Increase income through crop rotation

BPO - In the context of climate change and the need to restructure the agricultural sector towards sustainable development, taking advantage of the time between two rice crops to grow short-term crops such as green beans, black beans and corn is a positive direction of farmers in Dang Ha commune, Bu Dang district. Thereby, not only contributing to improving the efficiency of land use but also opening up many practical economic values.

Báo Bình Phước•27/05/2025

Economic efficiency from black bean plant

Green-heart black beans are drought-resistant, pest-resistant, low-maintenance, low-investment and care-taking crops with short growing times and high economic efficiency, very suitable for rice fields in the dry season. The model of growing green-heart black beans in the direction of ensuring food safety in Dang Ha commune is opening up a new direction for farmers here.

Thanks to the correct crop conversion, Ms. Trinh Thi Bay's family in village 3, Dang Ha commune has grown green-heart black beans on an area of 2,500m2 of garden land. According to Ms. Bay, green-heart black beans are a crop that is highly drought-resistant, adapts well to and grows well in barren land, is less susceptible to pests and diseases, has a short planting time but brings high economic efficiency. With the current market price of green-heart black beans at around 35-60 thousand VND/kg, it is estimated that 1 hectare of green-heart black beans will bring an income of around 65 million VND/crop, twice as much as rice and more than 3 times as much as sweet potato. "Black beans are suitable for all types of soil, just need to clean the grass, no need for fertilizers or pesticides, just use nutrients. Pick in the morning to dry, in the afternoon break the shell to get the seeds, not hard work but also quite a good income" - Ms. Bay shared.

Ms. Trinh Thi Bay's family did not have enough green-heart black beans to sell after harvesting.

The advantages of this bean variety are disease resistance, high yield, short growing period (about 40 days for harvest), concentrated flowering, less susceptible to disease. In addition, the ability to ripen concentratedly, within 20 days to complete the harvest, the actual yield of the first harvest reaches over 65% of the total yield. After harvesting, the plants can be collected and composted as fertilizer for the next crop.

From the land that was previously used for rice cultivation, farmers have now exploited and invested in converting to growing green-heart black beans. This crop conversion not only brings high economic efficiency but also contributes to saving irrigation water by 75-80% compared to rice cultivation, preventing agricultural land from being abandoned due to skipping crops, increasing soil fertility, limiting pests, and using less pesticides. Thereby, opening up a new direction for the locality, helping to increase economic efficiency, creating a stable source of products for the market.

High income from corn growing

During the dry season, many fields in Dang Ha commune cannot grow rice. Therefore, after harvesting rice around the end of the 10th lunar month, farmers clear away straw and plant high-yield corn. This year, corn has a good harvest and good prices, and people are very excited.

Four months ago, Mr. Ngoc Van Duong's family in village 3, Dang Ha commune planted 3 sao of high-yield corn DK 6919 on rice land. The rice had just been harvested, the straw was burned into ash for fertilizer, the soil was still moist and soft, so Mr. Duong just used a hoe to dig a hole and sowed the corn seeds. According to Mr. Duong, 1 sao of corn yields 1.1 tons of dry corn, the selling price is 7,500 VND/kg as it is now, this crop he earned nearly 25 million VND, higher than growing rice. "Because the field is high up, water does not flow to grow rice, I switched to growing corn, the yield is higher than growing rice and it is easy to take care of. High-yield corn requires less fertilizer and sells for a good price" - Mr. Duong said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Trieu Van Huu's family planted 1.4 sao of corn and harvested 1.8 tons of corn kernels. This corn crop was a good one for his family, with even corn kernels, many kernels, and high yields. Quite satisfied with the income from corn, Mr. Huu said that growing corn does not require much care and is less affected by the weather than rice. The important thing is to choose the right variety and diligently monitor the growth of the plant. If you want to sell when the corn is still young, the company will go into the garden to harvest both the plant and the fruit. However, selling like that would not be a high price, so he decided to let the corn mature and sell the kernels, which is twice as profitable as growing rice. Mr. Huu said that he grows corn variety 6919, which has small kernels, small shells, and small cobs, but has a higher yield.

Mr. Trieu Van Huu and his wife harvest hybrid corn.

Dang Ha is a purely agricultural commune, the agricultural area in the area is mainly rice. However, in recent years, the income from rice is not high. Especially in the dry season, many fields lack water, so people switch from 3 rice crops to 1 rice crop and 2 corn crops. Corn is suitable for the soil and climate conditions in Dang Ha commune and requires little care but gives high yield, stable selling price, so many corn-growing households are very happy and excited about this crop.

In addition to growing black beans and corn, many farmers also grow green beans to increase income and improve the soil. This is not only a short-term solution but also a safe stepping stone to help farmers be more proactive in production, especially when unusual weather conditions disrupt the main rice planting plan.

Planting short-term crops such as black beans, green beans and corn to cover the rice fields after the rice crop is an effective solution, bringing dual economic and environmental benefits. Replicating this model not only contributes to the goal of green growth but is also a concrete step to realize the policy of converting crop structure to adapt to climate change. It is also the solution to the problem of effective agricultural development while ensuring the preservation of land, water and ecosystem resources.

Corn grown on rice fields requires little fertilizer and has high yields.