“No agro-chemicals? We cannot produce!”
This was the biggest challenge when we persuaded farmers in Thanh Xuan commune (at Soc Son district, Hanoi, Vietnam) to convert the conventional production to organic production within the Project of Organic Agriculture Development supported by ADDA. They couldn’t believe that they were able to produce without using agrochemicals. They said chemical fertilizers helped crops grow faster, pesticides effectively protected plants from pests and diseases. They had used them for a long time. “It is unfeasible to do without them”, they concluded.
However, after being encouraged by the local government, and receiving explanations from the Project Officers about the benefits of organic production, and particularly about the commitment to buy the entire production at a higher price in comparison to the prices of the local market, farmers had made the expected decision with a huge doubt.
Just one year later, the farmers recognized that they were able to implement organic production without agrochemicals. All the chemical inputs had become unnecessary due to the technical guides that assured enough nutrition for plants and minimized the damage from pests and diseases in organic production. Furthermore, by eliminating agro-chemicals, they had more stable and a bit higher incomes, as well as healthier, better working conditions. At present, we use this story as the most powerful evidence on the ability of farmers to convert to organic production. Every time the story is repeated, the farmers who strongly doubted at that time smile and tell us “we were really stupid back then”.
Vietnam PGS Coordination Committee, Hanoi, Vietnam www.vietnamorganic.vn www.pgsvietnam.com