Carp farming gives hope to Vietnam's poor

摘要

A VIETNAMESE rice grower's life has been transformed thanks to an innovative scheme that helps him hreed fish on the same land as his rice. Ngo Van Vung, a 53-year-old father of seven, was living in poverty in a rundown house in Bac Giang province innorthern Vietnam. In 2005, his family was selected to take part in a programme funded by the UK Department for International Development and the World Bank, to help poor farmers move to a more profitable farming model. The Northern Mountain Poverty Reduction Programme (NMPRP) helped Vung introduce carp to his fields, to act both as a chemical-free fertiliser and pest control and as a second 'crop' he can sell.