Developing hi-tech agriculture in the southwestern urban area of the province

​In 2019, the Provincial People's Committee approved the urban agricultural development project in the Southwest region of Dong Nai province to 2020, with a vision to 2030. Up to now, Nhon Trach district has formed many agricultural models in line with urban development planning, the condition of land area and labor force is decreasing.

These models not only contribute to improving land use efficiency and revenue, but also provide logistical support for tourism and industrial development.

Hydroponic vegetable growing model in Phuoc Khanh commune, Nhon Trach district

Increasing economic efficiency thanks to the application of technology
Nhon Trach is the locality with the largest area of agricultural land, especially the area of water surface in the province. In the previous years, agricultural production of the people faced many disadvantages due to saline intrusion and alum contamination, leading to low productivity. But now, the district has formed many concentrated production areas such as: aquaculture, fruit tree planting, lotus cultivation, etc., both adapting to climate change and improving land use efficiency.
In the riverside of communes: Vinh Thanh, Phuoc An, Phuoc Khanh and Long Tho, farmers used to mainly grow rice, sugarcane and raise poultry with low economic efficiency; Since switching to a high-tech shrimp farming model, seafood "giants" have appeared with a profit of billions of VND per year.
Implementing the urban agriculture development project in the southwestern region of Dong Nai province to 2020, with a vision to 2030 of the Provincial People's Committee, Nhon Trach has established an aquaculture area of more than 1.7 thousand hectares; in which, the area for high-tech shrimp farming is 90ha, the area for growing lotus in the production and processing chain is more than 100ha, reducing the sugarcane growing area to about 400ha, restoring the tea growing and processing area to about 7ha. In addition, there are areas for growing vegetables, tubers and fruits converted from rice and sugarcane land.

Mr. Nguyen Huy Binh (living in Ba Truong hamlet, Phuoc An commune) shared: "I invest according to the motto "take short to feed long", initially only a few hundred square meters of the family's rice land, after that, every time I "hit" shrimp, I buy land to build a new pond. Currently, I have 10 ponds (500m2/pond) and with my partner's capital, I can build 9 ponds, totaling 19 ponds for white leg shrimp farming.

According to Mr. Binh, a few years ago, he switched to a high-tech shrimp farming model, receiving technical support from the company, providing seed, bran, and medicine on the spot; He controls the water by treating chlorine and lime, so shrimp are less sick and grow fast. After more than 2 months of shrimp being harvested, the output is 4-5 tons/pond, after deducting costs, the profit is about 200-250 million VND/pond/crop.

 Phuoc Khanh commune is a large sugarcane growing area of Nhon Trach district, but so far many farmers have switched to growing tissue transplanted bananas, nipa coconuts, and soursop for 2-3 times more economic efficiency. In which, there is a model of linkage between farmers and tissue-transplanting banana plantation enterprises providing the supermarket system in Ho Chi Minh City with a profit of 400-500 million VND/ha/year; hydroponic vegetable growing model with a profit of more than 100 million VND/year on an area of 0.5ha…

Mr. Mai The Hien (living in Vinh Cuu hamlet, Vinh Thanh commune) is a pioneer farmer who grows melons in greenhouses. In 2019, he experimented with 700m2 of greenhouse melons, after more than 3 years, he increased the area 10 times. Although he is still in the stage of investing in net houses, this year he has earned a profit of nearly VND 1 billion. A special feature of his melon growing model is that he does not use pollinators, but uses honey bees to both increase the rate of fruit set and have more income.

 Head of Economic Division of Nhon Trach district Nguyen Van Nhan said that, implementing the urban agricultural development project in the southwestern region of Dong Nai province, the locality has so far formed many high-tech agricultural models. In which, the high-tech shrimp farming model is about 90ha, profit can reach 1-1.5 billion VND/ha; the model of growing fruit trees on rice land and growing vegetables and fruits in greenhouses; model of raising dairy cows and processing fresh milk by automatic machines…

High-tech shrimp pond in Vinh Thanh commune, Nhon Trach district

Developing urban farming model

Nhon Trach district is in the process of implementing new city criteria in the direction of industry - service, a part of agricultural land will be converted to infrastructure. Therefore, the orientation of the locality is to develop agricultural models suitable to urban criteria: using a small area of land, limiting environmental pollution, products meet safety criteria, meeting the needs of on-site logistics.

Head of the Economic Division of the district Nguyen Van Nhan said that in 2021, the District People's Committee has issued a plan to implement the Sustainable Agriculture Development Program in the area for the period of 2021-2025 and orientation to 2030. The district has planned specialized and concentrated production areas on the basis of transforming the structure of plants and animals from previous production areas; forming and replicating models of applying science and technology to production according to VietGAP and organic criteria; invite businesses to participate in the construction of projects linking production with consumption of agricultural products. This adjustment not only helps to improve the efficiency of land use and income for farmers, but also helps the district's agriculture sector adapt to salinity and alum pollution caused by climate change.

 Chairman of the Nhon Trach district Farmers' Union Bui Phuoc Duc said that the agricultural sector of Nhon Trach district has many advantages for development, that is: the area of agricultural land along the river is still large, it is a market for hundreds of thousands of workers, Nhon Trach in the future is a large riverside commercial - service city of the province. Currently, the locality has formed high-tech agricultural models, agricultural models with enterprises participating in investment and cooperation. In the coming time, the District Farmers' Union will continue to guide the construction and replication of advanced agricultural models in line with the development orientation to the city; mobilize members to establish professional associations and cooperatives to facilitate investment attraction in this field.

Currently, some localities in the province such as Trang Bom, Long Thanh and Nhon Trach are focusing on developing urban agriculture. This model is not only consistent with the trend of gradually reducing arable land and labor, but also in line with the orientation of sustainable agricultural development, creating quality products with competitive advantages.