in vietnam

ACIARin Vietnam July Thaùng 7 2015

<aciar.gov.au>

NewsACIAR CEO visits Viet Nam (p.2)ACIAR Viet Nam strategy discussion 2015 (p.4)Workshop on potential for growing Macadamias in Viet Nam (p.6)Story of Mrs Ha Thi Thay - The fruit farmer (p.8)Acknowledgement to Australian scientists (p.10)

Assessing farmer responses to climate change (p12)

Project updatesWorking with ‘Farmer Champions’ to promote adoption of new cattle production practices (p.14)Agroforestry for livelihoods of smallholder farmers (p.16)Improving smallholder pig value chains (p.18)The final review of CLUES project (p.22)Sustainable irrigation for mango on sandy soil (p.26)

Human resource developmentJohn Dillon fellowship (p.30)John Dillon fellowship - Emotions from a trip (p.32)Capacity building through research projects (p.34)

Tin tức

ACIAR CEO thăm Việt Nam (p.3)Tọa đàm chiến lược ACIAR Việt Nam 2015 (p.5)

Hội thảo “Định hướng phát triển cây Macadamia tại Việt Nam” (p.7)Câu chuyện của chị Hà Thị Thay - Nông dân trồng cây ăn quả (p.9)

Ghi nhận công lao của các nhà khoa học Australia (p.11)Đánh giá khả năng ứng phó của nông dân với Biến đổi khí hậu (p.13)

Cập nhật từ dự ánCộng tác với Nông dân điển hình để nhân rộng các kỹ thuật mới

về chăn nuôi bò (p.15)Nông lâm kết hợp cho sinh kế nông hộ nhỏ (p.17)

Cải thiện chuỗi giá trị chăn nuôi lợn quy mô nông hộ (p.19)Đánh giá cuối cùng của dự án CLUES (p.23)

Tưới tiết kiệm nước cho xoài trên đất pha cát (p.27)

Phát triển nguồn nhân lựcChương trình học bổng John Dillon (p.31)

Học bổng John Dillon - Cảm nhận từ một chuyến đi (p.33)Nâng cao năng lực thông qua dự án nghiên cứu (p.35)

Mrs Nong and Mrs Luyen, the farmers and collectors from Moc Chau District, Son La Province are proudly showing Dr Austin their temperate vegetable products in Fivimart in mid-summerChị Nông và chị Luyến – nông dân và người thu gom rau từ Mộc Châu, tỉnh Sơn La rất tự hào khoe với TS Austin sản phẩm rau ôn đới của họ ở Fivimart giữa mùa hè

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ACIAR CEO, Dr Nick Austin visited Viet Nam from 7 to 10 July 2015. This was his second visit after the first one five years ago. The main purpose of his visit was to attend the High Level Consultations (HLCs) between the two governments on priorities for the Aid Investment Plan (AIP) in mutual areas of interest such as economics, human resources development, environmental sustainability, transport and agriculture.

The HLCs were co-chaired by Mr Nguyen Chi Dung, Vice Minister, Ministry of Planning and Investment of Viet Nam and Mr Craig Chittick, First Assistant Secretary, South East Asia Mainland and Regional Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of Australia. Participants were representatives from related ministries and offices from both sides. The HLCs came to agreement with three objectives of the Australian AIP in Viet Nam until 2020. They are: 1) Enabling and engaging the private sector for development; 2) Assisting the development and employment of a highly skilled workforce; 3) Promoting women’s economic empowerment, including ethnic minorities. In addition, the ‘economic partnership’ between the two countries has been endorsed and mutual obligations have been committed at the HLCs.

Being one of Viet Nam’s long-term and active partners in agricultural research, ACIAR affirms to continue its goal for development of sustainable agriculture, of which farmers’ incomes and livelihoods are improved. In the upcoming period, this goal will be done through working closer with DFAT in the shared objectives for aid investment. Dr Austin emphasised that ‘ACIAR works in close partnership with DFAT to provide appropriate inputs for broader projects in agriculture in Vietnam’.

During the visit, Dr Austin and the Australian delegation called on Deputy Prime Minister of Viet Nam Hoang Trung Hai and Vice Minister of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Van Thang. The meetings reaffirmed the interest of the Vietnamese government in agricultural development and the

alignment of the ACIAR research program with the government priorities in food security, food safety and toward higher value in agricultural, forestry, and fishery productions.

Despite a very tight schedule, Dr Austin spared time to visit and witness activities from two of the 16 active projects funded by ACIAR in Viet Nam. At the Agroforestry project (FST/2010/034), he witnessed the signing ceremony, transferring research results on Son Tra (also called Tao Meo) between the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) – the leading agency of the project and the Tay Bac Tea and Special Food Company Limited (TAFOOD). TAFOOD will use the research results to develop and produce different processed products from Son Tra, creating and promoting market opportunities for the traditional local products.

At the Moc Chau Counter Seasonal Vegetable Project (AGB/2009/053), Dr Austin interacted with farmers, local collectors, researchers and representatives of Fivimart supermarket chain – one of the distributors for vegetables from the project. He also witnessed the fresh temperate vegetables produced by Moc Chau farmers on Fivimart’s shelves in mid-summer. Mrs Luyen – chairperson of Luu Luyen cooperative, which collects vegetables from Moc Chau and connects farmers with distributors in Hanoi said: 'Moc Chau’s safe vegetable value chain has been successful thanks to three factors: the assurance of safe products by applying VietGAP protocols; gaining prestige through trademark development; and partnership of the stakeholders in the whole supply chain, with assistance from researchers and local authorities, and endeavors of the producers, suppliers and distributors.'

The visit successfully concluded. It fostered the relationship and understanding between Australia and Viet Nam in agriculture on all levels, and especially highlighted the benefits of research, knowledge exchange and initiatives for private sector engagement in Viet Nam through ACIAR’s support.

ACIAR CEO visits Viet NamSigning ceremony to transfer research results on Son Tra to Tafood companyKý kết chuyển giao kết quả nghiên cứu về quả Sơn Tra cho công ty Tafood

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ACIAR Viet Nam’s strategies have been discussed in a workshop held in Hanoi on 18 May 2015. The focus of the workshop was to review the current program and discuss key changes in collaborative research priorities for agricultural development between Australia and Vietnam.

