IPHM helps farmers make a breakthrough to green agriculture

This change not only brings economic benefits but also protects the environment and workers' health, opening up breakthrough opportunities for local green agriculture.

From traditional experience to scientific farming

Ms. Dang Thi Thuong (village 7, Ia Phi commune) takes care of her family's coffee garden. **Photo: NS**

In many localities in the West of Gia Lai , IPHM is still a new concept. But when approached, people quickly realize that this is a scientific method, helping plants to be healthy, soil to be good, pests and diseases to be effectively managed without depending entirely on chemical drugs.

Unlike the method of treating pests when they have appeared, IPHM focuses on early prevention. This process combines many synchronous solutions: choosing healthy varieties, fertilizing properly, protecting natural enemies, cleaning the garden, applying biological traps, pruning branches to create canopy and only using chemicals when really necessary. This helps maintain ecological balance, protect beneficial microorganisms in the soil and minimize chemical residues in agricultural products.

Ms. Dang Thi Thuong (village 7, Ia Phi commune) has been cultivating coffee for more than 10 years. Previously, her family relied entirely on experience in farming. When she saw sick plants, she bought medicine and sprayed it according to instructions, never attending any related training courses.

Since being introduced to IPHM, she has boldly switched to using organic fertilizers to improve the soil, combined with biological products to prevent diseases. After a few crops, she noticed that the plants were greener, had fewer pests, and the cost of medicine was significantly reduced. “At first, we were not used to it, but when we saw the effectiveness, we were very happy. If we had more training, I believe we would have applied it even better,” Ms. Thuong shared.

Mr. Le Bao Trung (village 7, Ia Phi commune) also applied IPHM to his family's 5 hectares of coffee.
**Photo: NS**

Similarly, Mr. Le Bao Trung (in the same village) also applied IPHM to his family's 5 hectares of coffee. "Previously, we sprayed a lot of chemicals, so the yield was unstable. Now I use insect traps, spray biological products and prune the branches properly. The fruit is more beautiful, the selling price is higher, and I feel secure because it is less toxic to my family, while the investment cost is reduced by more than 10 million VND/ha" - Mr. Trung said.

IPHM dissemination on key crops

In Dak Doa commune, Lam Anh Agricultural and Service Cooperative has cooperated with nearly 500 households to produce more than 300 hectares of coffee and passion fruit in an organic manner. The 4-star OCOP coffee group alone has 37 households participating on an area of 30 hectares, applying IPHM from care to harvest.

Mr. Le Huu Anh - Director of the Cooperative - said that combining organic and IPHM helps reduce investment costs by 10-15 million VND/ha, increase economic efficiency and limit negative impacts on the environment.

“IPHM helps farmers become more aware of soil improvement, weed management, natural enemy conservation, maintaining healthy gardens, and better pest resistance,” affirmed Mr. Le Huu Anh.

In addition, the Cooperative regularly organizes training courses, invites experts to guide early identification of pests, choose appropriate treatment methods, and use pesticides properly. Thanks to that, people no longer have to spray pesticides indiscriminately, helping to reduce costs and protect the field ecosystem.

Lam Anh Agricultural and Service Cooperative organized training and invited experts to guide members in early identification of pests on crops. **Photo: NS**

The Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee has also issued a plan to promote IPHM for the period 2023-2030. The goal is to apply it to key crops such as coffee, durian, passion fruit... to reduce production costs, limit toxic chemicals, improve productivity and quality, ensure food safety, protect the environment and adapt to climate change.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Son, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ia Phi Commune, said: The locality currently has about 2,800 hectares of coffee and more than 400 hectares of durian. These crops bring high economic value but are also easily affected by diseases.

In the coming time, the commune will step up guidance and propaganda for people to apply IPHM, both saving costs and improving production efficiency.

While many farmers were previously concerned about changing production methods, now, thanks to the support of the cooperative and the government, IPHM has proven its practical effectiveness. Crops are properly cared for, yield stable yields, and sell for good prices, while the environment and the health of producers are protected.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/iphm-giup-nong-dan-but-pha-sang-nong-nghiep-xanh-post563551.html