peer reviewed | In Northern Vietnam, the livestock production sector has been strongly encouraged to develop by the government for many years as an important livelihood strategy to alleviate household poverty. Over the last few decades, it has been developed quickly, but remained unsustainable. This study aims to identify the dynamics of livestock production systems during the economic transformation period and their current constraints as the basic for setting up sustainable development policies. A survey, which is based on participatory and retrospective approaches, was conducted at 38 households in two communes of Hai Duong province in 2010. The results indicated a significant evolution of livestock production systems from a traditional small-scale production system into a specialized intensive one due to the land law and the rice land conversion program in 1990s and the industrialization and urbanization process in 2000s. The intensification of livestock production system, which is accompanied by the increasing dependence on imported inputs and the limited knowledge and skills in adequate techniques and disease management, poses a huge difficulty to producers in developing their livestock production systems. Therefore, the priority of development policies should be given to the promotion of the local resource utilisation as feed for animals and to the improvement of farmers’ ability to manage their production through not only government supports but also participation of social organisations and farmers.

peer reviewed | The pig sector annually contributes about 78 % of the total meat production in Vietnam. The government of Vietnam has implemented numerous policies to promote the development of the pig industry. It strongly emphasizes the production with little attention paid to marketing. Bac Giang is one of the provinces with the highest pig population in Vietnam. Pig production contributes up to 52% of the gross output of the livestock sector of the province. One of emerging problems is the majority of pig farmers are limited in market power and there is low income from pig production. This study aimed to analyse the pig value chain in Bac Giang province, identify main factors affecting farmers‟ market power and income in the chain, and propose relevant policy implications to enhance farmers‟ market power and income. It was found that pig collectors and pork retailers are the dominant players in the chain in terms of their strong influence on prices due to their coordination role in directing supply of pigs and carcass to market. Numerous factors affecting farmer‟s market power and income are weak collective action of farmers in production, lack of collective marketing, volatility of pig price, lack of formal contract farming, consumers‟ food safety concern, high price of feed and animal disease. Enhancing farmers‟ market power depends on farmers and public authority‟s involvement in the various strategies of implementation. Some policy implications focus on the improvement of farmer collective action and government actions related to supporting farmer collective action.

The mainstay of economic activity in Cat Que Commune, Hoai Duc District of Ha Tay Province in Vietnam is got raising, which is the production of piglets between 8 to 30 kg, filling a gap between the sow/piglet and meat pig productions. A cluster of associated enterprises have developed around this got-based enterprise which include the got raisers, piglet suppliers, feed and medicine suppliers, veterinarian services, got collectors, and manure collectors. The relationships with these associated enterprises form the basis of the complex enterprise strategies of the got raisers, which strive to balance a complex set of issues of feed, growth, season, disease control, labour, credit, and marketing in order to ensure the profitability and sustainability of the enterprise. The got are fed a rice-based diet, with occasional protein concentrate to speed up growth for seasons when got prices are high; while inferior feed is given when there is a glut in the market. Disease control is as much related to management as it is to marketing strategy and labour requirements. To sell the whole lot of got yields lower profit and leads to uneven labour requirements, but it provides the opportunity for thorough cleaning of the pig pens and a break in disease; both contribute to better health condition. Selling got on credit fosters relationships with the collectors, but also creates a cash flow problem which in turn is passed on to the feed suppliers who then must sell feed to got raisers on credit. The in-depth analysis of this complex set of interrelated issues provides the basis for elaborating an enterprise plan to improve the system. One research activity that has been completed is a trial on maize substitution for rice and the results showed significant improvement in growth rate (372 vs. 332 g/day of daily weight gain), reduced feed cost (6,013 vs. 7,654 vnd/kg weight gain - USD 1 = 15,400 vnd -), and higher profit (78,611 vs. 51,032 vnd per got). The disease survey also identified the management areas that affect the frequencies of illnesses, including pig pen design and flooring, living space, cleanliness (e.g., bathing frequency and thorough disinfection of pig pens), and drinking water source.

