Farmers employ organic methods

Local farmers in Thua Thien- Hue Province have found a way to grow commercial vegetables free from chemicals thanks to a Japanese agricultural project that uses charcoal.

The Bach Ma Charcoal Project, organised by Bach Ma National Park and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, with funds from the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), has been operating in Khe Su Commune in Phu Loc District, on the edge of the national park, for three years.

The park management hopes the project will improve local livelihoods to discourage the 200 farming families in the commune from illegally using the national park as a source of income.

The project has carried out training, technology transfer and funding to farmers in the commune to help them produce charcoal and vinegar from agricultural waste like grass, saw dust, rice husk and hay.

Cao Thanh, a commune resident taking part in the project, says that he is happy to run his farm absolutely free from chemical fertiliser and pesticide.

“With two kilns built by the project to produce charcoal and vinegar, I have my own fertiliser and pesticide, which is good for the environment and our health,” Thanh says.

The project provides charcoal for burning, treatment for pig skin diseases, and medicinal food for livestock.

Nguyen Vu Linh, deputy director of the park, says: “The charcoal from the project has made a considerable difference to the locals’ income. It will be expanded in the next phase to other communes in the buffer zone around the park.”

The three districts in the buffer zone are the province’s Phu Loc and Nam Dong districts, and Dong Giang District in neighbouring Quang Nam Province.

“When the project expands, it could reach all 58,000 farmer households living in the park’s buffer zone, contributing to a great change of livelihood and environment in the zone, and the protection of nature in the park,” Linh tells Viet Nam News.

Charcoal, produced by heating organic materials without oxygen, is used as a non-smoke fuel, deodoriser, fertiliser, and water purifier. Charcoal can be made in two kinds of Japanese traditional kilns, made from either earth or bricks. They produce different types of charcoal.

Charcoal made from trees can be used as fuel or powdered to treat diarrhea in pigs, or to purify water for drinking.

Softer agricultural wastes like rice husk, sawdust, grass or hay produce charcoals that can be used as fertiliser for poor soil and extra food for pigs and chickens. This kind of charcoal can be mixed with Bokashi, a kind of compost, to produce charcoal Bokashi to replace chemical fertilisers. Compost is a product of decaying organic matter like leaves and manure.

The charcoal kilns produce a vapour at the chimney when the temperature is between 85 to 100 degrees Celsius. Vinegar is produced when the vapour condenses.

After a process of distilling the liquid to remove tar, the vinegar can be used as a pesticide; a skin disease treatment for cattle, and deodorant to sterilise sheds for new crops.

According to Phan Quoc Dung , the project’s field assistant, these techniques have been used for more than 300 years in Japan and recently in Thailand and Cambodia.

Dung says he is applying for the charcoal and vinegar that he produces to be tested by Hue University of Agriculture and Forest and the Centre for Agricultural Research and Development to be officially approved as safe to humans.

When they get approval, the project managers plan to set up teams of farmers to grow vegetables commercially for the provincial market. So far, 45 out of 200 families in Khe Su Commune are part of the project. Around 10 of the families have started earning incomes from selling organic vegetables and souvenirs, while the rest have replaced chemical fertilisers and pesticides with organic charcoal products.

The park’s management board has started to support farmers who make the unique charcoal souvenirs by displaying them at the park’s tourist desk. The farmers have also supplied the park with charcoal fertiliser to grow strawberries in its green house.

The project management is willing to transfer its technology and achievements to any non-profit organisation nationwide to help improve the livelihood of farmers, says Saito Atsuko, the project’s coordinator.

Linh of the park expects more JICA funding for the second phase of the project, which could include introducing homestay tourism.

“We will launch this homestay service in June if we get approval for the second phase. It is not only significant to the park in terms of enhancing the bond between the park and locals but also helps the farmers earn more income,” he says.

Tags: Vietnam agriculture