Instead of using pesticides, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long (Phuoc Thai village, Phuoc Cat 2 commune, Da Huoai district, Lam Dong) pioneered the application of the yellow ant farming model to prevent pests and diseases for crops.
Mr. Long's family grows 5 sao of cocoa with more than 350 trees. In 2022, cocoa prices will decrease sharply, while the cost of fertilizers and pesticides will reach 4-5 million VND/month, making farming almost unprofessional.
Many households in the area have cut down their cocoa gardens, but Mr. Long decided to keep them and find ways to reduce production costs.
After many months of not using pesticides, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long's cocoa garden was seriously swept away by pests and pests. However, during a garden inspection, he discovered that the trees with yellow ant nests were not only not affected by pests and diseases but still grew well and produced even fruit.
This led Mr. Long to develop the idea of developing a yellow ant farming model to protect crops naturally and sustainably. He decided to experiment with raising yellow Ants as a national enemy to kill pests and diseases.
"Golden ant farming is very simple, just hang the chicken and duck intestines on the tree and they will pull each other back to form a nest," Mr. Long shared.
After more than two months, yellow ant spread throughout the garden, each tall cocoa tree had thousands of cows. They make nests with leaves and hunt for Predators such as hard-working insects, spellpick workers, wax reptiles, insects... to help the garden recover quickly.
Since then, Mr. Long's family has switched to organic cocoa production. Although cocoa prices have decreased sharply, thanks to saving the cost of pesticides and selling clean products at higher prices, this model still brings stable profits.
After more than two years of application, cocoa prices have increased from 4,000 VND to 16,000 VND/kg, helping Mr. Long and many households continue to stick with this crop. "With yellow Ants, I don't need to spray pesticides, reduce costs, protect health, balance the ecosystem and increase productivity," he said.
Currently, Mr. Long's cocoa garden not only achieves high productivity but also has large, beautiful fruits, with superior quality compared to other households, becoming a typical model of sustainable farming.
