After each harvest, the amount of sweet potato string in the field in Vinh Long is very large, about 100,000 tons. Photo: Minh Dam. Vinh Long Agricultural Extension Center has successfully tested the method of producing straw mushrooms from sweet potato vine. This is one of the new ways to diversify the source of materials for growing straw mushrooms, potentially replacing rice straw. According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vinh Long province, Binh Tan district has an annual sweet potato production area of ​​14,000 hectares. After harvesting the tubers, the amount of sweet potato wire in the field is very large, about over 100,000 tons/crop. This amount of by-products is not properly treated, which can easily pollute the environment. The beaten sweet potato string is rich in nutrients and has been studied for silage as animal feed. However, the amount used for this purpose is not much, so the remaining source of by-products is still large and has the potential to be used to grow straw mushrooms if treated appropriately. Ms. Truong Thi My Loc, Head of the Research Project on growing straw mushrooms from sweet potato vine (Vinh Long Agricultural Extension Center) said: The project committee conducted a study on the production of straw mushrooms (Volvariella volvacea) from ropes. sweet potato in Binh Tan district. The objective of the study is to study and initially test the basic method of processing sweet potato vine into a suitable substrate for the production of straw mushrooms. Since then, the study has found the most suitable substrate mixing ratio to initially propose the process of producing straw mushrooms from sweet potato vine for the best yield and quality, improving product value, contributing to achieve the goal of restructuring the agricultural sector. Research shows that during the dry season, especially the spring-summer crop, with continuous hot and sunny conditions, sweet potato strings are treated and dried for 10-15 days to reach a moisture balance of 13-15%, suitable for substrate for mushroom cultivation. Using sweet potato wire to grow straw mushrooms brings many practical effects. Photo: Huu Duc. The use of sweet potato wire to grow straw mushrooms is more effective than growing from straw when people can take advantage of the area in their potato fields to process (dry the wire), incubate the wire and grow the fungus, bringing effective results. high economic. This is suitable for households who cultivate rotation according to the structure of rice – sweet potato or sweet potato – other vegetables, both creating favorable conditions to take advantage of the source of sweet potato cords and rotating crops to cut off the source of pests and diseases in the crop. land. In addition, using sweet potato by-products to produce straw mushrooms brings many benefits such as significantly reducing soil and water pollution and protecting human health. In particular, this method also takes advantage of organic fertilizers, contributing to increasing income for farmers. At the same time, the research topic also contributes to diversifying the source of raw materials for mushroom cultivation, opening up new directions and new ways for farmers to take advantage of the abundant and stable source of sweet potato by-products to grow. develop the cultivation of straw mushrooms. According to Ms. Truong Thi My Loc, currently, the research team is continuing to perfect the research process to transfer techniques to organizations and individuals in need.

Straw was piled up and burned by people, causing smoldering smoke to spread everywhere, spreading to the highway. Photo: Le Phu/ Newspaper As part of the series of events “Air pollution and our responsibilities”, the Science and Development Newspaper of Spark Magazine in collaboration with the Center for Living and Learning for the environment, the community (Live and Learn), the Internet. The Vietnam Clean Air Network (VCAP) organized an online seminar on the topic “Straw burning: Don’t waste gold and lessons from the community”. This is an opportunity for experts and businesses to share about applying local solutions to reuse straw, the challenges faced when completely ending burning straw in the field. Master Nguyen Thi Yen, Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Center for Organic Agriculture (Vietnam Agricultural Academy) said: In the winter-spring crop of 2021, there are at least 6 suburban districts of Hanoi (Soc Son, Dan Phuong) , Thanh Oai, Chuong My, Dong Anh, Ba Vi) with more than 1,000 hectares of fields applying straw treatment solutions to replace burning. Activities such as training the core group of farmers; deploying communication through online and group channels; technical guidance, practice handling solutions; Budget support for localities, cooperatives, farmers to access probiotics or collect straw has been implemented… Since then, many models and initiatives have been encouraged to be implemented such as: Association Women in Soc Son district process rice straw into