The workshop included senior staff from ACIAR and Australian Development Cooperation Office in Viet Nam, and representatives of the Vietnamese organisations: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) (Department of Science, Technology and Environment), Ministry of Science and Technology (Department of Science and Technology for Economic-Technical Branches), Ministry of Planning and Investment (Department of Agricultural Economics), rectors/directors of universities and R&D institutes. These representatives are leading partners of the active projects, directors of some provincial DARDs and NGOs, which are partners of the Viet Nam Program.

ACIAR’s long-term goal remains for farmers and their incomes. However, emphasis of projects will focus more on the whole of market chain rather than improved production only. Main outcomes of the discussion are as below:

Partnership

Participants suggested that ACIAR should support large projects identified by Viet Nam. New research ideas should be negotiated between both sides from the designing phase.

Co-funding. In the principal of partnership, together with the main financial support from the Australian Government through ACIAR, participants thought that counterpart funds from Vietnam can be sourced from the partner provinces or enterprises. And if list of new projects can be logged into the Government’s system early and on right time, it is possible for projects to receive counterpart funds from the Central Government.

Communication. The knowledge and lessons-learnt sharing among projects, and dissemination of research results was emphasised. Participants also suggested that ACIAR should have a longer term strategy. Every year reflection on strategies is good,

Viet Nam strategy discussion 2015

ACIAR Viet Nam Strategy Discussion 2015, Hanoi, 18 May 2015Tọa đàm về chiến lược ACIAR Việt Nam tại Hà Nội ngày 18/5/2015

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but big changes may happen after 2-3 years. Annual reflections provide opportunity to decide when a workshop should be organised to develop a new strategy.

Economic development

ACIAR research should consider gender aspect, helping poverty reduction and promoting role of women in economic development. Projects should work with farmer groups or cooperatives rather than individual farmers.

Projects should consider working toward sustainability of farming resources in the conditions of market change and climate change. It is necessary to place importance on big chains across borders, disease management, and understanding of standards for exporting and joining free trade agreements.

Alongside three prioritised geographic areas of North West, South Central Coast and Mekong Delta, some participants suggested considering Central Highlands for livelihood of poor farmers and for market opportunities, and Red River Delta for higher incomes from winter crops.

Private sector engagement

Understanding of enterprises’ needs in research and market information may help link them better in projects. Enterprises may co-fund for some research, especially for high value and exporting focused commodities. Potential areas for engagement are: processing, post-harvest (crop production), food safety, post-harvest handling (fisheries and animal sciences), timber production (forestry).

Value adding in agriculture

‘High tech’ approaches to reduce input cost and post-harvest losses, focusing on processing, preservation and higher profitable markets were identified as a focus for value adding in agriculture. Participants also recommended that ACIAR should focus on major commodities (as in MARD’s list of priority crops).

Detailed report on outcomes of the discussion and follow-up tasks for ACIAR, MARD and research institutions can be seen on the website: <vietnam.embassy.gov.au>.

Participants after the workshopCác đại biểu sau buổi Tọa đàm

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Workshop on potential for growing Macadamias in Viet Nam

By Mai Van Kien, VNFOREST

A workshop on the potential for growing Macadamias in Viet Nam was held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) in Hanoi on 4 June 2015. Purpose of the workshop was to share international experiences and find initial solutions for development of Macadamia industry in Viet Nam. The workshop was supported by the Australian government through ACIAR.

The workshop was chaired by MARD’s Vice Minister Mr Ha Cong Tuan. The Australian Ambassador, H.E. Mr Hugh Borrowman was invited to the workshop as an honour guest. The workshop attracted a large number of scientists, representatives from companies and authorities of the two regions of North West and Central Highlands, where there are favourable conditions for Macadamias.

At the request of ACIAR, the Australian Macadamia Society (AMS) provided two experts to join the workshop and share their knowledge on markets and technical aspects of Macadamias. They are Mr Jolyon Burnett, CEO, Australian Macadamia Society, and Mr Brice Kaddatz, Grower Services Manager, SunCoast Gold, Australian Macadamia Society.

The reports from the Australian experts provided an overview on production and markets of global industry and Australian industry of Macadamias. Globally, demand is strong and supply is limited. This is partly because of the increasing demand from China, and partly because Macadamia health-related Macadamia products are developing across all new markets. As a result, Macadamia prices are steady. In the global trade, Macadamia accounts for

only around 1% of the total tree nut trade. However, this figure is easily changed with increased supply.

According to the reports of Vietnamese presenters, there estimate about 200,000 ha of land areas suitable for growing Macadamias. Tests of varieties, orchard management, soil and climate conditions have been implemented and well documented. However, knowledge on some aspects of commercial production such as nut productivity, profits of small orchard owners, processing and bringing products to markets is limited.

Both Australian and Vietnamese experts agreed that sustainable development of nut production is far more important than short-term quantity of trees. In addition, Macadamia is a long-term tree and there should be careful planning from first steps of development of the industry. Speaking at the workshop, Vice Minister Ha Cong Tuan emphasised that 'for perennial crops, if we do not consider carefully, it may cause long term consequences for both farmers and enterprises who are planting Macadamias'

After the workshop, the two Australian experts had a short meeting with MARD’s Minister Cao Duc Phat, and then participated in a field trip with officials from VNFOREST to the Macadamia region in Central Highlands.

The presentations and reports shared by the experts at the workshop and after the field trip helped MARD to have multiple views, which are useful for the planning of Macadamia industry development in Viet Nam.

Vice Minister Ha Cong Tuan - MARD opening and chairing the workshopThứ trưởng Bộ NNPTNN Hà Công Tuấn phát biểu khai mạc và chủ trì hội thảo

During my recent field trip to Moc Chau I was very grateful to meet with Mrs Ha Thi Thay – a fruit grower in Muong Village, Phieng Luong, Moc Chau Son La. This trip was to better understand famers’ barriers to adoption of improved temperate fruit varieties and production techniques, as part of the agribusiness project: ‘Increased competitiveness and market access of smallholders in north west Vietnam to regional temperate fruit markets (AGB/2012/060). Mrs Thay was one of the farmers who participated in our focus group discussions, sharing their thoughts about the advantages, as well as challenges they have been encountering while producing fruits with the research team. I have come to know many insights thanks to her openness, which is a feature among the Dao ethnic people.

When did you start growing peach and plum trees?

I am originally from Phu Yen district, Son La. I migrated to Muong village in 1994 as part of the Phu Yen Hydro Power program. It was not easy for me to leave my village, my brothers and sisters. Land resources in Muong village were very limited at that time so I had to pay VND 46 million to buy enough land to grow 5kg of maize seeds and a total of 90 plum and peach trees. I remember we had to use almost all my family savings to buy land. It was one of the biggest decisions that we ever made and that left me with so much concern and worries.

