Urgent Need for Comprehensive Soil Management Strategy in Viet Nam

Viet Nam's policymakers, scientists, and businesses have called for a comprehensive soil management strategy to ensure the long-term sustainability of the country's rice industry. The soil health for rice forum, "Foundation for green and sustainable development", has underscored the urgent need to establish a national soil quality database and apply technological solutions to address the degradation of rice-growing soils. Rice cultivation is a backbone of national food security and directly affects the livelihoods of tens of millions of farmers, who account for nearly 62% of the rural population. However, decades of intensive farming have led to declining yields and grain quality due to soil degradation.

Key Takeaways:

• The rice industry in Viet Nam is facing soil degradation, leading to declining yields and grain quality, affecting the livelihoods of tens of millions of farmers.
• Rice cultivation occupies a large share of Viet Nam's agricultural land, providing employment and income for nearly 62% of the rural population.
• The creation of a national soil quality database and application of technological solutions are essential to ensure the long-term sustainability of the rice industry.
• Restoring soil fertility and managing soil quality sustainably is no longer a choice but an urgent necessity.
• Successful models demonstrate that combining organic fertilizers, recycling agricultural by-products, introducing beneficial microbes, and managing irrigation properly can restore organic matter and improve soil structure.
• Experts highlighted the need to apply science and technology in soil management through the creation of soil health indicators, on-site diagnostic tools, integrated data platforms, and technical advisory services for farmers.
• Restructuring the rice sector to reduce monocropping, expand intercropping, and diversified farming models, and promote high-quality rice production is recommended.
• Adopting smart and precision agriculture, developing climate-resilient rice varieties, and accelerating the one-million-hectare high-quality, low-emission rice initiative are proposed.

Statistics:

• Less than 62% of the rural population in Viet Nam rely on the rice industry for employment and income.
• Rice cultivation occupies a large share of Viet Nam's agricultural land, with nearly 62% of rural populations relying on it for livelihood.
• After decades of intensive farming, many rice-growing areas have shown signs of degradation in physical and chemical properties as well as microbial balance, leading to declining yields and grain quality.
• Successful models have shown that combining organic fertilizers, recycling agricultural by-products, introducing beneficial microbes, and managing irrigation properly can restore organic matter and improve soil structure.

Sources:

• "Foundation for green and sustainable development", a soil health for rice forum held in Viet Nam.
• VA(c) NAfng DA(c)ng, President of the Via ++t Nam Soil Science Society.
• TraoSSn Minh Tiao?n, Deputy Director of the Via ++t Nam Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
• Vo Quang Minh of the Via ++t Nam Soil Science Society.