organic fertilizer, Dan Phuong District Farmers’ Union distributes bio-products, Ba Vi district farmers collect straw and mill straw to make fodder for cattle… Ms. Truong Thi Thanh Nhan, Vice Chairwoman of the Women’s Union of Soc Son district, said that the collection of recycled straw into microbial fertilizer was implemented in Duc Hoa and Xuan Thu communes. In addition to propaganda to raise awareness for farmers, the District Women’s Union also helps households collect rice straw and compost 60 mounds (2 quintals of straw/mound), process it into micro-fertilizer, contributing to reducing reduce the burning of straw. Mr. Nguyen Tuong Hung, Director of Pho Hien Machine Co., Ltd. shared that the company is currently processing rice straw by using a straw roll machine in combination with a local plow to collect straw; technical support and consumption of the output straw. The advantage of the straw rolling machine is that it has a reasonable price, only about 5-10 million / machine. Harvest time is from 1-2 days after reaping and before plowing, yield from 1.5-3 ha/shift/hour. The straw roll has a diameter of 50cm, a width of 70cm, weighs from 12-14 kg, easy to carry, transport… At the seminar, the speakers and businesses answered some questions from readers related to the reuse of straw. The experts discussed and proposed some solutions using different technologies to continue using rice straw, increasing the value of straw in agriculture; can be applied from large scale for enterprises, cooperatives to small farmers. According to statistics from the Hanoi Department of Natural Resources and Environment, it is estimated that each year, the city generates over 1 million tons of rice straw and agricultural by-products. In which, the amount of straw burned in the field is about 352,000 tons (accounting for 33.7%). The burning of rice straw produces CO gas – a very toxic gas that can be deadly, and at the same time causes smoke and dust affecting road and air traffic safety in the area. In addition, according to experts, the nutrient content in straw ash is very low, so it has no effect on soil improvement.

Burning rice straw often does not burn into flames, so there are many harmful gases in the smoke such as CO, CO2, SO2, NO2. Exhaust all toxic gas In 2020, the Hanoi People’s Committee issued Directive No. 15/CT-UBND on strengthening state management measures for the illegal burning of straw, crop by-products and other wastes in order to minimize the negative impact on the city environment. Prof. Dr. Hoang Xuan Co, Hanoi National University, said that now there are many researches and solutions to treat rice straw and limit post-harvest burning. However, the solutions need to be thoroughly researched, scientific and feasible. To solve the problem that needs to be studied to the end, we have had many studies such as converting tablets to burn, making mushrooms, and making manure. But the most basic is how to organize, where is the funding? Accordingly, from January 1, 2021, 100% of rice straw and crop by-products generated will be collected, reused or treated to meet environmental technical requirements; No more burning of straw, crop by-products and domestic solid waste in contravention of regulations in the city. However, at the beginning of June is the spring rice harvest of 2021, in many fields of the city, farmers continue to repeat the situation of burning straw. Typically in Soc Son district, people in communes: Phu Lo, Mai Dinh, Phu Cuong, Thanh Xuan, Tien Duoc… burn rice straw near Noi Bai International Airport, affecting the visibility of aircraft when taking off. , landing. Every year, the Northern Airport Authority must send an official dispatch to Soc Son district to take measures to prevent this situation. The Hanoi Department of Natural Resources and Environment said that the rate of burning straw in the spring crop is about 20%, higher than that of the crop. However, the actual number in districts is much larger such as: Thuong Tin, Thanh Oai accounted for 50%, Thach That 45%, Chuong My 37%, Thanh Tri 33%, Me Linh 30%, Soc Son 25. %… This situation not only causes traffic insecurity but also creates dust, smoke, greenhouse gas emissions, heat causing serious environmental pollution… Environmental experts analyze, burning rice straw often does not burn. As a result, the smoke contains many small dust particles and produces many harmful gases such as CO, CO2, SO2, NO2, affecting people’s health and increasing air pollution in the burning area as well as in the burning area. surrounding areas. Let straw not be a burden to the environment Prof. Dr. Pham Van Toan, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Institute of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS), shared that in the past, rice straw was considered a multi-purpose by-product for Vietnamese farmers (using for cooking, roofing, animal feed, etc.). But when the farming industry thrives, rice production is increasing, the annual source of rice straw generated in Vietnam is very