By demonstrating clear improvements in yields, incomes, and nutrient efficiency, the Fertilize Right project expanded mechanized direct seeding to nearly 20% of rice farmers in Can Tho’s treatment communes within two seasons.
In two seasons, the Fertilize Right project has moved mechanized direct seeding from a niche experiment to a practice adopted by nearly one in five rice farmers in Can Tho’s treatment communes — with yield, income, and nutrient-efficiency gains to show for it.
CAN THO CITY, Vietnam — When the Fertilize Right (FerRight) project began working with rice farmers in Can Tho’s Thanh An, Thanh Phu, Thoi Xuan, and Trung Hung communes, mechanized direct seeded rice (mDSR) was practiced by fewer than 1 in 100 of them. Two years later, the project’s midline farmer survey found that 18% of farmers in these communes had adopted the technology — up from a 2023 baseline of just 0.7%. Fertilizer deep placement, a complementary practice often paired with mDSR, has also taken hold, now reaching 0.5% of farmers and growing. Together, the numbers are one of the clearest signals yet that the project, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and implemented by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), is changing how farmers cultivate their rice