How was your fruit production after that? Did the trees develop well?

Fortunately, my trees developed very nicely and after 3 years, I had the first harvest. By the fourth year, my family earned over VND 20 million from selling fruits. Plums brought such good income for our farmers in Muong village, it changed the face of our village. More concrete houses were built, more motorcycles were bought and there were more buffaloes in our community. I remember there were so many collectors and traders who came to my village that year. They came with big trucks and lots of fruit pickers. They purchased all the fruits in our village within a few weeks.

What is your current plum and peach production like?

It is unfortunately going down these days. Over the last 7 years, fewer and fewer collectors came to Muong village to buy plums. Our trees got older which happened quite fast because of poor management and production practices. Our ripened plums could no longer compete with high quality ripe plums in other areas in Moc Chau so we sold them at much lower prices. We have no choice but selling green plums to China at low prices and this has been the case for the whole Muong village since 2008.

Do you like selling green plums to China?

Even though producing green plums is easy and normally does not require much labour nor input costs, the profit is still much lower than the profit back in the days when trees were young and ripe plums were sold. I have no choice, my fruit got smaller and smaller and they don’t taste as sweet as they were before so I have to sell them green. There are no ripe plum collectors coming here anymore.

What about our peach production?

Unfortunately, the same situation happened with our peaches, which dropped under the trees when they ripen. Because

they taste sour and bitter, no one came to buy them. Farmers in Muong village were confused and disappointed about the decreasing peach and plum quality.

What is your family’s solution about fruit production?

I will continue selling green plums to China because it brings sustainable income to our family since 2007. But as you see, this year ripe plum price went up so high, I wish I had some ripe plum to sell and one day ripe plum collectors would come back to our village to buy plums and peaches, then we will definitely take care of our orchards better.

What about your peach trees?

Three years ago I started selling peach trees as flower decoration for Tet holiday. The collector in our village offered to buy all our old trees, we had to dig up the whole tree including roots. We got around VND 700,000 for a 10-year old tree. I know that selling peach trees as Tet decoration is not a sustainable option but it is the most feasible option for me and other farmers in Muong Village at the current time.

CONCLUSION

Ms Thay story is very common for all farmers in Muong village who are struggling to produce better quality fruits and gain sustainable income by accessing what appears to be profitable temperate fruit markets. They are now well aware of the importance of improved management techniques and practices but still have deep concern whether their products will be purchased at a fair price afterwards. It will be interesting to understand why more farmers choose to sell green plums, earlier in the season to the traders from China, but at lower price than later maturing, ripe plums for local markets. This could be the reason the local plum traders stopped coming to the village. We strongly believe that findings emerging from our market and consumer research will greatly help Moc Chau local government to develop better temperate fruit production strategies and will help facilitate linkages and information flow between farmers and local wholesale and retail sector. Collectors and traders may then come back to Muong village to purchase plums and peaches one day soon.

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Story of Mrs Ha Thi Thay - the fruit farmerBy Le Thi Hang Nga

For further information, please contact Le Thi Hang Nga <[email protected]>

Mrs Thay (second) sharing with other farmers in Muong village about fruit production Chị Thay (thứ 2) đang chia sẻ cùng các nông dân khác trong bản Muống về trồng cây ăn quả

The Medal of the Cause of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam is one of the noblest awards of the State of Vietnam for those who have made enormous contribution to the Cause of agriculture and rural development in Viet Nam.

On 10 July 2015 at Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Tran Kim Long, Director of International Cooperation Department (ICD) as authorised by His Excellency the Minister Cao Duc Phat, has led the solemn ceremony for presenting the decision and awarding medals to two Australian experts, who have made outstanding achievements in Agriculture and Rural development in Viet Nam.

Associate Professor, Dr Peter Lane and Dr Stephen Ives are the two lecturers from the University of Tasmania, Australia. One is the project leader and the other is the coordinator of the ACIAR project LPS/2008/049 ‘Overcoming technical and market constraints to the emergence of profitable beef enterprises in the north-western highlands of Viet Nam’.

During 5 years working in Vietnam, A/Prof Lane and Dr Ives have made a positive contribution though their activities

to promoting the sustainable economic development and poverty alleviation for farmers in Viet Nam, especially farmers in northern mountainous provinces of Son La and Dien Bien. Additionally, they have also been very interested in and paid more attention on the training of local extension workers, farmers, who were willing to reduce their poverty through the beef cattle production. They both have brought professional education on livestock production into primary schools of the villages for enhancing knowledge and understanding of children on beef production and sustainable agriculture. The professional education will guide children in choosing their future jobs.

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development highly appreciated the valuable contribution of A/Prof Peter Lane and Dr Stephen Ives in agriculture and rural development in Viet Nam and has decided to award them the Medals for the Cause of Agriculture and Rural Development in Viet Nam.

For further information, please contact Ms Trinh Thi Thanh <[email protected]>

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Acknowledgement to Australian scientists

By Trinh Thi Thanh, National Institute for Animal Sciences

PROJECT UPDATES<aciar.gov.au>

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Assessing farmer responses to climate change

Mekong River Delta (MRD) and South Central Coast (SCC) are two areas which are affected seriously by climate change, noticeably extreme sea water intrusion in MRD in 2011 and record drought in SCC in 2014. These two disasters are considered an impact of climate change and have affected agricultural production in these two areas.

Despite many reports that have been studied about households’ ability to adapt to climate change, most of these reports are qualitative and therefore, project SRA-ADP/2010/070 was built to use largescale household data to analyse impact of climate change on household livelihoods. This project has interviewed 540 households who have been affected by disaster in An Giang, Dong Thap, Ben Tre and Tra Vinh and produced a descriptive report. ACIAR project ADP/2011/039: ‘Assessing farmer responses to climate change- Adjustment policy options’ is the second phase, continuing and expanding on the first phase. The purpose of this phase is to conduct panel surveys with households who were interviewed in phase one in Ben Tre and Tra Vinh. In addition, the second phase also covers 360 other households in Binh Dinh province. This phase uses econometric modelling as well as other advanced methods to design policy to mitigate the cost of adjustment by farmers to climate change and thereby to increase their livelihood.

