Promote Public - Private Partnerships supporting farmers in coping with Covid-19 and saltwater intrusion

On the morning of September 22 in Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai, the National Agricultural Extension Center cooperated with related partners to organize a Project kick-off workshop ”Supporting smallholder farmers to cope with the dual crisis of Covid-19 pandemic and saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta and Southeast regions". The event was attended by leaders of the National Center for Agricultural Extension, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dong Nai Province, International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture in Vietnam (PSAV), Bayer Viet Nam, Grow Asia, leaders and representatives of the agricultural extension system and farmers in 7 provinces of the Mekong Delta and Southeast regions, as well as related partners.

To support smallholder farmers cope with the excessive impact of saline intrusion, drought and the Covid-19 pandemic, the Bayer Foundation/Bayer Group will launch a global support project called "Better Farms, Better Lives". The project will support 2 million smallholder farmers with a comprehensive solution packages including seeds, plant protection products, market access solutions, and people's health safety to help ensure that the current economic and health crisis does not turn into a crisis of poverty.

In Vietnam, Bayer will collaborate with Grow Asia and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (National Agricultural Extension Center and the Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture in Vietnam (PSAV)/International Cooperation Department) to implement the project: ”Supporting smallholder farmers to cope with the dual crisis of Covid-19 pandemic and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta and Southeast regions", helping them to recover their production and effectively respond to current natural disasters and pandemic.

The project will support 80,000 small farmers in the Mekong Delta and Southeast regions with comprehensive solution packages (including seeds, plant protection products to help protect productivity), and knowledge transfer of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), helping smallholder farmers maintain, restore, and reorganize their production activities, increase productivity, and respond effectively to drought, saline intrusion and Covid-19, while ensuring that harvested produces meet food safety and hygiene requirements and international standards.

The project will be implemented in 5 provinces of Mekong Delta (Kien Giang, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Long An, and Ca Mau) and 2 provinces in the Southeast region (Dong Nai, Ba Ria - Vung Tau).

Specifically, the program will provide 60 tons of corn seeds for 20,000 maize farmers in 2 provinces in the Southeast; 60 tons of plant protection products to help protect productivity against drought and salinity for 60,000 rice farmers in 5 provinces in the Mekong Delta.

The project also helps to improve the capacity of extension staff and farmers in sustainable rice and maize cultivation through training, knowledge transfer of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), thereby helping increase productivity, improve income and livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the Mekong Delta and Southeast regions.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development/National Agricultural Extension Center will accompany farmers in the production process from seeding to harvest through crop management and pest management consulting as well as training programs to improve the capacity in applying modern farming technology.

The project will organize ToT training for 700 extension trainers and ToF training for 24,800 smallholder farmers from 7 project provinces.

In addition, the project helps to strengthen capacity for Covid-19 epidemic control and health care knowledge for female farmers.

Mr. Weraphon Charoenpanit, Commercial Lead, Thailand and Vietnam Bayer’s Crop Science Division, shared: “Smallholder agriculture plays an important role in ensuring food security in Vietnam. However, the Covid-19 pandemic is occurring in parallel with the drought and saline intrusion, which have seriously affected the livelihoods of farmers and communities.

The project will rapidly support smallholder farmers in accessing agricultural inputs and training throughout the summer-autumn crop this year and beyond. We hope that this project, under the guidance of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, together with the National Center for Agricultural Extension, International Cooperation Department, PSAV as well as Grow Asia, will not only contribute to enhancing smallholder farmers’ resiliency but also ensuring the stability and sustainability of Vietnam's agricultural sector".

“I hope that the agricultural extension systems in the Mekong Delta and the Southeast regions including the 7 project provinces/cities will coordinate closely with all levels, sectors, local authorities to smoothly and effectively implement the project while guiding farmers to proactively implement measures to prevent drought, salinity, crop restructuring, and safe and responsible use of agricultural materials, contributing to improving the health of people, communities and protecting the environment. The Vietnamese agricultural extension system, with nearly 30 years of companion with farmers, will strive to promote and fulfill its roles in this endeavor.”