IRRI and Can Tho City launch circular economy model for rice straw

Organic and green agriculture are growing trends, and the Mekong Delta has significant potential to utilize a circular economic approach in agriculture. This model explicitly aims to transform agricultural byproducts, like rice straw, into products like organic fertilizer, animal feed, or even mushrooms.

Can Tho City, Vietnam (June 8, 2024) – Can Tho City Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), held a launching ceremony for the circular agricultural economic model from straw and visited the pilot model field of the “Sustainable Development of One Million Hectares of High Quality and Low-Emission Rice Associated with Green Growth in the Mekong River Delta By 2030”.

IRRI officials, including Director General Dr. Yvonne Pinto and Chair of the Board of Trustees Dr. Cao Duc Phat, local officials, and hundreds of local farmers attended the event.

In her opening remarks, Dr. Yvonne Pinto emphasized that Vietnam is the third largest rice-exporting country in the world but is vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Therefore, IRRI is committed to collaborating and sharing technology solutions to help farmers reduce costs, increase production profits, and aim for low-emission agriculture and green growth.

After the New Green Farm, IRRI successfully replicated the rice straw-based circular economy model at the Tien Thuan Agricultural and Service Cooperative in Thanh An commune. Accordingly, IRRI signed and handed over a self-propelled organic fertilizer mixer to the cooperative to help farmers process rice straw into organic fertilizer. IRRI also provided training on production techniques for cooperative members to develop a business model of organic fertilizer from straw.

Mr. Nguyen Cao Khai, Director of Tien Thuan Cooperative, excitedly shared that…