Helping Vietnamese vegetable growers to adopt better production practices

NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) is working with Vietnamese vegetable growers in the Sydney Basin to help them adopt better production practices.

Jointly funded by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), a bilingual project officer is working with the Vietnamese vegetable-growing community to:

• increase the adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) strategies;
• improve irrigation efficiencies; and
• use a range of modern cultivation techniques for both Vietnamese and traditional vegetable crops.

Many of these growers are small-area market gardeners who produce a limited range of crops on about 1–5 ha of land. Being mostly first-generation growers, they are keen to learn as quickly as possible to ensure full viability. Language can be a major barrier to understanding and skill development, and this is where Dr Ho Dang plays a vital role. The use of translators is considered to be one of the most effective extension strategies to use in adult education workshops with non-English-speaking background (NESB) growers, and this concept has been further developed by employing a fluent Vietnamese speaking project officer to work with growers, both on farm and in training rooms.

Dr Ho Dang (second from right) discussing hydroponic production methods with growers

The project, called ‘Improved Economic Sustainability of Vietnamese Vegetable Growers in the Sydney Region’, commenced in August 2003 and concludes in September 2006. Some of the major achievements over the last 18 months include the following:

• Benchmark data on current farming practices and the knowledge and understanding of the Vietnamese growers have been collected and collated.
• 95% of Vietnamese vegetable growers have attended SmartTrain and WaterWise courses.
• 85% of Vietnamese vegetable growers have attended additional workshops, field days and training on irrigation, fertiliser and plant nutrition, farm management planning and the management of pests and diseases.
• Water costs have been reduced by 30%–50% as a result of WaterWise training.
• A model farm, where water recycling is demonstrated, has been established. A field day held at this model farm attracted over 300 participants from Chinese, Cambodian and Arabic grower groups.
• Six information packages in various forms, including a bi-monthly newsletter (in Vietnamese) where essential information on chemical use and good farming practices is outlined, have been distributed to Vietnamese growers.
• A laminated weather-resistant field guide for the identification of vegetable pests and diseases has recently been published in Vietnamese.
• Training workshops have also been held in Brisbane for Vietnamese vegetable growers in Queensland.

Participating growers have been very supportive of this project, and responses to training evaluation have been quite positive, with application for other non-English-speaking background (NESB) groups in Australia.

Further information contact: