Consultation Workshop on Circular Economy Business Models in the Rice and Coffee Value Chains

On the morning of November 15, a consultation workshop on circular economy business models in the rice and coffee value chains took place at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The workshop was co-organized by the Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture in Viet Nam (PSAV), the Science Institute of Rural Development (SIRD), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

The event was attended and chaired by Mr. To Viet Chau, Deputy Director General of the International Cooperation Department – Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Mr. Hoang Thanh Vinh, Program Analyst at the Climate Change and Environment Unit (UNDP Vietnam). The workshop gathered over 50 participants, including representatives from relevant agencies of the Ministry, agricultural investment and business enterprises, associations, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations.

The workshop aimed to share the outcomes of capacity-building activities on the circular economy through training courses conducted in the Mekong Delta and Son La. It also presented reports and facilitated discussions on identifying and analyzing potential circular economy business models in the rice and coffee value chains. Additionally, participants provided recommendations on measures to upgrade and scale up these models to support local policy development.

In his opening remarks, Mr. To Viet Chau emphasized that adopting circular economy models in agricultural production is no longer optional but has become an urgent necessity. He highlighted that the circular economy enables the reuse of agricultural by-products, turning "waste" into "resources." In the Mekong Delta, abundant rice straw offers opportunities to reduce methane emissions and produce high-value products such as animal feed, organic fertilizers, and soil cover materials. Meanwhile, in Son La, the circular economy allows farmers and businesses to optimize the use of coffee by-products, converting them into raw materials for fertilizer or animal feed production, yielding economic benefits while minimizing environmental impacts. This approach represents an inevitable trend toward sustainable agriculture and aligns with the goals of PSAV and its partners in organizing today's training sessions and workshops.

Mr. Chau also expressed his gratitude to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and the Science Institute of Rural Development (SIRD) for their collaboration with PSAV in implementing the training courses and today's workshop. He expressed hope that the practical and fundamental knowledge on the circular economy shared through these events would be widely disseminated and applied, contributing to the development of a green, sustainable, and environmentally friendly agricultural sector in Viet Nam.