For further information, please contact Do Huy Thiep <[email protected]>

Student from An Giang University and Researchers from IPSARD interview farmers in their fieldSinh viên trường Đại học An Giang và nhóm nghiên cứu IPSARD phỏng vấn những nông dân trên cánh đồng của họ

Climate change has been affecting agricultural production in Viet Nam which raises many questions: What are the adaption methods of farmers? What is the cost of adaption? Are government programs and support for climate change adaption effective? Especially what is the impact of climate change on agricultural production and price?

During the survey, the research team has worked closely with lecturers and students in Agriculture faculty in An Giang University and Biology – Agricultural Technics Faculty in Quy Nhon University. The interviews were conducted by these students with the support and supervision of their lecturers. This not only made it easier for farmers because they were interviewed with local accent but also helped students to collate practical experiences and theory that they have been taught in university. Lecturers are also introduced to research techniques including questionnaire designing, sampling and supervising.

Research team working with Binh Dinh’s agricultural staff and farmers to identify impact of climate change and household adaption

The research team has now finished the survey, entered and cleaned the data and are conducting econometric analysis. We expect to finish some of the articles and submit to international journals at the end of June 2015. These articles focus on factors that affect household adaption to climate change including government support, farmers’ assets, community assets, farmers’ social capital, and impact of adaption behavior to rice yield.

By Do Huy Thiep, Centre for Agriculture Policy, IPSARD

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By Nguyen Thi Da Thao, Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry

Smallholder farmer beef cattle production can be important for diversifying household income. Increasing beef cattle productivity was a key aim of ACIAR project SMCN/2007/109/3, conducted in study communes in Binh Dinh, Phu Yen and Ninh Thuan provinces in South Central Coastal of Viet Nam between 2009 and 2013. Farmers were introduced to a range of new ‘best bet’ forage, cattle feeding and management practices over this four-year project. Those ‘best bet’ farmers who successfully adopted many of these practices and then championed the importance of their new knowledge and practices to other farmers became known as farmer champions (FCs).

In a recent case study conducted as part of the follow-up ACIAR project LPS/2012/062 ‘Developing productive and profitable smallholder beef enterprises in Central Vietnam’, three FCs, who emerged from the previous project in Cat Trinh commune, Binh Dinh, were re-interviewed. The interview was two years after that project ended, to determine:

• Adoption history since the previous project ended;

• Previous and current role or influence in knowledge transfer to other farmers; and

• Status within their own community, in terms of any official positions held or changed community roles.

The three FCs strongly emphasised the importance of new knowledge about forage, cattle feeding and management, because they said that knowledge always stays with them, makes them richer financially and builds social relationship within the community. For these reasons, they have not hesitated to willingly share such knowledge with next users.

Farmer Champions as Facilitators of Knowledge Transfer

Since 2011, these three Cat Trinh FCs provided knowledge and forage cuttings for around 50 ‘scale out’ farmers (SOFs) through formal and informal transfer pathways. Most smallholders spend significant time and labour in grazing and cut and carry native forage gathering to support cattle production. With a key early benefit from new forage growing being significant labour saving, due to reduced need for grazing, initial knowledge transfer between FCs and new SOFs usually started with acquisition of forage cuttings (free or purchased from FCs).

However this knowledge transfer soon expanded to include advice on forage management, feeding and cattle management, through informal social interaction between farmers; farm visits by other farmers to see and learn, visits to other farmers to provide advice, or more formal workshop sessions organised by project partners or NGOs. A typical example of this facilitation is through a conversation at a commune event between Mr T (one of the FCs) and Mr H (a Cat Trinh farmer) about difficulties that he was experiencing feeding cattle during the wet season. After the event, Mr T immediately took Mr H to his house to provide him with 10kg of forage cuttings for free and key advice about how to manage them to ensure a reliable feed supply.

The three Cat Trinh FCs have demonstrated a common desire to help people improve livelihoods and to see the development and success in their community. The new cattle production practices have brought significant socio-economic benefits to SOFs in

terms of more income, lower costs and labour savings, especially for women and girls. For instance, the daughter of Mr D, a scale out farmer at Cat Trinh commune, reported:

“When my mother had to take the cattle grazing far away from home, I had to cook the meals and care for my two younger sisters. Therefore, I sometimes did not have enough time to do the homework and went to school late. The forage now is always available in my garden and my mother doesn’t need to graze any more. And I can spend my time learning and playing with my friends. I am very happy.”

As part of ACIAR project LPS/2012/062 activities, the project team successfully collaborated with these three Cat Trinh FCs to organise exposure two visits to Cat Trinh commune by 15 selected farmers from Tay Giang commune, Tay Son district and Cat Trinh commune in April 2015 to ‘fast-track’ the knowledge transfer and skills acquisition in new forage cultivation and on-farm feed resource management and use there. In addition to inspecting forage development, cattle feeding and management activities employed by Cat Trinh FCs the Tay Giang farmers and officials also shared meals and stayed overnight with them to allow informal social interaction and knowledge exchange.

Following this visit, Cat Trinh FCs and extension staff a made a return visit to Tay Giang where they instructed farmers on planting new forage cuttings supplied by the project and exchanged knowledge about new forage and cattle production practices. This exchange visit helped reinforce knowledge gained by the new Tay Giang ‘best bet’ farmers during their Cat Trinh visit. Importantly it also helped both the Tay Giang farmers and the Cat Trinh FCs to better appreciate how techniques used in Cat Trinh might need to be adapted or modified for Tay Giang conditions.

The success of this exposure visit activity shows how such identified farmer champions can play a critical role in facilitating knowledge transfer to help promote adoption of new forage and cattle production practices, not just in their own commune but also in other communes within their district or province. This also indicates that best practice farming technologies can be effectively introduced, sustained and scaled-out to similar activities and regions using participatory-adaptive knowledge delivery and transfer techniques.

Working with ‘Farmer Champions’ to promote adoption of new cattle production practices


Farmer champion introduced to Tay Giang farmers about new forages Nông dân điển hình chia sẻ với nông dân xã Tây Giang về các loại cỏ mới

For further information, please contact Nguyen Thi Da Thao <[email protected].>

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Agroforestry for livelihoods of smallholder farmers

The project, ’Agroforestry for livelihoods of smallholder farmers in northwest Viet Nam,’ is a five-year project funded by ACIAR and CGIAR (FST/2010/034) 2011-2016. The project aims to improve the performance of smallholder farming systems in northwest Viet Nam through agroforestry by increasing the productivity of associated crop and livestock systems, leading to more diverse and sustainable production systems and better income from tree products.

