Enhancing yields and incomes for shrimp farmers in Vietnam

The SNV Mangroves and Markets (MAM-II) project signed an agreement with Climate Fund Managers (CFM), with the aim to promote improved mangrove-shrimp polyculture practices to enhance yields and incomes for small-scale shrimp farmers in Tra Vinh province, Vietnam.

Climate Fund Managers (CFM) is a fund manager that is jointly owned by the Development Bank of the Netherlands (FMO) and South African infrastructure investment business. SNV and CFM entered this collaboration based on their shared interest in fostering development in local communities in Tra Vinh province.

Aquaculture, especially shrimp farming, is a predominant livelihood in Tra Vinh. Farmers have been experiencing declining yields and incomes. SNV will use its experience in integrated shrimp farming, to help local smallholder farmers increase their harvests using advanced techniques such as crablet nurseries with hapa nets, using probiotics as well as water quality monitoring in demonstration plots.

On 3 October 2019, Ms. Fleur Parkinson (CFM) presented together with SNV staff on the trip to Tra Vinh to select the participant households. The farmers were given an overview of the project, its purposes and approaches. They also had the chance to volunteer to be part of this pilot scheme - providing that their farms were eligible, which was evaluated through a questionnaire. Once joining the project, they would be provided with all essential materials to set up, manage and operate the crab – mangrove shrimp polyculture systems, and the technical guidance. In the meantime, the participants must show strong commitments to the project: attending the training courses, following the farming instructions, recording data of water quality parameters and operational expenses, etc. to ensure an optimal outcome.

Employing probiotics in aquaculture was a whole new concept to the farmers in Duyen Hai district, so they were quite skeptical at first. Gradually, attending the trainings and building more trust and understanding, they have become more involved and cooperative.

The first mud crab stocking and nursery, which took place from 7-17 November, has presented a positive outcome in which the survival rate reached 77.05 % on average. The second stocking was on 20-21 December.

SNV and CFM both aim for the favorable conditions for livelihood improvements in communities that are affected by the transmission line of CFM’s wind-electricity project in Tra Vinh province. If this demonstration model will work well, it will be a baseline for the project to be extended to the nearby communes and reach out toa larger vulnerable community.

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