Waking up from the frequent bed in the middle of my farm, I walked around to see my best friends - the coconut palms that help stabilize my life just recently.

For quite a long time, my wife and I struggled to make a living by a truck which carried tons of vegetables from Tien Giang to a wholesale market in Ho Chi Minh city at 3 a.m every morning. Life got tougher and tougher as there were more and more vegetable carriers in the market and our income gradually declined by half. I then realized we were trading our health - the most precious thing ever in life - with some million dong and decided to start a new life.  

I recalled the time my uncle was lost all day in the coconut plantation and I tried to learn how to work on the piece of land I inherited from my father. The only concern I got was the fluctuation of coconut price during the year that could potentially affect my target income. In the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, smallholder coconut farmers like my uncle typically operate singularly and sell their products to a middleman. Often, price fluctuates based on overall demand and supply, thereby resulting in income uncertainty across the year. Traditionally, there are 6-9 months in the year when production is high but price is low (rainy season) and other 3-6 months in the year when production is low but price is high (dry season).

Then along came Hamona. We got a direct access to the billion-dollar industry by knowledge sharing sessions held by them and no longer is with the short end of the stick. Hamona consolidates supply and purchases coconuts from our farm at a year-long and steady fixed price. This results in higher and more stable income for coconut farmers like us.

Most of my time is invested in renovating my coconut farm I abandoned for a long time. Cattle are employed to keep the grass down. Automated watering system is set up for all coconut palms. Goats are raised near the farm front gate to provide the very natural fertilizer for the trees. Fish can easily be found in the ponds in the middle of my farm.

A physical day’s work of mine now is to relax among my coconut palms and cattle. Water the trees, feed the goats and fish, then wait for Hamona workers to come and harvest the coconuts everymonth. My monthly income is now 5 times more than it was with vegetable delivering business. My next target is to reach the organic status and start a homestay at my farm.