Ca Mau is combining mechanization with smart farming and data tools to reduce input use, improve production efficiency, and enhance the adaptability of rice-shrimp areas.
At Hoa Phat Agricultural Services Cooperative in Hong Dan commune (Ca Mau province), the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), in coordination with relevant units, recently organized a demonstration model of precision rice farming in the rice-shrimp system. The model’s key feature is mechanized direct-seeded rice with fertilizer deep placement (mDSR-FDP) technology, which aims to reduce the use of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and labor while improving nutrient-use efficiency.
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| Delegates attend the program demonstrating the precision rice farming model in the rice-shrimp system. Photo: Trong Linh. |
Two operations in a single pass
With mDSR-FDP technology, the machine seeds rice in rows and places fertilizer into the soil in a single pass. Seeds are placed at a depth of about 1–2 mm, while fertilizer is buried at a depth of about 3–5 cm. The wide-and-narrow row arrangement gives rice plants better access to sunlight and oxygen. Placing fertilizer close to the root zone helps improve nutrient-use efficiency.
According to experts, mechanized precision row seeding combined with deep fertilizer placement can reduce chemical fertilizer and pesticide use while also limiting fungal diseases, minimizing negative impacts on the rice-shrimp ecosystem. Results from mDSR-FDP models implemented by IRRI and its partners in Mekong Delta localities show that the technology can reduce seed use by up to 45%, nitrogen fertilizer use by up to 30%, and pesticide use.
In some models, yields increased by up to 12%, while net profits rose by around 20–25% compared with control plots. However, these results were recorded in general rice production models, and further assessment and adjustments are needed when the technology is applied under the specific conditions of rice-shrimp systems.
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| Dr. Madonna Casimero, an expert at IRRI, speaks at the demonstration. Photo: Trong Linh. |
Dr. Madonna Casimero, an expert at IRRI, said that scaling up rice-shrimp production should not be understood as scaling up a single technology. The key is to develop a systems approach that considers science, ecological conditions, production organization, and markets together. Solutions need to be tested and adapted to specific contexts.
Data-driven production management
Alongside mechanization, IRRI and its partners are developing data tools to support more precise production management. The solutions introduced include rice-shrimp suitability maps, remote sensing data, water resource forecasts, CS-MAP, saltwater intrusion alerts, and WebGIS for climate risk management.
Soil and nutrient maps are developed using data on soil types, current land use, topography, temperature, rainfall, and soil nutrients, combined with machine learning to analyze and synthesize the information.
Tools such as Rice Crop Manager (RCM) support site-specific nutrient management. Real-time water sensors, AI assistants, and digital agricultural extension help producers access information and make more suitable decisions in the field.
For rice-shrimp systems, integrating data into management is particularly important because production conditions are closely dependent on saltwater-freshwater fluctuations, weather conditions, and water resources.
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| Alongside mechanization, IRRI and its partners are developing data tools to support more precise production management. Photo: Trong Linh. |
According to an analysis by Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, an expert at IRRI, nutrients and sowing time account for approximately 66% of the overall importance of the technical factors analyzed in relation to yield gaps. Of which, nutrients account for 37%, while sowing time accounts for around 29%. Therefore, data-driven management of water, planting schedules, and nutrients is considered one of the key directions to improve production efficiency.
Beyond providing technical support in the field, digital technology is also being developed to connect stakeholders across the value chain. The EasyFarm platform was developed to connect farmers with mechanization services, field management solutions, and access to agricultural inputs and buyers. Thereby, the platform can support both the production and consumption of rice, straw, and other agricultural products.
According to Mr. Vo Duc Toan, Director of Hoa Phat Agricultural Services Cooperative, farmers are most concerned about whether new solutions can help reduce seed use, fertilizer use, and labor costs and minimize risks.
However, for an effective farming technique to be sustained over the long term, the cooperative needs access to appropriate mechanization services, regular technical guidance, and businesses to support product consumption. When these stages are connected, farmers can feel more secure in adopting the practices and increasing the value of rice-shrimp products.
Technology must go hand in hand with production organization
Based on implementation practice, experts say that the next stage in developing the rice-shrimp farming model is not only introducing new technologies into the field but also developing a system of solutions that can be validated, standardized, and scaled up appropriately for each ecological zone.
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| Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, an expert at IRRI, said that nutrients and sowing time account for about 66% of the overall importance of the technical factors analyzed in relation to yield gaps. Photo: Trong Linh. |
Solutions need to be designed for each sub-region, with synchronous testing in terms of water, varieties, shrimp, mechanization, nutrition, and data, followed by assessments of their economic, environmental, and social effectiveness and scalability.
In this process, management agencies play a coordinating role by developing criteria and providing technical guidance; local authorities and cooperatives organize production areas, operate the systems, and provide field data. Businesses participate from input supply and processing to trade and market feedback. Research institutes, universities, and international organizations support research, technology, standardization, and assessment.
The key point is that technology can only deliver results when it is aligned with the actual conditions of rice-shrimp production areas. Mechanization cannot be separated from water management, nutrient management, planting schedules, cooperative organization, and markets.
Based on the demonstration model at Hoa Phat Agricultural Services Cooperative, the approach is to connect science, technology, cooperatives, businesses, and farmers, thereby gradually standardizing solutions suited to the brackish-freshwater ecosystem.
If implemented effectively, technologies ranging from row seeding and fertilizer deep placement to data tools, sensors, AI, and digital platforms can not only reduce production costs but also help improve the quality, traceability, and value of products from Ca Mau's rice-shrimp model.
The program was attended by Dr. Cao Duc Phat, former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development; Mr. Tran Thanh Nam, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment; representatives of specialized agencies, Ca Mau province, and several Mekong Delta localities; scientists and experts from IRRI and VIETRISA; representatives of international organizations, businesses, and cooperatives; and nearly 100 farmer delegates.
Author: Trong Linh
Translated by Thu Huyen
Agriculture and Nature newspaper