large (estimated at about 50 million tons/year), then the straw is redundant and becomes waste to be treated. According to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Vietnam currently burns more than 20 million tons of rice straw each year. Many localities have promoted the application of mechanization (straw roll machine) in the collection and transportation of straw. It is recommended that the application of biological products to treat rice straw after harvest into organic fertilizer for agriculture, contributing to minimizing environmental pollution. Facing the uncontrolled burning of straw in suburban districts, in the two years 2017 – 2018, Hanoi Department of Natural Resources and Environment introduced to 19 districts in the city a model of using bio-products. Learn to process rice straw into organic fertilizer, and at the same time support 50% of the cost of probiotics for farmers. Dan Phuong district (Hanoi) has an area of ​​​​about 2,500 hectares of rice cultivation. Every year, it has to process 37.5 thousand tons of rice straw and agricultural by-products. After 3 years of implementing the model “Field without burning straw”, using biological products to compost straw into organic fertilizer in 9 communes for growing crops, until now, the situation of burning straw The field is almost nonexistent. According to Mr. Thieu Van Son – Chairman of Dan Phuong District Farmers’ Association, this solution brings “dual” benefits of both improving crop productivity and protecting people’s health. But unfortunately, after a short pilot period and narrow scope, the project ended, the localities were not interested in communicating about the long-term benefits to farmers, so the straw returned to the reluctant treatment. is dried, burned. Strictly handle the act of burning straw in violation of regulations The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has just sent a written request to the People’s Committees of the provinces and cities to direct the Departments of Natural Resources and Environment, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Department of Information and Communications, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism; People’s Committees of districts, towns and cities organize propaganda and mobilization to prevent people from spontaneously burning waste, burning rice straw and agricultural by-products after harvesting crops; assigned Farmers and Women’s Unions, Youth Union to organize for members, union members and farmer households to sign a commitment not to burn rice straw in the field. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment also suggested that provinces and cities need to develop projects and tasks to guide farmers to implement measures to maximize collection, treatment and thorough processing of by-products, post-harvested rice straw into useful products. At the same time, direct the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the Environmental Police, and local authorities at district, ward, and commune levels to strengthen inspection and strictly handle the improper burning of waste and agricultural by-products after harvest; direct Traffic Inspectors and Traffic Police to inspect and strictly handle vehicles carrying soil, stones, construction materials, and daily-life solid waste that are not covered, causing environmental pollution.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Chien (fish owner) is feeding fish. The fish is nearly 30 years old but only vegetarian with white rice and green vegetables. Mr. Chien said the fish has been raised since his grandfather’s time, after his death he has taken over the fish farming for 18 years now. Fish only eat white rice sometimes with vegetables Initially, he also dropped the food into the pond, but strangely, the fish did not eat it, so he had to find another way. For nearly 20 years, he feeds fish twice a day, morning and afternoon. Fish only eat white rice from time to time with green vegetables. The special thing lies in the feeding habits of the fish. Before the meal, Chien tapped the bowl to order fish. Then he put a spoonful of white rice with his hands, gently, so that the fish raised its mouth out of the water to grab it. Farmers have to feed each spoonful of rice to the fish Chien said that the school of fish has been around for a long time, with about 100 fish, there are 70 statues. The heaviest one is about 5kg. The fish is very brave, as close to him as a pet in the house. There are about 100 fish in the school It is known that in Vietnam, some types of giant fish are popular such as: African giant fish (leopard skin), white giant fish, red giant fish, and yellow giant fish. Giant fish belongs to the group of omnivorous fish with a preference for plants. Fish that eat from small and medium-sized zooplankton to worms, worms, insects, duckweed… The more fish are raised, the more they switch to eating plants, accounting for 87.5%. When mature, the giant giant fish can eat most vegetables, aquatic plants and other by-products.

