10/03/2016
After 3 years of implementation of the Mangroves and Markets Project (MAM), shrimp farmers have become more aware of organic production techniques and the need to preserve mangrove forests in their areas. The goal of the project is to help local shrimp-farming systems become more profitable by combining them with protection of mangrove forests. This enhances profitability and sustainability while also increasing coastal resilience to climate change. The project is carried out in the Nhung Mien and Dat Mui Protected Forests in Ngoc Hien District in Ca Mau Province, with 5,300 households on an area of 24,000 ha. Households have been provided training in managing household waste and forest protection, and have also been shown how to farm without industrial foods or chemicals. The training leads to provide farmers a certification allowing them to charge 5 - 10% more per kg of shrimp.
From 2014 to 2015, the Nhung Mien Protected Forest expanded by 175 ha. The project planted trees on 80 ha, while the remaining were planted by local farmers. In the next phase of the project, expansion of international certification for organic shrimp will be important as it will help Vietnamese exporters in larger markets. Policies on payment for environmental services related to aquaculture must be completed and issued soon, she said, to ensure that shrimp raising is sustainable in a time of climate change. The province accounts for 28% of national aquaculture and 50% of national mangrove forests. The project has the potential to be a model of shrimp feeding and forest protection.
Hồng Điển
