Officer
Graduate School, Hanoi University of Agriculture
Vietnam
Tran Thi Thu Phuong
1 chemical pesticide and fertilizer based on standards stipulated in Hokkaido; and ECO Mirai - Cut chemical pesticide and fertilizer amounts by approximately 40% from standards stipulated in Hokkaido and work to improve soil fertility by infus-ing compost and manure. Even modest reductions in chemical pesticide and fertilizer use – achieved voluntarily by farmer- would have many benefits for the environment, farmers, and human health. However, Clean Agriculture model is only practice primarily on potatoes (422 ha) and onions (304.8 ha).
The second lesson learn was that I found there have a large number of organization and businesses are directly involved in agriculture, including five agricultural cooperatives, agriculture-related unions, manufacturers of agricultural machinery and materials, milk carriers. They also have local government support and Central government support such as training and loan funds. Besides that, they have technology and management guidance and support for new entrants. They develop technology for low-cost production of safe and high-quality agricultural produces, for instance, rice, onions, potatoes, sug-ar beets, wheat, and bean.
Another impressive agriculture model is “my pace dairy farming”. My pace dairy farming becomes an ideal agriculture in Hokkaido which ensures balancing three components environment, economic, and society. In the environment aspects, farmers practice my pace dairy farming by their own ideas and experiences without being heavily controlled by agriculture policies. Farmer who practice “my pace dairying” are very conscious of environmental issues, such as polluted water, soil in their local area. Farming that is done in line with the local natural environment and climate. They interest in the healthy soil which provides good grass for healthy cows. They have principle as “one cow per one hectare of grass”. They believe that sustainable dairying does not place an excessive burden on cows, the environment, dairy farmers, and their family members.
Mr Moriyuki Mitomo, a farmer who practices a sustainable dairy farm in Nakashibetsu, said that he produces good compost, good soil, and good grass. He understands the essence of farming, devise, and practice his own dairy farming techniques which have as little negative impact on the environment as possible. He interested in increasing quality of milk and healthy cows more than quantity milk and income. If they have high quality of milk, they will have high quality of cheese. His cows are sent to graze all day and night in the summertime and during daylight hours in the wintertime be-cause they will provide high quality of milk when they eat green grass on the field.
Furthermore, in Mr. Ryoma Imai dairy farm, they have their own method to practice “my pace dairy farming” that im-proves their quality of milk and the health of cows. For instance, they divide pasture for cattle feed into many different sec-tions and each secsec-tions is further broken down into meals a day, such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They believe that this method will ensure enough time for grass growth and they always have good grass for their cows everyday. Therefore, the quality of milk is stable.
Economically, production focus on higher scale and large area bring high economic efficiency for farmers. In 2009, av-erage figures of nine “my own way” dairy farmers, the total area of grass field was 55 hectare with 42.6 cows that have had calvings. They provided 285 tons of shipped milk and the total agricultural revenue was 30.58 million yen. Average agricul-tural income was 12.69 million yen with agriculagricul-tural income ratio was 41.5 per cent compared with 24 per cent agriculagricul-tural income ratio of ordinary farmers.
In the societal aspect, they have monthly exchange meetings where they are able to confirm the significance of learning at “My Own Way” Dairy farming exchange meetings and making friends. They not only teach new partners, young people how to practice sustainable dairy farming in Hokkaido and what should they have to do to achieve the happiness of the farmers and self-sufficiency in food, but they also share their experiences practice dairy farm together to protect their envi-ronment, healthy cows, and high-quality milk. Furthermore, women become an important partner in dairy farm. They not only do housework and take care for their children, but they also join to work on dairy farm. They are interested in making cheese and teach how to make cheese for every woman in their villages such as Ms Yumiko Mitomo, who is a professional cheese maker in Konsen region. They believe that practice of cheese making is an ideal agriculture in which people lead a good life and have more relaxing.
In Vietnam, we have adapted sustainable agricultural models which is targeting to achieve the harmony of the environ-ment, economic, and society, for example, clean agriculture and safe agriculture which apply GlobalGAP and VietGAP to meet market demand in domestic and international, to ensure the safety of agricultural products and foodstuffs, lower costs and improve quality of agricultural products, to use efficient and sustainable of resources agriculture, higher income and rural development, and to protect environment and landscape. However, we continue to do research and experiment with different models to achieve sustainable agriculture, while we continue to develop and apply the latest technologies and
techniques in agriculture. For future action plan, I will participate in training programs and coordinate with lecturers, agri-cultural experts in my country and international experts to exchange knowledge and experience and to hold training pro-grams for farmers to achieve an ideal state of agriculture in my own country.