area in the period 2024 - 2030. Photo: Nguyen Hoan.
In fact, the organic rice production model after 2-3 crops without using pesticides or chemical fertilizers has made the soil fertile, eliminated toxic substances, so the rice plants grow strongly, almost no need to treat pests, stable yield of 250-280kg/sao. In addition, each sao of organic rice also yields 20-25kg of rươi and 40-50kg of cáy, bringing in an income of 10-15 million VND. The rice - rươi - cáy fields in Ky Khang commune (Ky Anh district) or Xuan Lam commune (Nghi Xuan district) and many other localities in the province have been helping people have high income, the field ecosystem has been restored.
Currently, the whole Ha Tinh province has more than 133 hectares of organic rice production in the area of exploiting earthworms and crabs, bringing "double benefits" to farmers. Recently, the People's Committee of Ha Tinh province has approved the expansion of this production model with an area of 57 hectares in localities of Ky Anh, Duc Tho, Nghi Xuan districts, Ha Tinh city and Hong Linh town.
Source: https://nongsanviet.nongnghiep.vn/goi-ruoi-ve-nhung-dong-lua-huu-co-d388032.html
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