Son La promotes circular agricultural production

With more than 320 thousand hectares of various crops, each year in Son La province, about 1.5 million tons of by-products are generated in cultivation activities. In order to develop sustainable agriculture and effectively utilize waste and by-products, the province has implemented many positive solutions to transform the agricultural economic model towards a circular direction, turning waste and by-products into renewable, environmentally friendly resources.

According to the report of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Son La province, most organic fertilizers are currently processed by agricultural households using traditional methods. However, in reality, farmers still have the habit of mainly using inorganic fertilizers or using organic fertilizers that are not balanced with the growth stages of crops. Therefore, the amount of agricultural waste and by-products has not been fully utilized, and in many places, they are wasted or discharged into the environment.

Meanwhile, most of Son La's agricultural production area was previously located on steep hills and fragmented terrain, making it difficult to collect and transport waste, by-products and plant residues for processing into value-added products. These products are scattered and lack systematic collection. Treatment methods such as reusing straw, corn stalks, cassava, etc. into organic fertilizers, animal feed or construction materials are still limited. There are not many businesses that purchase waste and by-products, mainly reusing them within the farm or by small traders. Not only that, farmers in the highlands face many difficulties in accessing financial support. In particular, processing waste and by-products into useful products such as organic fertilizers and animal feed requires a stable consumer market, while demand in many areas is not high.

Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Son La province Cam Thi Phong said: The province is implementing many solutions to effectively use waste and by-products in agriculture. Along with support programs and projects, the province continues to encourage research and development of high-quality organic fertilizers containing beneficial microorganisms, easy to use, taking advantage of waste and by-products from local agricultural production. Relevant units promote the transfer of advanced, environmentally friendly organic fertilizer production technology, suitable for household scale, contributing to reducing input costs, protecting the environment, improving the quality and value of Son La agricultural products.

Thanks to support programs for businesses, cooperatives and farmers, Son La province now has five businesses, four cooperatives and nearly 1,600 households participating in the production and processing of organic agricultural products, mainly crop products. The area certified organic according to Vietnamese standards is 155.2 hectares; the area in the process of organic conversion is 815.2 hectares...

Son La province aims to use at least 30% of the total amount of industrial organic fertilizer in agricultural production by 2030; the amount of organic fertilizer self-produced at household scale will reach at least 500 thousand tons/year; more than 80% of districts, towns and cities will build models of using organic fertilizers associated with the value chain of key products and local specialties. According to statistics, from 2020 to present, Son La has supported 89 enterprises and cooperatives to implement 24 organic agricultural production models with a total cost of more than 15 billion VND.

Along with propaganda work, Son La province guides people to effectively utilize waste and by-products in production. Some effective processing methods have been deployed such as: Processing straw, corn cobs, corn stalks to make edible mushrooms; using fresh corn to make animal feed; producing fuel and biochar from corn cobs, bamboo sawdust, rice husks, sawdust and other waste and by-products; processing cassava pulp, cassava peels into animal feed or fertilizer; producing microbial fertilizer from bagasse, molasses, sugar factory ash; composting fresh coffee husks into fertilizer or raising earthworms. Notably, thanks to increased propaganda and guidance, people's awareness of the benefits of using agricultural waste and by-products has changed significantly. Many households limit burning or abandoning waste and by-products right in the fields, contributing to reducing waste of resources and environmental pollution.

Son La province continues to encourage the development of production and use of organic fertilizers on a household scale based on the utilization of by-products from cultivation, livestock, agricultural processing, and household waste. The province is focusing on implementing the Project on developing production and use of organic fertilizers from agricultural waste and by-products, striving to become a province with a high rate of organic fertilizer use in the northern mountainous provinces. In addition, the province aims to have at least 50% of the area of crops using organic fertilizers; ensuring that 100% of raw materials from cultivation, livestock, aquaculture, and household waste are used as organic fertilizers.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/son-la-day-manh-san-xuat-nong-nghiep-tuan-hoan-post876935.html