VACVINA | LEISA
The VAC system is a highly intensive method of small-scale farming in which food gardening, fish rearing and animal husbandry are integrated. Developed from traditional gardening in the fertile Red River Delta, which is a major rice growing area, VAC farming is now practised in most regions of Vietnam. In 1986 the Association of Vietnamese gardeners, VACVINA, was founded to promote this system. Due to decades of war Vietnam’s agriculture was seriously set back. Malnutrition was widespread in rural areas. Many families only had rice.
As the VAC system produces a diversity of easy-to-grow nutritious vegetables, fruits and animal proteins it is a very effective approach to combat malnutrition and increase income. Research has shown that in many communities in the Red River Delta where VAC farming is practised, income from VAC constitutes 50-70% of farmers’ income. Annual income through VAC farming is three to five times higher than that derived in the same area from growing two rice crops per year. For this reason VACVINA gets support from the government and international organisations such as UNICEF.
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