In northwest Viet Nam, rain-fed crop cultivation is dominated by mono-cultural maize, upland rice and cassava on sloping land. The loss of upper-layer soil during the rainy season leads to a reduction in nutrient and crop yield. The farmers have to invest heavily in chemical fertilizers for their crops to remain productive compared to the past. Harsh weather conditions also reduce yields or even crop loss and make soil and water conservation even more difficult.

To address the above challenges, the project has targeted bringing trees into mono-cropped landscapes through agroforestry to reduce the dependence on annual crop production and increase incomes from tree products. Several tree species have been selected and are being tested in different agroforestry systems to evaluate their suitability of the three ecological zones in three provinces: Dien Bien, Yen Bai and Son La.

The project focuses on improving the availability of quality germplasm source, market assess and extension methods for successful expansion of agroforestry systems.

In total, ten agroforestry systems have been developed that contain various tree species (timber: teak, acacia; fruit: ‘son tra’, late longan, plum, mango) and fodder grasses. The plots are being monitored and regularly evaluated.

An initial map of maize sloping lands in the northwest was also produced to spatially analyse the potential expansion of the domains of the trialled agroforestry systems. The methods and results of the trials have been shared with extension workers and farmers through training and field visits. A ‘Farmers Field Day’ was also conducted to expose potential partners to different agroforestry trials to encourage further adoption.

Besides the experiments, farmers demonstration trials with voluntary farmers, aims to further stimulate adoption of the agroforestry systems. Seven nurseries of farmer groups have also been established to serve the seedling requirements of the farmers’ demonstration trials. In conjunction with the establishment of these trials, extension materials in various formats on establishing and managing nurseries, grafting techniques, top-working and pruning were produced. The demonstration trials have shown that participatory research is possible when it is based on farmers’ own interests. The provincial governments are highly appreciative of the project and are looking forward to meaningful collaboration even beyond the project.

By La Nguyen and Delia Catacutan, ICRAFPhotographer: Nguyen Mai Phuong


For further information, please contact La Nguyen<[email protected]>

Agroforestry system with plum, coffee and fodder grassHệ thống nông lâm kết hợp có cây mận, cà phê và cỏ chăn nuôi

‘PigRisk’ is a five-year project (code LPS/2010/047) that aims to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Vietnam by leveraging pig value chains to improve human health and livelihoods. The project focuses on the human health burden and economic cost of pork-borne diseases as well as the impact of pig disease on the livestock sector. In late April 2015 the project team and partners held a two day bi-annual planning workshop in Hanoi. The objectives of the workshops were: (1) to share emerging results on disease and food safety risks in pigs and humans, (2) to start discussions on the development of interventions and their support through a system dynamics model and risk assessments, and (3) to update on forthcoming publications and reports.

Moving from assessments to suitable interventions, the project has reached a crucial phase. An underlying justification for the project is that interventions which are based on high quality research evidence and deep engagement with stakeholders, will be more effective than conventional top-down directives. The interventions are based on the detailed assessments conducted since 2012. Those assessments consisted of a series of literature reviews on food-borne hazards and pig

By Fred Unger, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), and Dang Xuan Sinh, Hanoi School of Public Health

diseases, a rapid assessment followed by an in-depth study of the pork value chain and a longitudinal survey of pig farms and pork consumers. Some of the key findings are highlighted as follows:

• A review of literature showed that biological hazards are the most serious cause of human disease.

• Pork sampled at markets showed 45% have Salmonella, 20% of pigs’ drinking water on farms contain Salmonella and 39% of carcass swabs in slaughterhouses tested positive for Salmonella.

• As well as biological hazards, chemical hazards including antibiotic residues were found in feed and pigs.

• Pigs sampled at farms, 75% carried at least one or more intestinal parasites.

• Slaughterhouse hygiene measures, on-farm biosecurity and disease prevention are fundamentally lacking (e.g. there is no use of disinfection matrices or restricted access for visitors) among pig raising households and value chain actors.

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Are pig risks, big risks, and what should be done about them? A project meeting in Hanoi considers evidence generated on the disease and food safety risks in smallholder pig value chains

Improving smallholder pig value chains

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For further information, please contact: Fred Unger < [email protected]>


• Pig feed on-farm management is inadequate (e.g. visible signs of moisture in feed).

A system dynamics model has been developed specifically for the pig value chain and will be used to evaluate ex ante economic effects of identified interventions in addition to technical performance. It is recognised that interventions need to provide incentives for farmers, slaughterhouse workers, and/or food sellers for them to be accepted and be sustainably adopted. As an output of the meeting, a first list of possible interventions was presented and discussed (e.g. improve drinking water hygiene at farm, or avoid slaughter on the ground) and will be further validated in consultations with targeted value chain actors and policy makers.

For research to influence development, findings must be credible, relevant and targeted to the audiences to be influenced. Abstracts and papers have been successfully presented at national and/or international fora and conferences and more are being planned (including three abstracts for Tropentag 2015, Germany; four abstracts for Safe Pork 2015, Portugal; one abstract for ICAE 2015, Italy). In addition briefs will also be prepared and meetings held to share the information with other stakeholders.

PigRisk has benefited from the contribution of Mr Duong Nam Ha, a key researcher from Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA) who was about to travel to Australia for his PhD study as a John Allwright Fellow funded by ACIAR. Ha said that the project has expanded his research network,

as well as improved his research skills and knowledge, which subsequently helped him and his colleagues become effective collaborators and enabled his team to overcome many challenges during the implementation of project activities in the field. Moreover, Ha and his team contributed two publications to the Tropentag Conference in 2014 (in Prague, Czech Republic) and have submitted several abstracts and papers to other academic events.

The workshop was attended by participants from a range of disciplines including socio-economics, value chain and system dynamics modeling, risk modeling, and veterinary and public health. Vietnamese project partners from the VNUA and the Hanoi School of Public Health (HSPH) as well as ILRI researchers based in Hanoi and from outside Hanoi were present. To provide inputs and thoughts on the presented results and potential interventions we also invited resource persons from the National Institute for Animal Science, the National Institute for Veterinary Research and the National Center for Veterinary Hygiene Inspection. ACIAR’s Vietnam Country Manager also attended the workshop. ‘It is good to see PigRisk moving in the right track with research and capacity building. Going forward, we hope to see the project improve coordination and strengthen the partnership among partners’ – An Nguyen, ACIAR Country Manager - Vietnam commented during the discussions.

