Initiative works on sustainable agricultural development

CGIAR on Wednesday organised a workshop introducing its OneCGIAR Portfolio for Việt Nam. — Photo The Courtesy of CGIAR 

HÀ NỘI — The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) on Wednesday organised a workshop introducing its OneCGIAR initiative, which includes scientific and technological innovations in agriculture to accelerate the transformation of food, and soil and water systems amid the climate crisis.

At the workshop, participants discussed nine new initiatives and projected results in four areas of the One CGIAR initiative’s impact in Việt Nam.

The OneCGIAR initiative includes the Mitigate+, Asian Mega-Deltas, NATURE+, SHIFT, and SeEdQUAL initiatives that aim to help Việt Nam adapt to and mitigate climate change, research the low emissions systems, and protect the food system in major delta regions.

Research on environmental health and biodiversity aims to achieve food security, transforming agro-food systems towards a more sustainable and resilient path.

CGIAR has been operating in Việt Nam since the 1960s through cooperation with state management agencies, research institutes, universities, development organisations and the private sector to develop and implement research programmes.

In the past five years, CGIAR has implemented more than 100 projects in more than 40 provinces and cities of Việt Nam, with a total investment of US$24 million, directly benefiting about 2 million people and indirectly about 24.5 million people. 

CGIAR has impacted many areas of sustainable farming and animal husbandry, transforming sustainable food systems and improving human and animal health through the “one health” approach.

Nguyễn Đỗ Tuấn Anh, Director of the Department of International Cooperation, said that despite rapid growth, Việt Nam’s agriculture still revealed shortcomings and limitations such as unsustainable growth, resource-intensive agricultural production, heavily relying on the import market, underdeveloped preservation and processing, high post-harvest losses, and limited production linkages. 

“To enter a new phase of development with many difficulties and challenges, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development highly appreciates and looks forward to receiving help and support from donors, international organisations, especially the CGIAR’s Agricultural Research Organisation,” Tuấn said.

Dr Jean Balie, OneCGIAR’s regional director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said Việt Nam had achieved impressive growth over the years, especially in the agricultural development sector.

“Việt Nam is one of the key countries in CGIAR’s operational strategy. The Agricultural Innovation Network in the ASEAN region has agreed to work with Việt Nam to identify joint research programmes for the next three to five years. Accordingly, it will focus on researching modern advanced sciences, supplementing the network’s support for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainable development of green and ecological agriculture,” he said. — VNS