Perspectives from the Fields: Towards Sustainable Rice Production In Vietnam

SRP members cultivating change: Farmer stories from the fields.

In our series “Perspectives from the Fields,” we share stories of SRP rice farmers our members work with. We want to showcase their stories to encourage more actors in the global rice sector to join our mission, motivate more farmers to switch to sustainable rice cultivation, and inspire more consumers to buy sustainable rice.

Empowering Vietnamese Farmers Through Sustainable Rice Practices

This story highlights Pham Van Tro, a farmer from Vietnam who has adopted the SRP Standard through Rikolto’s “Building Sustainable Rice Value Chains for Smallholder Farmers in Dong Thap” project. The project aims to develop a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient rice sector in Vietnam. By doing so, it seeks to ensure a living income for producers and agribusiness entrepreneurs, including women and youth, while also increasing the availability of sustainable food products in the market. The project is being implemented in partnership with the Dong Thap Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Dong Thap DARD).

Name of farmer: Pham Van Tro

Project participated in: Rikolto’s “Building Sustainable Rice Value Chains for Smallholder Farmers In Dong Thap Program”, 2022-2026

Country: Vietnam
Story submitted by: Rikolto

Adopting Climate-Smart Practices: Sustainable Rice Cultivation in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta

*Binh Thanh village has a good irrigation system with many canals crisscrossing the residential area/credit: Rikolto*

Rice is crucial to Vietnam’s socio-economic development, with most of the country’s rice production concentrated in the Mekong Delta. However, rice farming is facing serious challenges due to climate change, and the misuse of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, which are exacerbating environmental degradation. In response, many farmers in Dong Thap Province have adopted the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) Standard for Sustainable Rice Cultivation. This standard incentivizes farmers to adopt proven climate-smart and sustainable farming practices.

Located alongside the Hau River, a branch of the Mekong River, Binh Thanh village is home to more than 1,800 farming households, most of whom cultivate rice on approximately 1,200 hectares.

Since 2018, Rikolto has been supporting the Binh Thanh Agricultural Service Cooperative (Binh Thanh Cooperative) and 14 other cooperatives in Dong Thap Province to develop a sustainable rice value chain, funded by the Belgian Directorate General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid (DGD).

Meet Pham Van Tro from Dong Thap Province

*SRP rice farmer Pham Van Tro/credit: Rikolto*

Pham Van Tro, a 77-year-old farmer from Binh Thanh Village, Lap Vo District, Dong Thap Province, has adopted the SRP Standard on his 4 hectares of rice field to increase the value of his crop.

Since its adoption, Pham Van Tro only uses about 60 kilograms of rice seed per hectare, down from previously 200 kilograms. He has also reduced pesticide spraying from six to four times per cycle.

“Thanks to these changes, I can save about VND2.9 million (approximately EUR 105) per hectare in the production cost,” said Tro. “It helps me increase my profits by saving input costs, reducing negative impacts to the land and soil, and also protecting my health”.

District Technicians and Farmers Collaborate on SRP Compliance

District technicians often work with Tro and other farmers in the village to ensure they meet the SRP Standard. Tro keeps regular field records to check production costs and profits and to control his farming process. After harvesting, he does not burn the straw but uses it as a by-product. He also disposes of pesticide bottles at Rikolto’s supported waste collection points, which are easily found in the common areas of the rice fields.

*Tro (right, in blue) and his neighbor working in his rice field*/credit: Rikolto

Securing Stable Markets: Promoting Sustainable Rice Practices Through Cooperative Partnerships

The Binh Thanh Cooperative has also signed contracts with traders and companies to ensure regular purchases of SRP-compliant rice from farmers at stable and reasonable prices.

“We are trying to keep the purchase of rice from farmers stable. In this way, we hope to raise awareness among farmers about the importance of a sustainable rice value chain. By understanding the benefits of applying the SRP Standard, farmers will actively contribute to the development of social behavior related to environmental protection and community health”, said Cao Tho Truong, Vice Director of Binh Thanh Cooperative.

*Mr. Cao Tho Truong showing the SRP-compliant rice product of Binh Thanh Cooperative*/credit: Rikolto

Paving the Way for Verification: Advancing SRP Standards in Binh Thanh Cooperative

Since 2023, 180 farmer members of Binh Thanh Cooperative have adopted the SRP Standard on a total area of 188 hectares. All have achieved a score of 80+ in the SRP Standard, with increased sustainability indices in areas such as climate change and resource management. By 2024, Rikolto is supporting Binh Thanh Cooperative to achieve the SRP Standard third-party verification on 50 selected hectares, with the guidance from the Asian Organic Agricultural Research and Development Institute (AOI Institute). The Cooperative has received SRP training, set up an internal quality management system (IMS) team to strictly follow SRP requirements, improved the SRP processing mill, and promoted SRP product linkages.

Being one of the selected members striving for SRP verification, Tro affirmed: “I am happy to apply the SRP Standard in rice cultivation. I have changed my way of thinking about sustainable rice production and shared its benefits with my family members and neighbor’s. I hope to do more to raise public awareness about environmental protection while sustainably improving rice quality. That’s the most meaningful part of my work as a farmer”.

If you are an SRP member and would like to submit a farmer experience for our “Perspectives from the Fields” series, please contact Roong Tepkaew at roong.tepkaew@sustainablerice.org. We share these stories on our website, in our newsletter and on our social media channels.