Civil society organizations: Farmer organization
Location: Vietnam
Fact sheet: Download
Truong Thanh Dat, Nong Trai Ech Op farm owner
Nong Trai Ech Op farm was set up in 2014 by Truong Thanh Dat whose main motivation was to provide high quality food to his family and ultimately to his customers. He graduated in biotechnologies and worked in the agriculture sector for a few years during which he progressively changed his perception about chemicals. He came to the conclusion that chemical farming was not sustainable. He wishes through his farming practices to demonstrate the virtues of organic farming. He sticks to these 4 rules to grow vegetables and fruits: no pesticides, no genetically modified organisms, no herbicide, no mineral fertilizer. This small-scale integrated organic farm of 1.2 ha is mainly made of vegetables beds and fruit trees. Truong Thanh Dat rears chickens and cows meanwhile frogs and fishes breed freely in the farm.
In Ech Op Farm vegetables are grown without any chemicals and fishes and frogs are used to regulate pests. A high diversity of vegetables grows next to fruit trees: depending on the season, cucumber, okra, gourd, beans, local herbs and eggplants can be found.
Ech Op Farm plays an essential role in the local development as one of its mission is to educate consumers and youth to chemical free farming. Thanh Dat maintained a close relationship with his former lecturers from An Giang University. He regularly welcomes students to conduct research or internships at his farm.
Ech Op farm sells its products through different channels and has efficiently managed to secure many customers who value organic food. The farm products are sold through “Zalo”, a messaging application. A list of available products is sent every day to the customers on Zalo so that they can place their order and get delivered in the afternoon. The farm also sells its production on a dedicated street stall in Long Xuyen.