A farmer has his love for organic vegetables
Organic farming
The forerunner of Kim Long Community Garden is an organic garden of Mr. Tran Huu Hung and Mr. Truong Dinh Tu - local farmers. Supported by the Action for the City center (ACCD) with references, knowledge and expenses for setting up the initial model in 2015, together with the consensus of the local cooperative and the Ward Farmer’s Union, Mr. Hung and Mr. Tu have used their clean agricultural products to inspire many other households to boldly switch to organic farming.
“It takes a lot of effort to grow organic vegetables. In addition to making my own organic compost from manure of pig, chicken, and fish, I also prepared home-made pesticides using chili garlic and other environmentally friendly materials,” shared Mr. Truong Dinh Tu.
From the initial small garden, Mr. Tu has gradually expanded it to a 1,200m2 one, and an organic farm of 2,200m2 at present, with a variety of agricultural products such as pumpkin, gourd, vine spinach, water spinach, amaranth green, jute vegetable, lemongrass, chili.
“Despite the hard work, bringing clean agricultural products to my family and to the community is a great joy for me. In addition, a good business of selling vegetables brings us a stable income and also a great encouragement to my family’s determination to maintain this form of farming,” continued Mr. Tu.
From the success of the garden of Mr. Tu and Mr. Hung as well as the benefits and effectiveness of this model, 6 other households at Kim Long ward became new members of the garden. Currently, the total area of Kim Long Community Garden reaches more than 4,000m2.
Since 2015, Mr. Tu and his fellow households have also held special fairs right in the garden with a sale combination of organic vegetables and handmade products. The fair creates an engaging trading space, attracting many young people and tourists.
Fairs in the garden
On average, two fairs are regularly held a year. With the support of volunteers, the fairs held at Kim Long Community Garden have brought many new emotions to visitors.
Apart from the wrapping of home-grown vegetables in eco-friendly banana leaves, and limited use of plastic waste and bags, customers also experience many hand-made products under tree shadows in the garden.
Mr. Nguyen Van Truong, member of Kim Long Community Garden said: “The fairs are for us to promote agricultural products and bring clean agricultural products closer to consumers. At the fair, people can enjoy the process of cultivating organic vegetables, and experience mini games to get a better understanding about organic vegetables.
Nguyen Van Anh, a young consumer who is always present at the fairs held in the garden, shared: “For me, each fair has its interest and a special meaning. In addition to talking with the farmers, I also buy agricultural products grown by farmers for cooking my meals. I am looking forward to the next fairs for further opportunities to buy organic vegetables and hand-made products.”
Referring to Kim Long Community Garden, Ms. Tran Thi Dao, Chairperson of Kim Long Agricultural Cooperative said: “With the method of organic farming, farmers at Kim Long Community Garden have brought clean agricultural products to consumers and created a stable income for themselves and their families. The combination of selling and introducing agricultural products through fairs in the garden is a good and interesting way to help typical clean vegetable products of Kim Long be more widely known.”