Que Lam Group was honored at the National Quality Awards and Asia-Pacific International Quality Awards 2019, 2020. Photo: I Lich. The Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality has just held the National Quality Award Ceremony and the Asia-Pacific International Quality Award in 2019 and 2020. Previously, authorized by the Prime Minister, Standing Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh signed the National Quality Gold Award in 2020 to 19 enterprises and awarded the National Quality Award in 2020 to 36 enterprises. The National Quality Award aims to honor enterprises with outstanding achievements in improving the quality of products, services, competitiveness and operational efficiency, integration with the regional and world economy. . In the years 2019 and 2020, there were 116 enterprises signed by the Prime Minister the Decision to award the National Quality Award, of which 40 enterprises were awarded the National Quality Gold Award. At the Awards Ceremony of the National Quality Awards and the Asia-Pacific International Quality Awards 2019 and 2020, the Que Lam Group is the pioneer enterprise in organic farming that was honored. The year 2019 and 2020 mark the great achievements of the Que Lam Group, making an important contribution to the development of the agricultural industry. The use of probiotics in Que Lam Group’s livestock models overcame African swine fever in 2019 and has been directed by the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to replicate the model suitable for farming. households to many provinces across the country. Mr. Khac Ngoc Ba, Deputy General Director of Que Lam Group received the National Quality Award and Asia-Pacific International Quality Award 2019, 2020. Photo: I Lich. Que Lam Group has carried out 5 research projects to serve biosafety breeding, including: Researching and proposing the process of producing raw materials for feed in pig farming in the direction of organic and biosafety. learning with the goal of building organic production processes for some crops as raw materials for organic pig feed production, biosecurity for farmers and providing enough inputs. for an organic feed factory about 50,000 tons / year. Along with that is the topic “Research on effective use of Lacto powder T in organic feed and drinking water for pig farming in the direction of organic and biosecurity” with the aim of determining the optimal utilization rate. Lacto powder T in feed and drinking water for pig farming. Research, transfer and master the technology to develop Japan’s leading advanced technology factory with a production capacity of 10,000 tons / year. Collecting organic by-products, serving microbiological organic fertilizer factory with capacity of 100,000 tons / year All are aimed at forming a circular economic chain in agriculture. After nearly thirty years of hard work with organic agriculture, with the fire from the head, Chairman of Que Lam Group Nguyen Hong Lam, up to now, Que Lam has built a circulating agricultural ecosystem. Farming and Ranching. That ecosystem includes 14 member units operating throughout the country, to both Cambodia and Laos, 8 microbiological organic fertilizer factories, and thousands of models linked with farmers in provinces. and especially the 4F complex in Thua Thien – Hue province, the first 4F complex in Vietnam. It is important that with the persistence and steadfastness on the journey of organic farming, the Que Lam Group has contributed to changing the perception and thinking of farmers, scientists, and managers in this field. . If in 2018 there were only 32 provinces accompanying Que Lam on an area of ​​nearly 60,000 hectares of crops, by 2020, 51 provinces and cities will join in on an area of ​​more than 100,000 hectares. These are very encouraging results, showing that awareness of an organic agriculture has changed the landscape of agricultural production in Vietnam.

Waste characteristic of practical agricultural product processing establishments is organic matter which smells, causes strong infection, causes enough harm to human health. Most of the food products that people use, after being used, are not properly collected and handled, creating many risks of environmental pollution. Even on many streets in Hanoi, it is not difficult to see vendors in food and beverage shops pouring leftovers into closed containers, and waste water casually pouring down the drain.
If in the suburbs, food waste is used by the people as agricultural by-products or animal feed, in the inner city, all households collect it with domestic waste. Waste collection on Trang Thi street, Hanoi. Photo: Victory Ms. Nguyen Thanh Nhan (Linh Nam ward, Hoang Mai district) shared: “There are not many people in my house gathering leftovers to feed the animals, so there is no other way to wait for workers to clean the environment. school to collect ”. Therefore, in many areas, all kinds of waste are not classified but collected together. Rice, meat, eggshell … in garbage bags, splashing, wet, smells unpleasant. According to a cleaning worker in Hai Ba Trung district, organic waste such as excess food is believed to be the main cause of bad odors, bad smells in landfills, harmful to health.
According to Prof. Dr. Dang Kim Chi – Chairman of the Science and Technology Council, Vietnam Association for the Protection of Nature and Environment, food waste is a global problem, one of the causes of pollution. current living environment. Methane from food waste generates 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gas per year and accounts for about 7% of total emissions. In general, the improper disposal of waste also pollutes the soil and water resources. “If there is no good control as well as there is no suitable and scientific treatment method right from the production process and after use, the consequences from food waste are not small” – GS. Dr. Dang Kim Chi said.
