New EU-funded Project to Boost Smart Agriculture in Vietnam Mekong Delta

The Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) co-hosted a meeting on April 25 to introduce the project “Smart Agro-ecological Transformation of Farming Systems towards Resilience and Sustainability in Middle and Coastal Zones of the Vietnam Mekong Delta (STAR-FARM),” local media reported.

On the occasion, consultations were held with Dong Thap, Kien Giang, and Tra Vinh provinces, regarding the selection of district-level locations and models for the implementation of the project this year.

The project has a total funding of nearly EUR4.2 million ($4.66 million), funded by the European Union (EU) through FAO. It was approved by the MARD in April 2023 and launched in Hau Giang province on December 13, 2023 at the Vietnam-Hau Giang International Rice Festival.

Being carried out from 2023-2027, the project consists of three components, namely (i) supporting the enforcement of policies related to the transformation of smart food systems in climate change, (ii) supporting the development and improvement of ecological agricultural value chains, and (iii) enhancing the adaptive capacity of stakeholders in monitoring and evaluating the transformation of food systems, promoting innovation and creativity.

The project aims to help improve production, business administration, and marketing capacity for at least 24 cooperatives and cooperative groups, and establish eight cooperatives of youth, women, and ethnic minority people. It will also assist 15 agricultural SMEs to access green financial sources, build three support packages for innovative agricultural schemes and eco-agricultural models.

Partners of the project include the French Agricultural Research Center for International Development (CIRAD), the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD), the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Can Tho University.

(NNVN)