>> Continued from page 18

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The project ‘Climate Change Affecting Land Use in the Mekong Delta: Adaptation of Rice-based Cropping Systems’ (CLUES) has been funded by ACIAR for the period March 2011 to June 2015. The overall objective of the project is to increase the adaptive capacity of rice production systems in the Mekong River Delta (MRD) in the context of climate change and sea level rise. The immediate objective is to provide farmers and management agencies the technologies and knowledge that will improve food security in the Mekong Delta.

From 18 to 22 May 2015, CLUES held the final review workshop to evaluate the achievements of the project of the last four years. Two reviewers (one international and one national) were invited by ACIAR and visited field sites, attended workshop and discussed with stakeholders that related to the CLUES.

On the first three days, CLUES project organised field visits for reviewers to experimental sites of the project at An Giang, Hau Giang, Can Tho and Bac Lieu. The main workshop was held at the Ho Nam hotel, Bac Lieu on the following two days 21 and 22 May 2015. The two international and local reviewers, and representatives of ACIAR Canberra and Viet Nam, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organisation (CSIRO), International Water Management (IWMI), GIZ Bac Lieu, Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute (CLRRI), Southern Institute for Water Resource Planning (SIWRP), Institute of Agricultural Science For Southern Vietnam (IAS), Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of An Giang, Bac Lieu, Hau Giang and Can Tho city, Can Tho University and all project members attended the workshop. The achievements of CLUES could be summarised as follows:

Overlaying the present land use map in the Mekong River

Delta (MRD) in 2008 with various generated maps of flooding depths and salinity levels from 12 proposed scenarios of climate change and sea level rise to find out risk maps of hotspots from flooding and salinity damages on comparative vulnerability assessment at four study sites of CLUES in MRD: flooding zone (An Giang), intermediate flood zones with alluvial soil (Can Tho) and acid sulphate soils (Hau Giang) and coastal area with saline affected soils with local submergence (Bac Lieu).

The plant breeding group developed and tested high-yielding rice varieties which are tolerant to a single or combined stresses of submergence, medium stagnant and salinity by using the backcross method as well as through conventional bi-parental and complex crosses to investigate the underlying quantitative genetics and breeding value of parental lines. The promoting varieties have been submitted for varietal release in 2014, OM3673 (short-growth duration, tolerant of anaerobic seedling stage), OM10252 (submergence and salinity-tolerant), OM6328 and OM6677 (high yield and salinity-tolerant).

From experiment results, CLUES has indicated that AWD is a promising adaptation strategy in the water scarce region in MRD which can reduce methane emission from paddy rice fields up to 50% under AWD condition.

It also concluded that salinity tolerance, short-growth duration and high-yielding varieties (OM4900, OM10252, OM6976, OM6677, and OM2517) could give higher yield and replace the traditional rice varieties Mot Bui Do in the shrimp-rice system in saline zone of Bac Lieu province. Harvesting rice early could avoid salinity stress at the end of the season and give more time for land preparation for the next shrimp component.

The final review of CLUES projectBy Ngo Dang Phong, Crop and Environmental Sciences Division, IRRI

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Participants attended in the final review workshop of CLUES from 18-22 May 2015Các đại biểu tham dự hội thảo đánh giá cuối dự án CLUES từ 18-22 tháng 5 năm 2015

Short duration and high valued upland crop is also a diversified option that can replace the Summer-Autumn rice crop in three rice systems. It raises farmer income, saving fresh water and avoiding effect of salinity intrusion in dry season. In addition, applying phosphorus at reduced rate from current farmer practice for rice production tested by CLUES can reduce input cost for farmers.

The promising CLUES stress tolerant rice varieties, other rice-farming technologies and their extension pathways have been assessed by CLUES with the participation of farmers and extension staff at four study sites. Out-scaling and up-scaling of promising technologies need effective coordination and participation of key local stakeholders and community-based organisations, incorporating into existing development programs.

A new conceptual model for land use analysis system, through a multiple-goal linear programming (MGLP) approach, was developed and applied for Bac Lieu province as a coastal area of MRD. This was based on detailed inventories of soils, hydrological features and land use, crop yields, and financial returns. The applied above tool in the integrated land use analysis enhanced understanding the current bio-physical and socio-economic conditions and adaptation opportunities for the study area under current conditions and future CC and SLR impacts. One of the most important keys to success is having the participation of local stakeholders and researchers.

The project has played a pioneering role in measurement of GHG under field conditions in the region including the training of local staff to set up experiments to measure GHG under field conditions and laboratory analysis and interpretation of results. Four training courses on GHG measurement for CLRRI staffs, scientists and students of Cantho University were done. Firstly at Hue University in June 2011 and the others were conducted at CLRRI at the end of 2011 to mid 2012. Several GHG samplings and measurement for experiments at CLRRI were joined with experiments at four target sites and were carried out to initiate the baseline GHG emission from rice production in MRD.

Evaluation of reviewers and spirit of CLUES team

The reviewers are requested by ACIAR to synthesise the information listed in the project outputs; quantitative evidence from reviews, reports, etc; as well as qualitative information from case studies and the field visits.

Among 10 main indicators to evaluate the projects by reviewers with score from 1 to 6, six of them were scored very high quality (80-89% performance, scored of 5) and four were scored high quality (65-79% performance, scored of 4).

In conclusion of reviewers, the project has been well designed to address the research questions. The project has developed

a number of methodologies and tools that are useful to the development of technologies to minimise the negative effects of climate change in the region. The project staff from Australia, IRRI and Viet Nam have been carefully selected to plan and implement the project in line with its objectives. The skills needed in rice breeding, crop agronomy, measurement of GHG and socio-economics matched well with the qualification and experience of the project staff. This has played a major role in implementation of this multidisciplinary project. Numerous participants have gained knowledge and skills from interaction and implementation of the program. The project has also established solid partnership between the Australian and Vietnamese institutions which will continue beyond the life of the project. The multidisciplinary approached adapted in the project has also resulted in effective collaboration among the national institutions such as CLRRI, IAS, SIWRP and CTU. During the discussion at the review workshop, it was revealed that project work has resulted in improved relationships within the institutions such as the different faculties at CTU.

During the project, four staff of CLUES have attended PhD courses, and 18 MSc theses of CTU have been finance supported and supervised by staff of CLUES. The project team has been active in dissemination of information to the scientific community through research publications. So far seven papers have been published in refereed international journals and 22 in refereed Vietnamese journals. Five papers are in preparation to be published refereed journals. In addition, 10 scientific papers have been presented at international conferences, two papers at national conferences and seven poster presentations at international conferences. Ten leaflets have been completed and disseminated at the mid-stage of the project.

