Agricultural by-products revitalize the soil

Having spent nearly 30 years attached to the land of Dak Ui (Quang Ngai Province), Mr. Nguyen Duy Thiem (56 years old, residing in Doan Ket village) understands every transition of the local soil and crops. Moving away from a heavy reliance on chemical fertilizers, he has gradually shifted toward organic production using the very by-products available in his own garden. This approach not only minimizes expenditures but also opens up a path toward sustainable cultivation for many local farmers.

Originally from Hung Yen, Mr. Thiem moved to Dak Ui commune in 1994 to build a career under a new economic zone program. Arriving in this basalt-red soil region during challenging times, his family initially depended solely on agricultural production. By 1998, he had purchased approximately 7 sào of land to cultivate coffee and green-skinned pomelo, and had dug ponds to raise tilapia and red tilapia.

At that time, like many other households, he primarily utilized chemical fertilizers and plant protection chemicals to tend to his crops. However, after several years of cultivation, he noticed that investment costs kept rising, while the soil became progressively harder and more degraded, and the crops no longer developed as they used to.

“In the past, my family had to spend a massive amount of money every year to purchase chemical fertilizers. The more we worked, the weaker the soil became, leaving the plants more vulnerable to pests while yields remained unstable. I kept thinking that I had to find a way to simultaneously cut costs and help the soil regain its health for long-term farming, rather than depending on chemical fertilizers forever,” Mr. Thiem shared.

The turning point came in 2000, when he was guided by the Seed Production and Supply Center of the Eakmat Western Highlands Institute in processing organic fertilizer from agricultural by-products. From then on, he began utilizing fish residue, coffee husks, and various available by-products to ferment and compost organic fertilizer for his production.

Initially, composting was by no means easy. Due to a lack of experience, many early batches spoiled and failed to meet quality standards. There were times when he almost threw in the towel after pouring immense labor into disappointing results. However, driven by a mindset of discovering a sustainable cultivation pathway, he continued to tinker, learn, and accumulate experience with each failure.

Following years of persistence, he gradually mastered the technique. Agricultural by-products that were previously discarded, such as coffee husks and dead fish, have now become premium nutrients for his crops. Mr. Thiem noted that his coffee and durian trees now grow vibrantly green and suffer fewer pests thanks to the self-composted organic fertilizer. The orchard soil has also become looser and more aerated, and it retains moisture much better than before.

“In the past, when we didn't know how to do it, coffee husks and agricultural by-products were simply piled up and thrown away, which was both wasteful and environmentally polluting. Now, utilizing them for composting proves highly effective. The crops absorb nutrients well, the soil is rehabilitated, the environment is cleaner, and investment costs are slashed significantly. Farming organically requires more effort at the beginning, but the long-term benefits are undeniable,” he said.

Each year, his family utilizes around 4 to 5 tons of fish to produce organic liquid protein. In addition to the fish harvested from his own ponds, he purchases additional fish from residents in the commune for fermentation. Alongside this, coffee husks are blended with livestock manure, microbial inoculants, and lime to create a nutrient-dense organic fertilizer source for the crops.

By proactively securing his fertilizer source, his family has significantly lowered production costs. While he previously had to spend tens of millions of VND annually on chemical inputs, this expenditure has now dropped sharply. Beyond cost savings, the model facilitates a much cleaner production environment.

Currently, Mr. Thiem's family owns more than 2.7 hectares of land planted with coffee and durian. The entire crop acreage utilizes his self-composted organic fertilizer, allowing the orchard to maintain stable yields year after year. Every year, his family harvests 4 to 6 tons of durian, yielding a profit of around 300 million VND (USD 11.800). Coffee alone yields over 7 tons of green coffee beans, bringing in a net profit of over 500 million VND (USD 19.700) after deducting expenses.

Looking beyond serving his family's own production, the surplus organic fertilizer he composts is sold to several households in the region, generating supplementary income. Witnessing the visible efficiency, many local farmers have begun learning the method to reduce their dependence on chemical inputs and move toward clean production.

According to Mr. Ta Ngoc Ngo, Vice Chairman of the Dak Ui Commune People's Committee, Mr. Nguyen Duy Thiem's model represents a highly appropriate direction in modern green agricultural development. “Mr. Thiem's approach delivers practical efficiency by excellently capitalizing on by-products in agricultural production to manufacture organic fertilizer, contributing to lowering investment costs and mitigating environmental pollution. This is a highly encouraging model to replicate in the coming time,” Mr. Ngo stated.

$ 1 = VND 25,462 - Source: Vietcombank.