Utilize as a resource resources
Facing pollution but difficult to manage food waste, Prof. Dr. Dang Kim Chi said that firstly, it is necessary to have radical, scientific and practical measures. First of all, it is necessary to control right from the production source, prevent harmful substances in the product from the source of waste generation. When this solution is well controlled, food waste will be reused, recycled into animal feed, microbiological fertilizer … Along with that, the second measure must strictly control food waste sources. The third method, which requires scientific contributions, when food waste has been contaminated and needs disposal, it is necessary to find a solution to separate or neutralize the toxin that follows the food waste before reintroducing it. into animal feed, organic fertilizer …
In addition to controlling right from the production source, according to the Deputy Director of the Institute of Natural Resources, Environment and Community Development Tran Thi Huong, it is necessary to utilize food waste as a resource. This is the general trend of the world to operate a circular economy to thoroughly limit the impacts of environmental pollution and utilize waste into raw materials. “The efficient use of by-products in food processing such as rice husks, bran, molasses, bagasse, organs, fish fat, mucilage biomass, crustaceans … by applying science and technology and technical progress in the stage of reproduction as well as investment and waste treatment; Implementing clean production, saving energy is to increase the surplus value by making full use of natural resources, and at the same time making an important contribution to environmental protection ”- Ms. Tran Thi Huong acknowledged. The revised 2015 Japanese Food Recycling Law requires 95% of recycling responsibilities for food processors, 70% for food businesses, and 55% for food retail stores. and 50% for restaurants. The act of intentionally disposing of bulk food, causing environmental pollution, can be subject to a very severe penalty.

I am Nguyen Thi Lien, retired female soldier with the rank of major. Many people are supposed to settle in old age at this time, but for me this is the time to fulfill my dream of owning a farm that I have cherished for a long time. The predestination of farming came to me very casually. Once I accidentally saw the worm raising techniques of expert Nguyen Lan Hung and read the document translated by former Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Cong Tan, I decided to explore the model of raising earthworms. I am more and more passionate about this job. The reality of raising earthworms is quite simple. Worms feed are mainly agricultural by-products such as buffalo, cow, pig, and chicken manure … Worms on the farm are processed in many forms such as: dried worms, worms epidemic, earthworms, and powdered worms. Dried cinnamon, frozen earthworms … Especially, earthworms are also very effective food and medicine. To find the complete wormwood recipe, I had to learn from a lot of documents. In which, there is a remedy of Mr. Nguyen An Dinh, the son of Mr. Nguyen An Ninh, a famous revolutionary in the early twentieth century. Mr. Dinh also used earthworms, but they are earthworms (geese) to cure dengue fever during the war years in the country. After a period of about 45 days, I proceed to harvest the worms. When harvested, just pick up cow dung on a canvas and leave it outdoors where there is a lot of light, worms will go down because they like the dark. The worms are nearly the size of chopsticks, about 20 cm long, and washed away. Worms are treated by boiling method and brought into the oven with green beans to shrink. Drying takes 15 to 16 hours. The process of treating fresh worms to this stage, usually takes about 2 days. One of the most important worms that I created was to put in a pot of gold stars, bring it down and crush it by hand. After crushed earthworms, they will be canned and preserved. All steps are done by myself and by the people. In particular, the box will have a barcode, buyers can check the origin and complete information of the product. In fact, my goal is not to make money from earthworms because the money earned from selling food worms and medicinal worms is just enough to pay and buy by-products as food for them. The main income of the farm today is still raising pigs, raising chickens with earthworms with good quality and clean meat. Pigs raised by earthworms have very good resistance, less disease and the smell of meat is very delicious and delicious. Each month I feed the clean food stores in Hanoi about 50-60 pigs. The total income of the whole farm from selling earthworms, pork, and chickens is about 400-500 million / month. I also let pigs listen to French music, the music with a very wonderful, soothing, deep melody … will help the pigs relieve stress effectively and improve the quality of meat. Currently, clean pork from my farm is present at a number of big chains and supermarkets in Hanoi.