The project focused on poor farmers at four provinces suffering from a number of constraints to crop production due to salinity, acidity and flooding. More than 3960 farmers benefited directly through participation of PVS, field trials and other activities. The information generated through this study will certainly have impacts on other farmers in neighboring provinces providing the opportunity to share benefits

As described in outputs, the project has actively promoted the participation of women in all phases of implementation. It created opportunities for six women to gain postgraduate qualifications in and outside Viet Nam. The project has involved the participation of 700 women in PVS, PRA for crop and natural resource management assessment studies.

The visibility of project activities and information have been maintained through the web sites of IRRI http://irri.org/networks/climate-change-affecting-land-use-in -the-mekong-delta

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For further information, please contact Dr Ngo Dang Phong <[email protected]>

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Sustainable irrigation for mango on sandy soil

By Hoang Vinh1 , Ho Huy Cuong2, Hoang Minh Tam3,Pham Vu Bao4, Surrender Mann5, Richard Bell6

Agricultural production in the South Central Coast (SCC) region is challenged by biophysical constraints, including over 330,000 hectares of poor productivity sandy soils with climatic extremes. Average annual rainfall varies from 600mm along the coastal fringe of the southern province of Ninh Thuan to more than 1800mm in the central province of Binh Dinh. The region experiences frequent and severe flooding in the 3–5-month wet season and soil water deficits in the 7–9-month dry season. Irrigation water for floodplain crops, predominantly paddy rice, is mostly diverted from coastal rivers, with lowland agriculture consuming 80–90% of stored surface water released into rivers and irrigation channels. By contrast, 70–80% of water used for rural domestic purposes is sourced from groundwater. Outside the river floodplains, crops are rain-fed or, especially on the sands, are groundwater dependent. Overexploitation of groundwater, leaching of nutrients to groundwater and increasing groundwater salinity are emerging problems affecting the sustainability of groundwater-dependent farming in SCC Vietnam. There is considerable scope for providing technical, institutional and funding support for farmers to improve outcomes for water resource utilisation and management in the SCC region.

The Agricultural Science Institute for Southern Central Coast of Vietnam (ASISOV) is a partner organisation with ACIAR and is currently working on a research project ’Integrated

water, soil and nutrient management for sustainable farming systems in South Central Coastal Vietnam and Australia’ to look at available tools and technologies to increase water use efficiency for crops like peanut and mango. Farmers are more inclined to grow these crops, as they are well suited to sandy soils, are more profitable, and hence, an increase in cultivation area of these crops, especially in Binh Dinh can be noticed over the last decade (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1 Mango cultivated area in Binh Dinh, Phu Yen and Ninh Thuan provinces.

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Crops like peanut and mango require adequate soil moisture during their growth period to achieve high productivity and good quality. However, lack of farmer’s knowledge on when to irrigate, new technology to irrigate and how much to irrigate results in over-watering, more labour intensive, more pollution leading to waste of water, more input costs and hence, low profit margins.

ASISOV conducted an experiment on a mango orchard and compared i) the common farmer practice of irrigating by hose pipe (FP) against using a mini pan (MP, Fig.2) as a tool to guide when to irrigate and ii) compared farmers’ practice of irrigation of each mango tree by hose pipe against installing pipes around each tree for drip irrigation (DI, Fig. 3).

The results in the first year showed that irrigating the trees as guided by MP with DI performed much better than farmer’s method of irrigation. Use of DI increased mango yield by 24.8% as compared to FP. Secondly, the amount of

Fig.3 Set up the drip irrgation line

Fig.2 Mini-evaporation pan design

water used for irrigating mango trees was 86% lower as compared to FP, indicating significant increase in water use efficiency. In addition, significant labor savings and reduced nutrient leaching were seen as other benefits indicating that adoption of such practices can make a significant contribution in conserving water, reduction in input costs and prevent underground water from pollution.

Field visits to mango orchard have been organised by ASISOV to show the use of such technologies for the benefit of farmer’s and adoption.


1234 Agriculture Science Institute for Southern Coast of Viet Nam56Murdock University

For further information, please contact Pham Vu Bao <[email protected]>

Experiment site of the project on mango in Phu Cat district, Binh Dinh provinceĐiểm thí nghiệm xoài của dự án tại huyện Phù Cát, tỉnh Bình Định

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT<aciar.gov.au>

The John Dillon Memorial fellowship (JDF) was established by ACIAR to recognise Professor John L. Dillon’s life-long support for international agricultural research. It provides career development opportunities in Australia to outstanding mid-career agricultural scientists and economists. This year, together with nine other colleagues from different ACIAR partner countries, I was honored to be awarded this fellowship to undertake the professional training and activities to develop leadership skills in the areas of agricultural research management and scientific communication.

The visit to Australia lasted for a 6-week period, through February and March 2015. Through the visit, I got great opportunities to participate in the training courses in various themes, which are beneficial to my career as a leader of agricultural research management. In the communicating science workshop, I was introduced to strategies for how to engage successfully with professional development training in an international context, as well as specific skill development for communicating in science. In the research management workshop, I was offered different approaches and tools for successful research management and high impact achievement. The New Leaders Development Program offered useful approaches to coach and lead the research team in flexible and effective ways. In addition to taking part in the trainings and workshops, I had a chance to experience Australian agriculture across a range of best-practice organisations involved in research, extension and

policy making. They included the Department of Agriculture and Food in Western Australia, CSIRO, Charles Sturt University, Australian Crop and Rice Industry Organisations, stations for agricultural research at the field site. In addition, meetings with the managers of different research programs at ACIAR headquarters in Canberra enhanced our understanding for strengthening collaboration.

The Fellowship gave me an invaluable chance to experience the innovation in agricultural research management practices in Australia, the impressive linkage and cooperation between the research and growers such as Rice Research Australia Pty Ltd and Farm Link Research Limited in New South Wales. Visiting the research organisations of the Australian project partners, including CSIRO and Charles Sturt University, I have learnt more about the achievements and novel studies in the relevant research areas and got experience on how to manage and facilitate collaborative research as well as connect people working effectively. Having a chance to meet and to work with Australian colleagues and other fellows involved in the trainings would create a connection and collaboration between my home university/ department and those partners in areas of agricultural research, extension and management.Upon my return, the skills and experiences that I have gained through participating in this Fellowship program will be applied in my daily work, adjusted to adapt with the working conditions at my home university. Those skills and experiences would also be shared and transferred to my colleagues.

