With the high costs of agricultural inputs and issues with flooding, lodging, and rice straw burning, the Fertilize Right project is transforming Vietnam’s rice farming by promoting efficient and effective fertilizer use. This collaboration between USDA, MARD, and IRRI continues to yield promising results, reducing input costs, labor demands, and environmental impacts while increasing farmers’ income.
Fertilizer plays a critical role in agriculture, particularly rice production. A 2023 survey by IRRI involving 10,000 farmers in the Mekong Delta found that fertilizer costs make up about 30% of the cost of producing rice. Traditional farming practices worsen this situation by using high seed rates (over 120 kg per hectare) and excessive fertilizer use (more than 110 kg of Nitrogen per hectare).
This heavy reliance on costly inputs, coupled with issues like continuous flooding, lodging, and rice straw burning, creates a significant burden on farmers, driving some to switch to vegetable and fruit production due to the prohibitive costs of growing rice.
To address this, innovations are needed to reduce input costs (seeds, fertilizers, pesticides), minimize postharvest losses, improve rice quality, and ultimately boost farmer incomes from rice, straw, and other potential carbon credits.
The Fertilize Right (FerRight) project tackles this challenge head-on by optimizing fertilizer use efficiency and effectiveness. This initiative is a collaborative effort between the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MARD), with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) as the implementing partner. FerRight aims to improve soil health and increase farmer incomes by providing practical guidance and promoting the adoption of advanced technologies. It operates across six pilot provinces: Nam Dinh, Hai Duong, Thai Binh in the Red River Delta; and Can Tho, Soc Trang, Dong Thap in the Mekong River Delta.
"Fertilize Right Vietnam has achieved promising initial results, thanks to the strong partnership between the US, MARD, and Vietnamese teams," said Dr. Nguyen Van Hung, project leader and senior scientist at IRRI.
A key component of FerRight's approach is promoting rice straw composting, which reduces input costs and improves soil health. This method combines mechanized and biological solutions to offer an alternative to chemical fertilizers. Farmers receive training on utilizing straw and agricultural by-products as organic fertilizers, leading to cost savings, reduced labor, increased profits, and environmental protection.
At the Nam Cuong Business and Service Cooperative in Nam Dinh, the project has introduced a self-propelled mixer, reducing composting time from the traditional 90 days to approximately 45 days, significantly decreasing labor requirements.
Mr. Nguyen Van Du, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nam Cuong Cooperative, shared that when households apply the technology transferred by IRRI, the composting machine can work up to 50 tonnes of compost per hour per pass and reduce 50% of composting time and hazardous labor compared to conventional practices. He also added that the machine only requires one worker to operate, whereas it normally requires 10 workers to mix the compost.
Cooperative member Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngan reported that the organic compost produced through the project's process is more effective than directly applying phosphate fertilizer and manure. She noted darker green leaves, sweeter-tasting vegetables, and significantly reduced pests and diseases. "Using too much chemical fertilizer makes the soil hard, but more organic fertilizer is better," she added.
Furthermore, FerRight promotes Mechanized Direct Seeding (mDSR) combined with deep placement of fertilizers. Pilot models using mDSR have demonstrated at least a 50% reduction in seeding rates, a 30% decrease in nitrogen application, and an over 7% increase in yield, according to Mr. Le Thanh Tung, former Deputy Director General of the Department of Crop Production, MARD.
The project is also developing a soil-nutrient map and database for the Mekong and Red River Deltas to agricultural officials and farmers with crucial soil information for better planning and rice production. It also established a database of locally available innovative fertilizers or enhanced efficiency fertilizers (controlled-release, biostimulants, nanofertilizers, etc.), which will include the new fertilizer technology to increase nutrient use efficiency and productivity.
To capacitate farmers, extensionists, and agricultural officers, FerRight conducts hands-on training promoting the adoption of innovative digital tools, such as the site-specific nutrient management of the Rice Crop Manager (RCM) application and the E-extension web application for Rice Production (https://vn.agriextension.com/). These tools provide tailored nutrient management recommendations.
FerRight is also fostering cooperation and business opportunities among stakeholders in the fertilizer industry in Vietnam, the US, and other countries within the project. Through its multifaceted approach, the FerRight project is paving the way for a more sustainable and profitable future for rice farming in Vietnam.