Innovative rice straw composting technology earns accolades at Can Tho City Technical Innovation Competition

15 December 2023 (Vietnam) – The mechanized rice straw-based composting technology, which converts agricultural residue and waste to organic fertilizer, was awarded second prize in the agriculture category of the 12th Can Tho City Technical Innovation Competition.

A collaborative effort between the International Rice Research Institute’s (IRRI) Mechanization Team led by Dr. Nguyen Van Hung and the Can Tho Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, the innovative approach integrates machine mixing, composting techniques, and biochemical optimization to enhance the composting process and improve the quality of organic fertilizers.

The technology has been successfully piloted in Vietnam’s Mekong River Delta Region where 50% of the country’s rice is grown producing more than 20 million tons of rice straw annually.

Reducing rice straw is a government priority of Vietnam to avoid the losses of carbon and nutrients contained in rice straw, reducing pollution and carbon footprint in rice production. Mechanized rice straw composting is one of the important innovations supporting the Rice straw-based bio-circular economy built on a no-waste circle and low-carbon farming. This innovation helps to increase rice farming productivity, value, and profitability, and reduce the environmental footprint by converting rice straw and wastes to organic fertilizers.

The overarching goal of the competition is to foster creativity across diverse sectors, emphasizing youth participation, talent exploration, and the application of technical solutions to benefit production and societal advancements. This effort is geared toward contributing to the socioeconomic development and industrialization of Can Tho City.

The competition attracted 108 entries across six categories from information technology and electronics to agriculture, fisheries, natural resources, and the environment. Additionally, the organizing committee selected 15 solutions to advance to the national competition, which includes the mechanized rice straw-based composting technology.

The mechanized rice straw-based…