John Dillon fellowship By Chau Minh Khoi, Can Tho University

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Dr Chau Minh Khoi was presented a recognition certificate for participating in JDF program by the Australian Minister of Foreign AffairsDr. Châu Minh Khôi được Bộ trưởng Ngoại giao Úc trao tặng chứng nhận tham gia khóa tập huấn


A month after completing ACIAR’s John Dillon fellowship program, I was delighted to see Ms Kate Cadman - lecturer at the University of Adelaide in Vietnam to contribute to the International Master Degree Program at Hanoi University. I shared with her my impressions of the Fellowship and what I learned from her during the training course on the skills of writing a scientific report. Although the training length was short, she guided me how to write a research proposal on gender-based domestic violence in rural, mountainous areas in Vietnam. Thanks to her guidance, I learnt how to analyse data, and to design and write a feasible research proposal. I also improved my skills in presenting a clear, attractive scientific report. We also discussed the problems that Vietnamese and Australian women are facing at present. Ms Cadman is very impressed with Vietnamese women as well as the Vietnam Women’s Union’s activities.

The leadership development training at Melbourne Business School gave me unforgettable memories. With new and interesting teaching methods, two lecturers, Abi O’Neill and Edmud King, not only provided valued knowledge but also helped us to understand our strengths and weaknesses. They spent time to train and advise about problems individuals experience in leadership, management and teamwork. I now understand about ‘choosing the proper management style to align with a particular circumstance’.

Ten days in Tasmania taught me much about advanced agriculture in Australia: a result of integrated research, development and application processes. I learned from agricultural specialists in the Tasmania Agricultural Research Institute about the participatory approach of working with farmers and ethnic communities.

Project management is the third course I undertook. It was delivered by specialists from the University of Sydney, ACIAR and CSIRO. As a result I have developed an action plan for the Vietnam Women’s Union in the management of scientific research.

During the final week in Adelaide I experienced useful and interesting things. By participating in the international conference on rural women I gained a variety of knowledge from leading women and representatives of women’s organisations in the agriculture sector. I heard about the important role of women in Australian agriculture. I visited a wholesale market supplying agricultural products to supermarkets and restaurants in Adelaide, to understand more clearly the management of quality from farm to plate.

Apart from knowledge and experience gained from the John Dillon Fellowship, I was deeply moved at the warm and sincere welcome from Vietnamese and Australian friends who worked with me in the ACIAR project. I had the opportunity to enjoy traditional Vietnamese food when celebrating Tet with Geoff Morris’s family (Geoff used to be ACIAR’s country manager in Vietnam). I breathed fresh air in the Australian countryside when visiting Professor Barbara Chamber’s family, witnessed an immense grape farm, and tasted the famous wine of Adelaide with the special support of Dr Suzie Newman.

Farewell to Australia, I am so thankful for ACIAR for giving me a useful training course and bringing me unforgettable memories about the country and people.

By Dam Thi Van Thoa, Vietnam Women’s Union

John Dillon fellowshipEmotions from a trip

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For further information , please contact Dam Thi Van Thoa <[email protected]>

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ACIAR's projects always aim to solve the problems of farmers. However not only farmers but the researchers also benefit from the projects. Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry (TUAF) is a typical example.

Under the ACIAR funded project ‘Overcoming technical and market constraints to the emergence of profitable beef enterprises in the north–western highlands of Vietnam’ (LPS/2008/049), TUAF is one of the five main partners. The University’s research team is responsible for the implementation of on-farm trials to evaluate strategies that best predicted to overcome obstacles of beef production. Although funding is not much, it helped the University with successful implementation of the project objectives, while contributing to improving the leadership capacity, research and training for lecturers and students.

According to the independent assessment of the project, reviewers and project partners agreed that TUAF have achieved results beyond their expectations. They include:

Firstly, after five years of taking part in the project, the team has significantly improved their expertise and teamwork. The research team has learnt these through working directly with Tasmania University’s experts, as well as others partners.

Secondly, many its under and post graduate students have been trained through the project. Three postgraduate and 16 undergraduate students in the field of animal sciences selected the research sites of the project for their thesis. And they

Capacity building through research projects

have helped farmers in the project sites with animal sciences techniques throughout six months of their field research, contributing to the success of the project. After graduation, some outstanding students, who actively involved in the project, were promoted to become lecturers at Tay Bac University (Le Xuan Tung, Ho Van Trong) or officers at the local Department of Agricultural and Rural Development (Duong Tien Huyen).

Thirdly, the quantity and quality of scientific papers from the research team were improved greatly. The papers of TUAF’s research team were published in the leading national journals and at international conferences. In the past five years, the research team published five articles in national journals, four papers in the proceedings of international conferences, and three papers are being prepared for publication in 2015.

Fourthly, through the activities of the project, the research team of TUAF also organised 12 training workshops for hundreds of lecturers, students, key farmers, extension workers, as well as technical officers from village, commune, district and provincial levels.

With the above achievements, we found that ACIAR project gave us – the researchers and lecturers at TUAF opportunities to fulfill our assigned missions of training, capacity building and doing research in Son La, Dien Bien in particular and the northwestern region in general.

Mô hình chăn nuôi bò nhà ông Quàng Văn Tế, xã Long Hẹ, Thuận Châu, Sơn LaCattle model of Mr Quang Van Te, Long He, Thuan Chau, Son La

By Nguyen Hung Quang and Mai Anh Khoa, Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry

For further information, please contact Dr Nguyen Hung Quang <[email protected]>

8 Dao Tan Street, Ba Dinh, Hanoi . Tel: (84 4) 3 7740 100 . Fax: (84 4) 3 813 7707Web: aciar.gov.au / vietnam.embassy.gov.au

Research projects benefit not only farmers, but also scientists (related content in page 34 - 35)Các dự án nghiên cứu không chỉ mang lại lợi ích cho người nông dân mà cả các nhà khoa học (xem bài trang 34 - 35)

CLUES project provides technologies and knowlege to improve food security in the Mekong Delta (related content in page 22 - 25)Dự án CLUES cung cấp giải pháp kỹ thuật và kiến thức để cải thiện an ninh lương thực ở ĐBSCL (xem bài trang 22 - 25)

in vietnam

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