Allotment, cultivation, propagation, plant / animal husbandry.

Vegetables may be safe but I notice that almost all Vietnamese small holders keep the cows in an open air shelter right next to the house.  Having livestock at a remote location would probably be a good way to provide extra protein in the neighborhood diet. 

imanexpat wrote:

Hello, to members. I have been living in Vietnam for some years, mostly inner city living which is very convenient and all and yes I need to be here for work, also I'm soon to marry. I intend to stick around for a while yet, these things being said, my intention for this message is that I would like to have an allotment patch to grow my own veggies and perhaps also raise animals.

Are there any other people here that are currently doing such a thing? Or, interested to do so?

I've seen many instances of local citizens using their rooftops for container gardening and raising chickens.

Indeed, Safe food is a must for all however, sadly more often than not here we're in the blue with regards to product origin, processes used during the propagation and cultivation periods.

I'm not intending to start a "farm" not at this time anyway.  My though/ desire is to provide for around 5-7 people comfortably and on a part time basis, (family consumption goals)

city living with access to shared plot or "small holding" like you say. That is what i'm looking for or,  similar minded peoples to create a co-operative allotment.

I feel that I would have far greater peace of mind having grown and nurtured a supply of fresh products to be used by my family and friends. With the aims of, over time becoming less reliant on products that are having detrimental effects on health and the environment.

you are correct in what you say, there are many suburban families that have working gardens or smallholdings. This mentality is everywhere and with all business too. Personally it's one of the many reason why I love Vietnam with its brutal independence.

A small piece of land can supply the dietary requirements for several families and at a minimal cost if planned well.

Do you know of any community projects as such?

Yes, true. My near and dear neighbours also do this. I have considered this option as I do have a large private rooftop however, I'm ideally wanting to have a space that I can go to as a way of getting out of the city on evenings and weekends (within an hour of HCM central would be fine). Having some land as opposed to concrete would be kinder if animals were to be raised as my rooftop is swelteringly hot from 8am until 5pm, it's not fun to be there. Being on a ground level would be advantageous so as not to have to shift all the necessary supplies up/down through the house. Currently I rent a house so I wouldn't want to damage the property it's self or run into issues with drainage from the rooftop due to debris.

imanexpat wrote:

Yes, true. My near and dear neighbours also do this. I have considered this option as I do have a large private rooftop however, I'm ideally wanting to have a space that I can go to as a way of getting out of the city on evenings and weekends (within an hour of HCM central would be fine). Having some land as opposed to concrete would be kinder if animals were to be raised as my rooftop is swelteringly hot from 8am until 5pm, it's not fun to be there. Being on a ground level would be advantageous so as not to have to shift all the necessary supplies up/down through the house. Currently I rent a house so I wouldn't want to damage the property it's self or run into issues with drainage from the rooftop due to debris.

I would be up for something like that too. BUT!!! been here a long long time & one word of caution here. Spending 1 hour a day & at weekends, having animals? I am pretty sure one night you went to your plot any animals would be gone & any vegetables ready to eat gone too. I hope I am wrong & would certainly be interested. I lived in the sticks for a few years & there it is easier cos you are living on site. Another thing I would be interested in is growing vege in a hydroponic garden, but know absolutely nothing about it.

Wise to be cautious. I have been here a long time too and that is totally well founded, sound honest advise. I have also had these thoughts playing on my mind, I have come to realise it would be a huge risk to undertake if just "expecting" it all to be there upon next arrival. It's most feasible that you could be rustled in the night, I think this is a big source of stress! I would want to rest assured on the safeguarding of my efforts and investments, I think issues are probable if launching into a venture like this alone in an out of town location or, any location for that matter!. A co-operative mixed group would be much better for this, having a property that is lived in or rostered but, again this is also heavily dependant on location and people.

There would be lots of working out and planning to do, there could be many different ways to keep a place occupied.

Now, having aquaponics would be great, I also can't say I'm hugely experienced in this however, its just  plant biology, water chemistry and basic physics, I have some experience in keeping fish and thats half an aquaponic set up for agriculture, it would be great to experiment. Also aeroponic set up's can reduce water consumption or, vertical gardening ideas. Really the list is endless, just looking to start of small for now.

have you ever looked into using Black Soldier Flies as part of your plan?

Oh & another negative.........any piece of land to make into a garden within the city suburbs is being used  as a fly rubbish tip & after cleared & growing veg would quickly return to being a tip for all sorts of plastic & crap!

I can't say I have olboy. I'm aware, that there are many ways to treat bio waste. BSF's or CR's in number, can eat their way through an awful lot. In china, there are factories that house up-to a billion cockroaches, the local food waste is then eaten in vast quantities, the dead are subsequently ground up and fed to poultry site's attached. So with that in mind, this may pose some risk to crops in the immediate area. It would also make any plans of staying on sight less appealing, for obvious reasons