Green livelihoods at Ramsar Lang Sen

DONG THAP PROVINCE: A nature-friendly livelihood model in the Lang Sen buffer zone helps people live with floods, increasing their income while contributing to the conservation of wetland biodiversity.

Sustainable paths for wetlands

The buffer zone of the Lang Sen Wetland Reserve, located in the communes of Vinh Thanh, Vinh Chau, and Tan Hung (Tay Ninh province), is where the local community has a long-standing connection with the natural environment of the Dong Thap Muoi region. Along with the task of conserving biodiversity, this area is becoming a shining example of a sustainable livelihood model, helping people adapt to climate change while developing a sustainable economy .

Residents in the Lang Sen buffer zone travel by boat across flooded grasslands during the flood season. Photo: Le Hoang Vu.

According to Mr. Nguyen Cong Toai, Deputy Director of the Lang Sen Wetland Reserve, the Lang Sen Ramsar site covers an area of ​​over 4,800 hectares and is home to 142 species of fish, 158 species of birds, and 331 species of plants, many of which are listed in the Vietnam Red Book. With its special ecological role in regulating floods, replenishing groundwater, filtering air, and accumulating alluvial soil, Lang Sen is not only the "green lung" of the region but also a source of livelihood for hundreds of households in the buffer zone.

In recent years, the Lang Sen Wetland Reserve Management Board, in collaboration with international organizations such as WWF and IUCN, has implemented many livelihood models that are in line with natural laws, such as floating rice-fish farming, lotus-fish farming, flood season fish storage, clean straw mushroom cultivation, water hyacinth weaving, and low-emission rice cultivation. These models have helped people utilize the ecological characteristics of the flood zone to both generate income and reduce pressure on the exploitation of natural resources.

Prominent among these is the model of floating rice cultivation combined with fish farming in Vinh Chau and Tan Hung communes, covering 120.8 hectares and involving 33 households. Thanks to low production costs (only about 7 million VND/ha), yields of 1.5 - 1.7 tons/ha, and an average selling price of 15,000 VND/kg, farmers earn a profit of 17 - 18.5 million VND/ha, 20 - 25% higher than traditional rice cultivation. Notably, this model also helps reduce CO₂ equivalent emissions by 46%, contributing to the goal of green agriculture .

In Tan Hung commune, the model of lotus cultivation combined with fish farming on a scale of 40.6 hectares has also yielded outstanding results. With a yield of 4.5 tons/ha and an average revenue of 60-67 million VND/ha, people achieve a profit of 32.5-41.5 million VND/ha.

Migratory birds arrive to roost in the Lang Sen Wetland Reserve, signaling the start of the flood season. Photo: Le Hoang Vu.

Mr. Toai stated: "Lotus-fish farming is a characteristic model of wetland areas, utilizing floodwater to clean ponds and lagoons, generating twice the income of rice cultivation alone, while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 73%. In Vinh Thanh commune, the model of storing fish during the flood season and processing dried fish by Thanh Phat Cooperative, which has achieved OCOP 3-star certification, is helping to create jobs and increase income for dozens of households. Here, each household earns an average of 1.5 million VND/hectare from fish farming and 9.4 million VND/season from dried fish processing, while also contributing to preserving the famous Lang Sen dried fish brand."

Diversifying livelihoods and reducing pressure on natural resource exploitation.

Not only focusing on aquaculture, people have also boldly expanded into the model of growing clean straw mushrooms indoors. Each household builds 6 mushroom houses (32m²/house), with each crop lasting 30-45 days, yielding an income of 1.8-4.5 million VND per crop. Utilizing straw after harvest not only reduces the practice of burning fields but also provides stable employment for women, enhancing the role of women in ecological agriculture.

In addition, the craft of weaving water hyacinth baskets has been revived, creating regular jobs with a profit of about 5 million VND/month, suitable for the livelihood characteristics of the flood season, and utilizing abundant natural resources.

Another noteworthy highlight is the model of rice cultivation that reduces greenhouse gas emissions in Vinh Chau commune. According to experimental results, rice yield is equivalent to the control plot, but emissions are reduced by up to 39%, opening up prospects for replicating the model in the process of implementing Government Resolution 120 on sustainable development of the Mekong Delta.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Toai further shared: "Developing environmentally friendly livelihoods brings double benefits, helping people increase their income while protecting the precious Ramsar ecosystem. When people have stable lives, they become an 'extended arm' working with us to conserve biodiversity."

Technical staff guide farmers in planting rice and sedge grass in combination to conserve the habitat in the Lang Sen buffer zone. Photo: Le Hoang Vu.

Not only in Lang Sen, the floating rice farming model is spreading to many other localities. Mr. Nguyen Van Tinh, a farmer growing floating rice in Tan Thanh district (Tay Ninh province), shared: “Thanks to natural farming methods and not using chemical pesticides, I save on costs, the land is more fertile, and there are more natural fish and shrimp. Each year I harvest less rice, but it's sustainable, the selling price is one and a half times higher than regular rice, and the soil is healthier.”

Mr. Tinh's story has proven that "nature-friendly" rice production is not just a concept, but a long-term livelihood path that helps people adapt to climate change and live in harmony with nature.

From Lang Sen to the national ecological agriculture strategy

According to Mr. Bui Hoai Nam from the Institute of Agricultural Planning and Design, in the period 2010-2025, the whole country has 275 ecological agriculture models, of which 60% have been implemented in the last 5 years alone - the period when Vietnam affirmed its commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050. However, more than 60% of current projects still rely on ODA funding, while domestic and private sector resources remain quite modest.

Mr. Nam emphasized that ecological agriculture should be understood as restorative agriculture, not only creating products but also reconstructing the landscape, restoring the status of agriculture, and increasing resilience to climate change. This is a path to connect people with nature, a "social and ecological refuge" for future generations.

From a market perspective, Mr. Vinod Ahuja, Head of FAO Representation in Vietnam, emphasized that the global demand for eco-friendly agricultural products currently stands at approximately US$30 billion per year and is steadily increasing. Consumers are also becoming more demanding regarding traceability and the environmental impact of production. This presents a significant opportunity for Vietnam, but requires serious investment throughout the entire value chain, from production and certification to promotion and market access.

Farmers in the Lang Sen buffer zone utilize rice straw from the flood season to cultivate straw mushrooms, increasing their income and stabilizing their lives. Photo: Le Hoang Vu.

The buffer zone of the Lang Sen Wetland Reserve is not only home to hundreds of rare bird and fish species but also serves as a model of sustainable livelihoods linked to nature conservation. The collaboration between the Management Board, local authorities, international organizations, and the people in the buffer zone has created a closed value chain for characteristic products such as floating rice, lotus, flood season fish, and clean straw mushrooms.

In the context of complex climate change, the environmentally friendly farming models of Lang Sen are proving remarkably effective, helping people cope with unpredictable floods, reducing emissions, improving soil, accumulating silt, and maintaining the wetland ecosystem, which is the "green lung" of the upstream region.

“Developing livelihoods during the flood season is the right approach in line with the philosophy of living in harmony with nature. When people live in harmony with nature, Lang Sen will not only preserve its international Ramsar value but also become a symbol of ecological agriculture in the Dong Thap Muoi region,” Mr. Nguyen Cong Toai affirmed.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/sinh-ke-xanh-o-ramsar-lang-sen-d779271.html