Located approximately 16 kilometers east of the Hai Lang district center in Vietnam, Hai Duong is a low-lying commune made up of plains and sandy dunes. About 1/3 of the commune’s land is covered by sandy areas, making agricultural production challenging and requiring farmers to carefully adapt their practices to local conditions. Its natural lagoons are an important resource for the community, storing water during the rainy season and providing much-needed irrigation during periods of dry weather. These natural conditions have shaped the way farmers produce food.
With support and guidance from the Vietnam Farmers’ Union, farmers have shifted toward higher-value crops that are better suited to sandy soils, particularly bitter melon and shallots. The transition is changing what farmers plant and involves improving how crops are grown.
Farmers have received training in modern agricultural techniques, including the use of organic fertilizers and biological agents to improve soil quality and promote healthier production. These practices are helping farmers reduce their dependence on external chemical inputs while making better use of locally adapted farming approaches.
Today, approximately 27 hectares are planted with bitter melon and 65 hectares with shallots, making the two crops increasingly important to local agricultural production and farmers’ livelihoods.
For farmers, however, producing a good harvest is only the beginning. One of Hai Duong’s priorities moving forward is to establish stronger value chains for bitter melon and shallots. The goal is to create more stable markets and reliable outlets for farmers’ products, allowing them to capture greater value from their work.
Strengthening the value chain can also help farmers move beyond simply producing raw commodities. By organizing producers, improving production quality and connecting farmers with markets, the community hopes to build a more sustainable and economically viable agricultural system.
Moreover, the commune plans to establish professional ecological farming groups that can support farmers in adopting sustainable practices, sharing knowledge and working collectively.
Hai Duong is also exploring the potential of eco-tourism centered on its natural lagoon ecosystem, creating opportunities to connect agriculture, nature and local livelihoods. Its lagoons are not only important sources of water for farming but also part of the community’s natural landscape and potential assets for rural development.
The transformation taking place in Hai Duong is rooted in a simple principle: development should build on the strengths of the community and respond to its local realities.
Comments are closed