Filling a G.A.P. in Vietnam
Following the completion of VietGAP (Vietnam Good Agricultural Practice) manual compilation, the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture in collaboration with the National Agricultural Extension Center (NAEC) under the Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development (MARD) has organized a training course dedicated to trainers for 30 staffs of agricultural extension coming from 10 vegetable growing provinces in Red river delta during December 4 – 6, 2019 in Hanoi.
The primary objective of this training was to launch & distribute the VietGAP manual co-compiled by SFSA & NAEC to provincial agricultural extension offices. The event was also the opportunity to train participants on how to use the manual in training vegetable farmers on VietGAP in their own province. As a result, this collaboration was a strong Public-Private Partnership. The theory session took place in Hanoi, where participants learned the main models on VietGAP in the manual. The models included site selection, water & environment, seeds, soil & fertilizer, crop protection, harvesting. The practice session took place at the Tienle cooperative, Hoai Duc district, Suburb Hanoi, which is an SFSA project site. Participants observed insect pests & beneficial on vegetable fields and discussed with farmers on challenges in VietGAP implementation.
Dr. Dao Xuan Cuong, our SFSA Technical Manager in Vietnam was among the trainers: “It has been a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate to the staff from the National Agricultural Extension Center how you can concretely help vegetable farmers to develop sustainable agricultural practices. There is a growing demand from the civil society in Vietnam to access to safe and healthy vegetables. In that context, this training has been highly valued and appreciated by MARD managers”. Other trainers were from partners institutions such as Dr. Nguyen Hong Son – Director of Vietnam Academy on Agricultural Science (VAAS); Dr. Le Manh Tien – Deputy Director of Soil & Fertilizer Research Institute (FSRI); Dr. Pham Van Lam – Vice-chairman of Vietnam Entomology Association; Dr. Nguyen Manh Khoa – Head of training division (NAEC).
At the end of the training, all trainees were handed out with a manual and appropriate training documents. They are now able to understand the VietGAP concept & training models. A second course will be organized in January 2020 for agricultural extension staffs from 15 mountainous & hilling provinces in the North of the country.
