Organic shrimp farming training programme kicks off

From 25 April to 28 May, SNV organised an intensive training course for around 600 shrimp farmers in Nhung Mien, Ca Mau Province, Vietnam. This course marked the kick-off of a 3-year training programme for scaling up organic shrimp farming across the Mekong Delta.

Shrimp production is a key driver of deforestation in Southern Vietnam. Under the project Scaling up Ecosystem based Adaptation in the Mekong Delta (MAM2), SNV and partner IUCN aim to train 5000 smallholders in Ca Mau, Ben Tre and Tra Vinh provinces in organic, deforestation-free, shrimp farming practices.

The training course was held for farmers in Nhung Mien Forest Management Board. The classes were conducted in farmer houses, the hamlet’s office, as well as in the office of the Forest Management Board which is located close to the shrimp farms. The classes covered the following topics:

• The importance of the mangrove ecosystem: Project Manager Thuy Nguyen provided insight in the role healthy mangroves can play in livelihood improvement, environmental protection and climate change resilience. In this class, the project goals and activities were outlined as well as the roles and responsibilities of the different stakeholders in contributing to mangrove protection.

• Organic certification: The participants received trainings on organic shrimp certification standards and the procedures for becoming certified through Naturland and other European certification schemes.

• Improved shrimp farming methods: Specialists from aquaculture research institutes provided trainings on taking environmental measurements and improving stocking practices. The classes included theory sessions as well as handson practical exercises through which the farmers learned how to measure the pH, salinity and turbidity of their ponds as well as how to select healthy post larvae shrimp and calculate optimum stocking densities. The knowledge gained through these classes will help to enhance shrimp survival rates and increase productivity.

• Waste management and hygiene: The farmers received trainings on improving environmental hygiene in rural areas from the Public Health Centre of Ca Mau. This included information and guidance on installing hygienic toilets.

Throughout the classes, active participation and group discussions were encouraged, and the famers could ask questions to the specialists about any issues they encountered in their fields. The classes ended with a knowledge quiz, through which the participants could win useful gifts, such as salinity testing toolkits.

Similar intensive training courses will be rolled out in other areas in the Mekong Delta over the coming months, in order to support sustainable shrimp farming at scale.