Monsoon by Di Morrissey Page B

Kim, have you had a chance to look around? While the problems are still with us, we hope this model will provide a few solutions. Convincing the government, the international donor community and indeed the poor farmers this is the way to go is the next challenge.’
    HOPE, like other agencies in the country, had a myriad of projects at various stages of development. While Sandy knew about the work Kim and the HOPE volunteers had been doing with farmers who were struggling to make their shrimp farms profitable and sustainable, she’d been busy with her own projects and hadn’t taken in the details of how it was all going.
    Jean-Claude came around the desk. He was in his mid to late thirties, very lean and brown, with dark hair and light-green eyes. Sandy immediately thought that if he hadn’t spoken she would have picked him for a Frenchman anyway. There was just that air of insouciance, of clothes that sat like an Abercrombie and Fitch advertisement – classy, elegant, yet very casual. She noted the blue shirt with rolled sleeves was fine linen with a quality finish, and had a small emblem embroidered in white on the pocket. It didn’t look like a locally made garment. She wished she wasn’t wearing a T-shirt and faded cotton drawstring trousers.
    He was smiling into her eyes, noting her quick assessment. ‘And what is your involvement with HOPE? It is an excellent non-governmental organisation. I presume you do not work with Kim or you would have met the professor before, yes?’
    â€˜No, well, I mean yes.’ Sandy was furious that he made her feel flustered. ‘I have been working with HOPE for several years but not with Kim. My contract has just finished. Sadly I’ll have to leave Vietnam soon.’
    â€˜Hard to tear oneself away from this country. It has a way of getting under one’s skin, eh? Perhaps you will find another opportunity here.’
    â€˜I hope you don’t mind me bringing Sandy along; I always value her input,’ said Kim. ‘I think what you’re doing is important, and more people should know about it,’ he added, trying to ease the slightly uncomfortable connection between Jean-Claude and Sandy.
    â€˜Know about the problem, or the solution?’ asked Jean-Claude, still smiling at Sandy.
    â€˜One follows the other, doesn’t it?’ said Sandy. ‘I’d love to understand more.’
    â€˜Then come with me.’ He led the way to the outside tank. ‘How long will you be in Hai Phong? Where are you based?’
    He chatted amiably as Kim stopped to greet the man bending over the tubs of shrimp. Sandy was curious.
    â€˜What is the main problem with the shrimp farms? People hoped that helping farmers set up small ponds as value-add use of their land,’ she said.
    Jean-Claude dropped his smiling demeanour. ‘Shrimp aquaculture has developed rapidly here with little foresight, planning or regulation. They haven’t looked at the problems encountered by other countries, such as Thailand, which leapt into this in a big way years ago. Consequently we are now dealing with enormous environmental and social problems.’
    â€˜So what are you doing?’
    â€˜We’re testing better means of raising shrimp using more traditional methods, researching sustainable ways of keeping them healthy without polluting the water or resorting to indiscriminate use of chemicals and antibiotics.’
    â€˜You’re putting me off those nice big tiger prawns I see in our market,’ said Sandy.
    â€˜Indeed. I eat only the shrimp I know are raised in properly run farms.’
    â€˜Well, how do you know that?’
    â€˜There has to be certification and proper labelling. Not an easy order here,’ said Jean-Claude. As Kim joined them Jean-Claude asked, ‘Kim, would you like to see the latest results? Sadly there are some depressing reports from the Mekong. Erosion, deforestation, destruction of