Hanoi, 27 August 2008
Seeking solutions for food security in Vietnam
Vietnam's farmers turn to agriculture technology to raise crop yields, combat food shortages

“CropLife Asia is concerned about tight supplies and high prices of food in Vietnam. Our member companies are committed to helping farmers more food to feed their families and generate income."   -George Fuller, Executive Director, CropLife Asia

27 August, 2008 (Hanoi) – Vietnam’s agriculture ministry is taking steps to minimize the risks of food shortages by training its farmers on effective ways to protect their crops, including ensuring food safety and preventing post-harvest losses.

The initiative, a joint project with CropLife Asia and the Plant Protection Department (PPD) of Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, has helped farmers in the country raise productivity.

Farmer incomes have also increased significantly with better-quality crops as pesticides prevent the growth of naturally occurring toxins and fungi.  Existing programs focus on the responsible use of pesticides on vegetables, fruit and tea.

The success of these projects has spurred CropLife Asia, an industry association representing the plant science industry, to step up its efforts to double the number of farmers trained in 2009. This year, 1,015 farmers have been trained while 40,000 have learnt good agricultural practices through mass media campaigns, including TV contests for farmers.

CropLife Asia is also concerned about the problems faced by rice farmers, many of whom are struggling to combat infestation of their crops by brown plant hoppers. Together with the PPD of Vietnam, it is monitoring the situation and considering if it should eventually extend the program to rice farmers in the country. Vietnam is the world’s second-largest exporter of rice after Thailand.

“CropLife Asia is concerned about tight supplies and high prices of food in Vietnam,” says Executive Director George Fuller. “Our member companies are committed to helping farmers more food to feed their families and generate income.       

CropLife Asia has resources and expertise to provide Vietnam’s small-scale farmers with training in the use of agriculture technology, which will contribute toward the next green revolution, Fuller says.

“To address the critical issue of food security, farmers should also have access to biotechnology solutions that help them produce more food with lower per acre cost. Better seed varieties and crop protection are some of the inputs needed, along with training and integrated crop management, to boost productivity in a sustainable manner,” he adds.

Nguyen Thi Hai, a vegetable farmer from Vietnam’s Vinh Phuc province, has seen her livelihood improve since she received training on the responsible use of pesticides from the PPD and CropLife Asia.

Higher yields mean that Nguyen and her husband are able to provide enough food for her family and live comfortably. In addition, she has learnt how to ensure food safety by spraying according to product label recommendations.

To benefit more Vietnamese farmers in the long-term, CropLife Asia is setting up an industry body in the country, which will be operational by the fourth quarter. The organization, the CropLife Sector Committee under the European Chamber of Commerce, will steer efforts toward stewardship and regulatory affairs in partnership with the Vietnamese government.  The Committee will focus on increasing training opportunities for Vietnamese farmers on how to successfully protect their crops and secure their harvests

“The private sector believes that Vietnam’s farmers can be empowered through technology,” says Arnd Nenstiel, Country Head of Bayer CropScience in Vietnam. “The key to preventing food shortages is training and providing farmers with practical farming solutions to be more productive.”