Thanh Hoa village in Thanh Phong, Vietnam is in the midst of paddy and shrimp farms. A perfect location for Luong Thi Chung and her husband Vo Ngoc Be and their aquaculture processing business.
Chung and her family used to farm shrimp, which brought a modest income. However, in 2016, they broadened their aquaculture to include fish farming and established the processing unit. This began on a small scale with three to four workers and no proper link to the market.
In 2017, Chung and Be heard about the Adaptation in the Mekong Delta Project (AMD) and attended the workshop held by the district officers. The workshop involved training on adaptive farming models, climate change awareness and how to manage a business. This provided the couple with a boost to expand and establish their business.
After the workshop, 20 farmers in the commune including Chung, formed a collaborative group for aquaculture. The group received financial support from the project to build a cold storage room to expand aquaculture processing.
With the addition to the processing unit, production expanded from 3.5 tonnes per year to 9 tonnes. The average income for Chung and her family also increased.
They obtained a three year contract with a company based in HCMC to sell their product, establishing a steady market. According to Be, the company is pleased that he feeds and cares for the fish himself and that the processing and storage unit is on site of the farm.
Chung and Be now employ several people from the village in the aquaculture processing centre. The model has been a success and the number of poor households has reduced from 16 households in 2016 to 10 in 2018.
Proudly opening the cold storage room and showing us the finished product ready for shipping, Be acknowledges the support of the project:
"I am happy that we were able to expand and become this successful. It's not only for us, but has had a knock on impact on others in the village too."