The coverage of improved sanitation in Vietnam is still low, especially in rural areas. As a result, water-borne diseases remain key threats to public health. While the government has committed itself to increasing the proportion of people with access to improved sanitation, it cannot afford to subsidise sanitation for the entire population. Thus, improving rural sanitation continues to rely heavily on financial contributions from household-level private users, which depend on their willingness to pay (WTP) for such services. Knowing people’s WTP is crucial when assessing the economic viability of projects, setting fees, evaluating policy alternatives, gauging financial sustainability, and designing socially equitable subsidies. However, such information on household-level demand is scarce to non-existent in Vietnam. We assessed the WTP for septic tanks among the rural population in Vietnam and identified the some factors that influence the level of WTP. The study was conducted in Hanam province, in northern Vietnam. Researchers randomly selected and surveyed 600 households, conducting personal interviews with the main breadwinners or decision-makers in each. Contingent valuation was used to obtain relevant economic data. This method consists in asking individuals how much they would be willing to pay for a change to the quantity or quality (or both) of a particular commodity. We found that 63% of the studied households were willing to pay for construction of a septic tank. The average WTP level was VND 16 million (US$ 800), which amounts to about 15% of the households’ annual disposable income. Economic hardship was found to be the major reason for not installing a sanitary latrine. Health, cleanliness, and prestige were found to be three major motivating factors for constructing septic tanks. Regression analysis showed that the odds for spending money on improved sanitation services were higher in households with better income, as well as in households whose head had better knowledge of sanitation.

To promote development, there is increasing need for activities and policies which generate and diversify income in rural areas. The starch industry in Viet Nam provides a good example of rural industrialization whereby low-value agricultural commodities such as cassava and canna are processed into high-value commodities such as starch to be used in a variety of food and non-food industries. Though this sector is relatively small, it has a high potential in terms of demand growth, poverty reduction, and income diversification in rural areas, particularly the less favored ones. The project had five main objectives: 1) to characterize the production and consumption of starch in Viet Nam; 2) to describe the marketing channels for the starch distribution system; 3) to identify the key policy issues related to the promotion of the starch industry as a strategy for rural industrialization; 4) to analyze the effects of alternative policy options for accelerating growth of the starch industry; and 5) to identify priorities for further research. The study found that growth in the starch industry has been dramatic. Over the past 10 years, the share of cassava used to process starch has grown about 250 percent, while average investment has increased by 78 percent each year. Most participants are new entrants (62 percent have entered since 1988), while industrial capacity has grown 8-fold between 1994 and 1997 alone. Moreover, the industry has strong linkages with rural development as many rural households become involved in processing through small enterprises. Rural households working as starch processors make more than twice the income of the average rural household. In turn, the industry drives increased cassava production. However, the industry faces several constraints to greater productivity: low levels of technology adoption by small operators who comprise the majority of producers; limited access to credit; the high cost of raw materials; and environmental degradation, as starch residue pollutes local water supplies. Based on an econometric analysis of key policy alternatives, the following policies were judged the most sound: research and extension activities to increase raw material (e.g. cassava) yield at the farm level, and to raise the quality of starch to compete internationally through appropriate institutions; and an increase in credit access for capital equipment investment, particularly among small and medium scale enterprises. Post-Production Research Network of International Development Research Center (IDRC), December 1998.; Donor report submitted to the International Development Research Center. December 1998

Vietnam aims to transform its food systems in a transparent, responsible and sustainable manner. To help achieve this, the new CGIAR research initiative “Sustainable Healthy Diets through Food Systems Transformation” (SHiFT) is working with the emerging multi-stakeholder platforms in the country in order to support the planning and implementation of specific activities. This article demonstrates success already achieved.

26 March 2021, Ha Noi, Vietnam — the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) held the first workshop in support of planning the implementation of Vietnam's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in the rice sector. Aiming at setting priorities for NDC implementation in rice production, the workshop highlighted different NDC scenarios to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while gaining economic, social, and environmental benefits sustainably.

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