Reducing Fertilizer Costs by 30-50% Through On-Farm Microbial Organic Composting in Lam Dong
Farmers in Lam Dong are shifting toward circular agriculture by producing their own microbial organic fertilizer from waste, effectively cutting costs and improving soil health.
In Lam Dong, the utilization of agricultural by-products to create microbial organic compost is becoming a key solution for farmers to cut costs, improve soil quality, and protect the environment, driving a sustainable circular agriculture model.
As Lam Dong promotes circular agriculture, many farmers have proactively begun producing their own fertilizers from available agricultural waste. Mr. Tran Van Long in Dak Sak commune is a prime example, having applied microbial composting techniques to his coffee and pepper plantations. After 90 days of composting with Trichoderma fungi, the material achieves 85% decomposition, leading to significantly healthier crop growth compared to previous heavy reliance on chemical fertilizers.
Similarly, the microbial fish compost model adopted by Mr. Le Huu De's family has shown impressive results. Within just one month of fermenting waste fish, molasses, and microbial enzymes, he produced a nutrient-rich organic nitrogen source. This transition has saved him approximately 20 million VND annually while improving soil aeration and crop disease resistance.
Data from the Nam Nung Commune People's Committee indicates that on-farm composting models allow farmers to reduce chemical fertilizer expenses by 30% to 50%. This enables producers to maintain stable yields despite the sharp fluctuations in agricultural input prices.
Mr. Ho Gam, Vice Chairman of the Lam Dong Farmers' Union, emphasized that utilizing by-products is not just an economic solution but also a strategy for climate change adaptation. Currently, the Lam Dong Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center are actively conducting technical training sessions covering collection, sorting, and microbial processing to ensure the production of safe, high-quality organic fertilizers, thereby enhancing the value of high-standard farming practices like VietGAP and GlobalGAP across the province.
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