Farming systems in the sandy area of the Thua Thien Hue Province, Central Vietnam. Survey of socio-economic situation and constraints identified by farmers.

The Thua Thien Hue Province situated in Central Vietnam encompasses 5,054 km2 with a population of about 1.1 million people. The total cultivated area is 84,000 ha of which approximately 66,000 ha are soils classified as having a sandy texture. This sandy area is located along the coast and is the most densely populated of the province. The research aims at evaluating various aspects of the present situation including socio-economic aspects and farming systems on these light textured soils of this province. Using an interview-based questionnaire, a survey was conducted in villages by staff members of the Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry. Data were collected among 145 households in four districts of the coastal area of the Thua Thien Hue Province. The results show that hostile climate, poor quality of soils, lack of technical knowledge and experience in agricultural production of smallholders on sandy soils are major constraints that limit crop yields and induce a deficit in nutritive value of animal feed. Low income of farmer’s households is an obvious consequence of this unfavourable situation. Our results also indicate that the present animal and cropping systems on sandy soils of Thua Thien Hue include a high diversity of local varieties of plants and local breeds of animals. Options for possible improvement of techniques will be suggested. This research is being conducted in the framework of a Vietnam-Belgium joint project towards a sustainable agricultural development in this area, mainly through the better use of organic resources within farming systems, and by integrated pest and disease management