Ms. Ino Mayu (the second person from the right) and farmers participating in Dong Thap PGS organic products at the Kind Green Market

Vietnam as a second home

Ms. Ino Mayu came as a kind woman, fluent in Vietnamese, always smiling and full of enthusiasm. Born in 1974, this Japanese lady was especially excited when talking about the agricultural projects she did in Vietnam, where she spent her youth and considered her second home.

After completing her studies at the Center for Vietnamese Studies and Cultural Exchange in the Faculty of History (Hanoi National University) and completing the Master's program at Hitotsubashi University in Japan, Ms. Mayu worked for the Japanese International Volunteer Organization in Vietnam.

This organization launched the Environmental Protection Project to support disadvantaged provinces, and improve the livelihoods of ethnic minority and small-scale farmers through sustainable agricultural methods such as sloping agricultural land, integrated rice-duck-fish farming in Hoa Binh, Son La, Bac Kan provinces and Hai Phong City. As the project manager and chief representative, she had the opportunity to meet with many Vietnamese farmers and understand the difficulties they face.

After the Japan International Volunteer Organization in Vietnam stopped operating in 2009, Ino Mayu founded the Seed to Table Organization - a community development model popular in Japan but still new in Vietnam.

In an event where she met leaders and agricultural officials of Ben Tre Province, she came up with the idea of establishing Seed to Table in order to help disadvantaged households and farmers to practice clean agriculture. Since then, Seed to Table began operating in the Mekong Delta.

Ms. Mayu tirelessly explored the local resources, culture and traditional livelihoods, thereby helping them with sustainable cultivation, resource exploitation, culture development, as well as pragmatic processing and selling of agricultural products. Operating costs were supported by the Japanese government and businesses.

Fruitful achievements

In addition to transferring technology for sustainable clean agriculture, Seed to Table expanded research, instructing people to cultivate seeds, acknowledge the advantages and disadvantages of different varieties, thereby utilizing their agricultural products.

She had always been concerned about how to help farmers escape poverty, yet at the same time change their thinking and habits to adopt safe organic methods. With this in mind, she launched the "Duck Bank" and "Cow Bank" projects.

Her first destination was Binh Dai District, Ben Tre Province to sponsor the poor to raise ducks, for which she had mobilized about US$16,400 (VND400 million) of funds since 2011. The guidance and dedicated help of the Agricultural Extension Center in Ben Tre and local officials had greatly facilitated the process of recording and calculating livestock costs.

In 2012, Ms. Ino Mayu continued to ask for capital from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to expand the project, supporting farmers with 72 cows for lending. When the borrowed cows gave birth to calves, they would be returned to the "Cow Bank" for others to lend. It was also this initiative that had helped hundreds of poor households in 7 communes in Binh Dai District to escape poverty.

The project has ended, but the herd of cows is still maintained and raised for economic development. Many farmers have grown their herd of cows to more than a dozen cows and managed to escape poverty. In addition, Seed to Table promotes a closed-loop supply chain for clean agricultural products among small-scale farmers in some areas of Ben Tre Province. Improved product prices, as a result, have significantly boosted the income of thousands of farmers. The model is expanding, both in terms of scale and quality, to Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, and Dong Thap provinces.

Beyond farmers, Ms. Mayu and her partner agency also aimed at secondary and high school students in Ben Tre and Dong Thap provinces, encouraging and helping them to build their own organic vegetable gardens on campus. After attending training sessions, and being guided to grow vegetables, the children would sell these green vegetables, whose proceeds were used to buy seeds and fertilizer for the next batch of vegetables.

Given her relentless dedication, she was honored by Ben Tre Province as "Honorary Citizen of Dong Khoi". Talking about her future plans, Ms. Mayu plans to complete the current project in Dong Thap Province, and then return to Japan. However, she will still be committed to holding training activities, supporting and contributing to the development of Vietnam's agriculture.

Even when she is going to come back to her homeland, Tokyo, and spend time with her family after many years of living and working in Vietnam, her love for Vietnam remains, she affirmed. In fact, her decision to stay in Vietnam did not receive parental approval at first. It was her perseverance and dedication, along with the effectiveness of agricultural projects, that won the support and encouragement of her family.

In the eyes of Ms. Mayu, Seed To Table's projects all stem from her love for Vietnam over the past 20 years. The name Seed to Table also originates from her hope that Vietnamese farmers can not only improve their economy, but also know how to use products for good health.

Source: SGGP