'I didn't recede to tame the lands' The district of Hong Dan is a back district in the province of Minh Hai. It is a remote area, in which sulphate soils prevail. These last years, changes have been made to remove the old fashioned image of an area with 'mosquitoes flying in flocks, and leeches swimming in schools'. The district has become busier, sulphate soils have been improved, farm crops cultivation and animal husbandry are developing. Tran Muoi, 42 years old tells his story 'My family has 2.5 ha of fields meant for Than Nong rice cultivation and 1.2 ha of 'unmanaged' garden. We were living under moderately tight conditions. First I went to Pong Dien to learn how to practise gardening in a better way, how people grow sapote, citrus, durian and other crops successfully and get better off through gardening. Coming back home, I started without any delay growing 21 sapote and 40 citrus trees. The next year I succeeded in planting some 50 citrus more and multiplying planting materials. However, success didn't come at once: many plants died off because of soil acidity and fungi attacks. But I didn't recede, still going ahead with mounds and beds raising, using manure and ashes to 'tame' the lands. When planting trees, I didn't apply fertilisers directly, but used instead fermented rice husk, composts, ashes and farm manure. Seedlings were planted carefully with their root systems undamaged. They were supported by stakes following the direction of prevailing wind. I didn't pick in the first harvests of crops, but used them for soil fertilisation. Watering, pest control, soil cultivation and dressing have never been neglected.' 'I also went out, in particular to the Agricultural College of Can Tho to talk with the teachers there and many other experienced VAC gardeners about the best techniques of these operations and the best dosages to be applied each time. Doing this, I have got the confidence of all my customers. They have come to my place to buy more and more vegetables and planting materials.' 'In Hong Dan, people have got a saying: 'Mind your canals while farming the lands'. I have followed strictly that piece of wise advice, cleaning all small canals at the onset of the rainy season. From canals of bigger size, I have dredged out bottom mud for bed raising every 2-3 years. In the rainy season, I drained water from my garden to wash out sulphate salts, took in fresh water from canals and rivers. As a result, the sites have been improving. That success has made me develop 3 cong (1 cong = 1296m2) more for fruit crop cultivation. By now, in our garden, we grow 300 sapote and 250 jujube plants, over 220 citrus of all kinds, 60 sweet carambola trees and lots of vegetables. From animal husbandry and fish culture in the canals we have Mdongs 4-5 a year. Total income from fruit products and many other things has reached Mdongs 55-60 a year.' 'Products marketing has raised problems as buyers could not come very often to my farm. Facing that we have planted a wide range of crops which could be easily sold at reasonable prices at local markets. We made plans how to sell all kinds of fruit and vegetables at the district market every day directly to consumers for them to get fresh food. One of my cousins has been in charge of that business.' 'I have a special interest in sapote cultivation, and now I'm trying to develop something to improve its fruit production and quality and induce fruit setting of that tree species all the year round. I hope I'll be successful. Recently, I have been elected executive of the District VACVINA Branch, in charge of technical assistance to all members in the district.' From: Vac Ecosystem and models of productive VAC in Vietnam. VACVINA, Hanoi, 1994, 116 pp. A booklet reporting on the economics of VAC systems and factors of importance for VAC development. The booklet includes 35 interviews with farmers. ILEIA Newsletter Vol. 11 No. 1 p. 5 << country/story review