June 16, 2010
A number of Vietnamese farmers have volunteered to trial the draft better management practices (BMPs) developed by the catfish BMP project, for the purpose of evaluation and demonstration.
A total of 11 BMP demonstration farms have been set up in partnership between farmers and the project team and are about three months into the six-month production cycle. These include seven grow out farms (three in Can Tho, one each in An Giang, Hau Giang, Vinh Long and Dong Thap), three nurseries (two in Dong Thap, one in Can Tho) and on hatchery in An Giang.
In addition, extension material on BMPs and the advantages of a cooperative approach to farm management amongst locally clustered farms have been prepared and distributed. Overall there has been a very good response from farmers with clusters being organised in certain communities.
An evaluation of the effectiveness of the BMPs as part of the demonstration farm trials is being undertaken by the project team in collaboration with the Department of Resource Management and Geography, Melbourne University, Australia. The evaluation will focus on Can Tho and An Giang provinces, with specific emphasis on economic, environmental and social impacts of BMP implementation as part of the demonstration trials.