On September 26, 2024, the Department of Science and Technology held a Council to select organizations and individuals to implement the project "Research on building a circular agricultural model in the field of cultivation in Con Dao district". Mr. Pham Quang Nhat - Director of the Department of Science and Technology - Chairman of the Council chaired the meeting.

At the meeting, the Council listened to a detailed presentation by the project leader on the objectives, contents, methods and research orientations. This research is based on scientific and practical foundations from domestic and foreign studies, recognizing that circular agriculture is not only an inevitable trend but also a superior solution for global agricultural development, including Vietnam. Con Dao, with its unique resources and environment, is considered an ideal location to apply this model. Currently, Con Dao is facing three major challenges: (1) the amount of organic waste from tourism activities is up to 12m³/day, requiring effective treatment solutions to protect the environment; (2) completely dependence on fertilizers from the mainland causes high agricultural production costs and lacks sustainability; (3) the increasing demand for agricultural products, especially vegetables, flowers and local specialties from tourists. Therefore, circular agriculture is the most optimal and feasible solution to effectively address these obstacles.

The content of the project includes: surveying, evaluating the current status and potential for circular agriculture development in Con Dao, researching the process of producing organic microbial fertilizer from on-site waste, as well as building an effective cultivation process for suitable crops such as Launaea sarmentosa, Smallanthus sonchifolius and flowers. In addition, other contents of the project will be implemented such as: developing a product consumption linkage model between farmers and the local restaurant and hotel systems, and implementing training and technology transfer activities to ensure the feasibility and effectiveness of the project.

The expected scientific products include: a technological process for producing microbial organic fertilizers applied on an area of ​​300-500m²; a process for cultivating Launaea sarmentosa, Smallanthus sonchifolius, flowers, leafy vegetables and spices with an expected output of 5,000kg of food and 2,000 - 4,000 flowers per month on an area of ​​1,000m²; five cultivation models for these crops; a model for linking product consumption between farmers and restaurants and hotels; and detailed and scientific technology transfer training documents. In addition, one of the highlights of the project is the ability to identify potential crops suitable for the circular agriculture model in Con Dao.

After the presentation of the project manager, the Council conducted an evaluation based on the criteria of contents, methods, applicability and transfer of results, professional capacity of the organization and individuals performing the tasks and conducted an evaluation vote. The evaluation results showed that the Center for Information and Application of Science and Technology met the requirements. At the same time, the Council requested the project implementation team to edit and supplement some research contents according to the comments of the Council members to complete the explanation.