Ecological agriculture: Practical solutions for emission reduction and sustainable agricultural development

Dak Lak, October 20, 2022 - Within the framework of the Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture in Vietnam (PSAV), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and Nestlé Vietnam jointly organized a conference entitled "Regenerative Agriculture: The Practical Solutions to Reduce Emissions and Develop Sustainable Agriculture".

Over 100 representatives from government agencies, international organizations, and businesses discussed solutions aiming for a green and low-emission agriculture that adapts to climate change.

Addressing the conference, Mr. Le Quoc Doanh, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that agricultural production had obtained remarkable achievements in recent years. Its biggest achievement has been ensuring the national food security and developing the commodity agriculture with a significant position in the region and in the world.

“After the COVID-19 pandemic, the agriculture sector has been able to demonstrate its role as the pedestal of the economy in difficult times as ensuring the supply of food, food and essential goods is an important basis for the implementation of security and people’s safety during the pandemic,” Deputy Minister Doanh added.

However, despite these positive contributions, agricultural production, is a source of emissions, especially those activities related to cultivation, animal husbandry, land management, fertilization, among others. Notably, nearly 70 percent of CO2 emissions come from cultivation activities. At the COP26, Vietnam’s Prime Minister made a commitment that Vietnam will strive to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 as well as two other commitments that are closely related to the agricultural industry. The first was the commitment to join the Global Methane Reduction Initiative which aims to reduce methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030. The other was the commitment to implement the "Glasgow Leaders' Declaration on Forests and Land Use."

To bring these commitments into action, in January 2022, MARD submitted to the Government the "Strategy for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development for the period of 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050” which was approved by the Prime Minister. According to Deputy Minister Doanh, MARD is also developing a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture and rural development in the period of 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050.

The conference participants agreed that the implementation of Vietnam’s international commitments as well as the deployment of the Strategy for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development require great efforts not only from the Government but also from the private sector and organizations that directly participate in the implementation at varying scales, to unlock investment resources of the whole society.

Attending the conference as part of a business trip to Vietnam, Mr. David Rennie, Deputy Executive Vice President and Head of Coffee Brands, Nestlé Group, highlighted that “Climate change is one of society’s greatest challenges. It is also one of the greatest risks to producing the ingredients that go into our food and beverage products. We are acting now to become a net zero company and accelerate the move towards regenerative food systems at scale. Today we would like to share about the regenerative agriculture approach and why regenerative agriculture is a key part of Nestlé’s Net Zero roadmap.”

“We have just announced the Nescafé Plan 2030, the sustainability ambition and regenerative agriculture journey, for our largest coffee brand, Nescafé,” added Mr. Rennie. “We are working with farmers to help them transition to regenerative coffee farming practices and to look for the best tailored solutions that are right for their regions and crops.”

As the Co-Chair of the PSAV and Co-Chair of the PPP Task Force on Coffe, as well as a pioneer in the private sector, Nestlé Vietnam expressed its desire to accompany the Government and other departments in promoting regenerative agriculture. Nestlé Vietnam's NESCAFÉ Plan is currently being implemented in four Central Highlands provinces where the regenerative agriculture model is being applied, a crucial part in reaching the country’s ecological agriculture goal. During the conference, Nestlé Vietnam’s representatives shared not only its experience and achievements of the NESCAFÉ Plan but also initiatives in regenerative farming, replicable best practices towards the green and low-emission agriculture that adapt to climate change.

The conference was held in the context of Vietnam aiming to restructure and promote agricultural industry as quality-and value-based, enabling the country to become a transparent, responsible, and sustainable food supplier for the world. To achieve this goal, along with the excellent implementation of the Government's commitment at COP26 to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, promoting multi-stakeholder partnerships, which includes public and private sectors and other partners, throughout the supply chain is essential.