One year into a large, participatory agroforestry project in northwest Vietnam, farmers are already enjoying benefits and looking to the future with optimism.
A meeting on 28 February 2013 to review the first year of the “Agroforestry for Livelihoods of Smallholder Farmers in Northwest Vietnam” project (ALFI) involved visits to farmers hosting agroforestry field trials, where some early wins were already evident.
Farmer Chu Van Tien standing on his maize/late-fruiting longan farm
Partners found that late-fruiting longan trees intercropped with maize, for instance, were already showing promise in controlling soil erosion and improving soil fertility. The later harvest from these trees has higher market value, since it comes out of sync with other longan harvests.
Recommendations on plant spacing were helping farmers improved their yields. "After increasing my planting density to a spacing of 20–25cm, I harvested 200 kg more maize from 1800 square metres," said Chu Van Tien, a farmer in Van Thi 4 village in Yen Bai province.
Introducing grass into Shan tea monocrops was also showing promise as an alternative to shifting cultivation and free-grazing of cattle. Besides improving soil fertility, reducing erosion and producing a better quality tea, the intercropped grass was providing readily available fodder for cattle.
“My family has four cows. Before planting the grass, I had to take them for grazing for days at a time. Now, I have enough grass for them,” said Song Thi Mai, a H’mong farmer in Pang Cang village, Suoi Giang commune, Van Chan district. “My cows are very healthy,” she smiled.
Farmer Song Thi Mai planting Ghine grass on her shan tea farm
Tree-based systems are not yet well developed in Vietnam partly due to the few nurseries available nationwide (only around 2000). Within the first year of AFLI’s operation, however, scientists and partners from Departments of Agricultural and Rural Development and research institutes have established four household tree nurseries and organized various training courses on nursery techniques for farmers. They are now working with partners to identify suitable trees for grafting.
As part of this work son tra (Docynia indica) has been identified as a potential high-value tree for the area. Son tra is famous for its distinctive flavour and aroma, and can be processed into an array of products, such as candy, dried fruit, jams and wine.
An analysis of the son tra value chain and market has been completed; this year partners will embark on optimizing the chain’s performance, to ensure sustainable income from son tra fruit for farmers.
A farmer watering Son Tra seedlings in his nursery garden
Over the past year, six trainings were held for 90 extension workers and farmers at the district and commune level. ALFI also distributed over 500 technical manuals to community extension services.
The ALFI project is a five-year initiative implemented by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and national partners in Vietnam. It is funded in part by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). The project is taking place in the provinces of Son La, Dien Bien and Yen Bai in northwestern Vietnam, a mountainous area of around 3.4 million hectares spanning over six agro-ecological zones.
ALFI is contributing towards tackling the degradation of forests and agro-ecosystems in the region as a result from rapid expansion of agriculture and widespread shifting cultivation on steep slopes.
Training on practical on-farm experimental design
Farmer Chu Van Tien beamed when talking about his plans for selling the produce from his maize–longan intercrop. He added a touch of realism, too: “No tending, no income.”
Related Articles:
"Which agroforest will improve an H’mong farmer’s life?"
