Integrated agriculture-aquaculture farming systems in Vietnam: The status quo and future perspectives

r IAA 
farming systems, such as fish-livestock farming, 
rice-fish farming, and rice-shrimp/prawn 
farming (de la Cruz et al., 1992). 
Integrated mangrove-shrimp farming has 
been considered as a form of ecosystem-based 
adaptation in which the mangrove ecosystem 
contributes to climate change mitigation. 
Mangrove ecosystems provide a natural habitat 
for shrimp, require no feed, chemicals, or 
antibiotics, and result in reduced diseases. Also, 
integrated mangrove-shrimp farming produces 
organic shrimp at better prices. 
Phong et al. (2010) evaluated the ecological 
sustainability of IAA systems among the R-HF, 
R-MF, and O-LF farming systems in the Mekong 
Delta region of Vietnam. The data analysis 
showed that the variability in ecological 
sustainability among farms was high, caused by 
differences in land use, financial situations, 
disease constraints, market demand, and family 
conditions. The R-HF system scored higher on 
productivity-efficiency while fertilizers were 
usually applied in excess in the O-LF system 
(Phong et al., 2010). 
Integrated shrimp-tilapia farming has been 
suggested as an alternative approach for shrimp 
farming, which could ultimately lead to a more 
sustainable shrimp industry. This system could 
improve water quality in shrimp ponds, reduce 
disease, and reduce the use of chemicals and 
antibiotics (Yi & Fitzsimmons, 2004). 
Negative impacts 
Some potential risks can be found in the IAA 
farming systems. Firstly, pesticides used for 
cultivation activities may remain in crop 
products and land, which could impact animals 
and aquaculture species. Secondly, animal 
wastes (manure, urine, surplus feed) containing 
antimicrobial residues and resistant bacteria will 
be discharged directly into fishponds. Also, 
antimicrobial residues and resistant bacteria from 
fishponds may be transferred to animals through 
water. Thirdly, cross-contamination in IAA 
farming may increase levels of bacterial 
antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which may 
impact human health via the food chain. 
Soil nutrient balances can be used as an 
indicator to determine nutrient use efficiency of 
farming systems (Stoorvogel, 2007; Cobo et al., 
2010). Phong et al. (2011b) monitored soil 
nutrient balances in three IAA systems in the 
Mekong Delta: R-HF, R-MF, and O-LF. The 
results showed that nitrogen, phosphorus, and 
potassium surpluses were observed in all three 
systems. In addition, the O-LF system had the 
smallest nitrogen surplus while the R-HF system 
Integrateed agriculture-aquaculture farming systems in Vietnam: The status quo and future perspectives 
994 Vietnam Journal of Agricultural Sciences 
had the smallest surpluses of phosphorus and 
potassium. These data indicated that soil fertility 
will be maintained in IAA farming systems 
although there is a risk for environmental 
contamination (Phong et al., 2011b). 
Livestock, mainly chickens and pigs, are 
often fed feed containing growth promoters. 
Petersen et al. (2002) reported that these growth 
promoters in animal husbandry have been linked 
to certain AMR patterns among human bacterial 
pathogens, suggesting that there is a possible 
flow of AMR genes between animal and human 
pathogens. The potential transfer of resistant 
bacteria and resistant genes from aquaculture 
environments to humans may occur through 
direct consumption of antimicrobial-resistant 
bacteria present in fish and associated products 
(Petersen et al., 2002). Oxytetracycline-resistant 
Acinetobacter spp. isolates have been found from 
integrated fish farms in Thailand (Agerso & 
Petersen, 2007). Similarly, the development of 
antimicrobial-resistant bacteria has been found in 
integrated fish-livestock farming in Vietnam 
(Dang et al., 2011), indicating that potential risks 
of AMR exist in IAA farming systems. 
Challenges and Future Perspectives of 
IAA Systems in Vietnam 
IAA systems are a better strategy for on-
farm waste management for farmers in general 
and especially for smallholder farmers in rural 
and peri-urban areas, where resources are 
limited. IAA systems have several advantages, 
including the improvement of on-farm resource 
use, increased farming income, environment 
safeguards, and improved nutrition for families. 
Thus, IAA systems have been successful in 
Asian countries such as Vietnam and continue to 
show the benefits of their application. 
However, in the context of rapid agricultural 
land acquisition due to urbanization and 
industrialization, and the impacts of climate 
change causing drought and salinization in many 
areas in Vietnam, especially in isolated, remote 
areas and the Mekong River delta, suitable areas 
for application of IAA systems will be reduced in 
the future. Moreover, food safety issues 
nowadays have attracted more attention, and 
many people prefer eating products with high 
quality. 
Regarding the trends in the development of 
IAA systems, Phong et al. (2008) conducted two 
surveys in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam 
in which several factors, such as land-use 
intensity, farm diversity, farm inputs, market 
demand, household income, and natural 
disasters, were analyzed. The data analysis 
showed that market demand and natural disasters 
(e.g. disease outbreaks) were the two main 
drivers of the trend changes of IAA systems. The 
IAA systems are demonstrating the trend of 
moving away from specialization with extensive 
farming and moving towards diversification and 
intensification. Well-off farmers with good 
farming skills and enough capital tended to 
specialize and intensify their farming practices, 
while the poorer farmers tended towards 
diversification in order to safeguard their 
livelihood and avoid risks (Phong et al., 2008). 
In summary, IAA systems need to migrate to 
the diversification of resources and activities for 
producing simultaneously high-quality products 
at affordable costs. This justifies the relevancy of 
IAA but at the same time, one might consider the 
risk that IAA farmers would abandon their 
complex systems and turn towards specialized 
but less sustainable production systems because 
of the lure of increased incomes from the higher 
prices of high-quality products. Also, in the 
context of environmental protection, IAA 
systems in the future should consider the 
integration of aquaculture and irrigated farming 
systems to optimize economic benefits, 
sustainably use existing energy, resources, and 
infrastructure, and help protect the environment. 
Conclusions 
IAA farming systems have contributed to 
progress towards the sustainable development of 
agriculture in Vietnam. It is speculated that in 
developing countries like Vietnam, IAA farming 
systems should be targeted to support a 
sustainable food safety model as a form of 
ecosystem-based technology that could 
potentially reduce environmental impacts, adapt 
 Dang Thi Lua (2021) 
https://vjas.vnua.edu.vn/ 995 
to climate change, and increase incomes in 
comparison with monoculture farming. 
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