Net Zero Farmer
Green agriculture in the hands of Gen Z
Chu Thi Hong Thuy is the second generation in a family with many years of experience in the egg-laying industry. Ms. Le Thi Thanh is the founder of Tafa Group Joint Stock Company, while Thuy - a girl from the 9X generation, is being assigned by Ms. Thanh to run the company with a clear strategic vision on high-tech application and sustainable development.
Ms. Thuy said that her family has been raising chickens since 1990 in Da Lat, at that time there were only 10 chickens. By 2017, when the second generation took over, the total flock of chickens had reached more than 100,000. With strong investment and a sustainable development strategy, Tafa has grown remarkably, increasing the total flock to 1 million chickens per year, opening a new direction for the egg production industry in Vietnam.
Currently, Tafa is developing a closed-loop egg-laying model, from animal feed production to automatic chicken farming process; complete product packaging. All stages are managed and monitored with advanced technology, helping to optimize production efficiency, reduce costs and protect the environment.
Over the past decade, Tafa Group has invested tens of millions of USD in automatic chicken farming systems imported from Germany, aiming to produce safe, fresh eggs, free of antibiotic residues and low in cholesterol. The automatic chicken farming process not only saves labor but also helps minimize the impact of external factors such as epidemics.
A notable point is that all chicken manure and waste from the farm are treated with German microbiological technology, converted into organic fertilizer, contributing to the circular economic model in agricultural production.
Tafa Viet is also a pioneer in using 100% biodegradable paper boxes to pack eggs, completely replacing plastic packaging, thereby contributing to environmental protection and fulfilling its commitment to becoming a "green" brand in the egg farming industry.
Ms. Thuy shared: "Our goal is that by 2025, Tafa Group will reach an output of 2 million laying hens/year. To do that, we will continue to develop farms, expand production scale and apply new technology to maintain our pioneering position in the industry".
Also a second-generation young man in a family that loves agriculture, Mr. Nguyen The Tung - Chairman of QFarm Tech Joint Stock Company has devoted a lot of effort to building a 55-hectare durian farm "as beautiful as a movie" in Binh Phuoc province. Before that, Tung spent 7 years studying abroad, participating in many different business sectors but not agriculture.
"With my mother's guidance, 5 years ago, I started farming from zero. But at that time, I thought that if I were to come later, I would have to take advantage of technology and modern production models to create high-quality products with international certifications for export, not just for the domestic market," said Tung.
Although living in Ho Chi Minh City, Tung spends half of his time every month in Binh Phuoc to run the farm. Currently, the farm grows 10,000 durian trees of various types; 1,500 jackfruit trees, not to mention star apples and bananas. Besides Tung, there are only 10 workers and 2 engineers here, but the farm still operates well thanks to organic farming and high-tech applications.
One of the typical examples of the change in agricultural thinking that the young generation of farmers like Tung has made their predecessors admire is that before planting trees, although he was not yet fully aware of ESG (Environment, Society, Governance), Tung hired machinery to dig two reservoirs. One of them is the main reservoir in the middle of the farm, nearly 1.2 hectares wide, which can store 100,000m3 of water, helping to ensure irrigation throughout the dry season.
"In the dry season, many places in Binh Phuoc suffer from drought and water shortages, so farmers here mainly grow cashew and rubber - plants that can withstand harsh conditions. But when I grow durian - a difficult fruit tree - I have to carefully calculate all possible scenarios, especially when climate change is increasingly unpredictable. Therefore, I built a lake at the highest point of the farm, from here water can be supplied to the entire garden" - Mr. Tung shared.
Mr. Tung said that the farm invested in an automatic water-saving irrigation system from Israel, the pipes running around the garden alone are 75km long. At the same time, Tung also installed sensors at each tree base so that the amount of water each time is just enough, without wasting. The farm does not use herbicides but only cuts the grass at the base, then composts it at the base of the tree to keep the soil moist as well as protect the water source.
"Last summer, Binh Phuoc experienced a severe drought. For 6 months and 9 days, my farm did not have a single drop of rain. However, thanks to proactive water storage, green farming and high-tech application, the durian trees still overcame the drought to produce the first fruit," Mr. Tung happily boasted.
