Rice and ducks have been ‘good friends’ of farmers in the Mekong Delta for a long time. Traditionally, farmers in the Mekong Delta planted rice paddies and raised ducks by releasing them into the paddy fields after the harvest to eat residues.

A Japanese farmer, Mr. Takao Furuno, took this traditional Asian farming idea and systematized a method of ‘Rice-Duck Farming’ in the early 1990s. By applying this method, farmers can grow rice and raise ducks at the same time in the same paddy field. This low cost and labor-saving farming system is very suitable for small-scale and poor farmers. This method has been introduced by a Japanese NGO to Vietnamese farmers in Hai Phong City, Hanoi, and the provinces of Bac Can, Hoa Binh, Son La, Thua Thien Hue, Dong Thap and Ben Tre since 1994. Both of the integrated farming systems introduced in the south of Vietnam are now being applied by farmers as sustainable farming systems to improve their incomes. They also have significant benefits to the environment that not all farmers understand at a glance.