Silky mulberries

Every early morning, Quyen spends time at the mulberry field where she picks the most tender, green leaves to feed the silkworms at home.

“The farm work takes most of our time but we are very happy and hopeful," says Quyen. “My family income has improved quite a lot."

Quyen and her husband, Mao, own nearly 400 square meters of farm land where they plant rice and vegetables, but the harvest was never enough to feed them for the entire year.

In 2012, the young parents decided to take a risk: getting a loan to raise silkworms. Without adequate knowledge and skills, they failed several times as the silkworms kept dying.

“We applied the wrong techniques,” recalls Quyen. “The silkworm house was too dark and wet, and the temperature was not suitable. All the worms became diseased. We lost money.”

At that time, World Vision was opening a vocational training course on cultivating mulberries and raising silkworms in Yen Bai province. Quyen and Mao attended the course where they gained proper skills and hands-on experiences through study tours and practicing on the fields.

"The course also created opportunities for us to find potential markets to sell our products," says Quyen.

After they graduated, they opened a new silkworm house with World Vision’s financial support. They also expanded the plantation for mulberries and now produce four rounds of silkworms per month, with their monthly income of around 5 million dong (about $224 USD), which is three time higher than cultivating rice.

Positive about their future business, the couple is planning to produce silkworm breeds to provide at their local market. 

"Our experience was bittersweet," confides Mao. "But now I am confident to share my success and cooperate with those who have the same passion of producing healthy silkworms and qualified silks."

Vietnamese text by Le Thi Kim Thoa, SSO Assistant, Van Yen ADP | English text by Tran My Hang, Communications Officer

Photos: Nguyen Van Thang, Van Yen ADP Manager