Aquaculture is an important and growing part of Vietnam’s agricultural economy. The aquaculture industry’s expansion has, however, contributed to environmental degradation and become a potential threat to the industry’s sustainability. Aquaculture expansion has involved the conversion of large areas, including mangroves, to farms and ponds, leading to changes in ecosystems and land use. In addition, aquaculture practices generate an array of emissions, most of them carried in wastewater and solid waste. This report is meant to provide a broad national overview of pollution problems in the aquaculture subsector. It aims to describe the nature, magnitude, and drivers of aquaculture pollution problems, taking stock of the state of evidence on this topic. It also touches upon current responses to the problem and offers a number of directions for policymakers.

In the past 10 years, Vietnam’s population has grown by around 1.03 percent per year, increasing from 83.1 million in 2005 to 93.4 million in 2015. Food demand has also increased rapidly as population and incomes have increased, and food consumption patterns have shifted.Intensification has been the sector’s response to this surge in demand, especially in pig and poultry production, and this pattern has given rise to environmental problems.The objective of the review was to provide a broad national overview on (a) pollution related to livestock development—its magnitude, impacts, and drivers; (b) measures that are currently in place to manage or mitigate waste pollution in different farming systems and the potential for addressing the problems when moving forward; and (c) existing knowledge gaps and directions for future research and interventions.The paper is organized into nine sections. Section one provides the introduction; section two provides an analytical framework; section three presents the findings and discussions, which includes livestock development and intensification of trends and production systems, and waste management practices; section four presents the physical impacts on environment; section five presents the socioeconomic impacts; section six presents the driving factors; section seven discusses interventions; section eight talks about the current knowledge and data gaps; and section nine includes conclusions and recommendations.

In the past 10 years, Vietnam’s population has grown by around 1.03 percent per year, increasing from 83.1 million in 2005 to 93.4 million in 2015. Food demand has also increased rapidly as population and incomes have increased, and food consumption patterns have shifted.Intensification has been the sector’s response to this surge in demand, especially in pig and poultry production, and this pattern has given rise to environmental problems.The objective of the review was to provide a broad national overview on (a) pollution related to livestock development—its magnitude, impacts, and drivers; (b) measures that are currently in place to manage or mitigate waste pollution in different farming systems and the potential for addressing the problems when moving forward; and (c) existing knowledge gaps and directions for future research and interventions.The paper is organized into nine sections. Section one provides the introduction; section two provides an analytical framework; section three presents the findings and discussions, which includes livestock development and intensification of trends and production systems, and waste management practices; section four presents the physical impacts on environment; section five presents the socioeconomic impacts; section six presents the driving factors; section seven discusses interventions; section eight talks about the current knowledge and data gaps; and section nine includes conclusions and recommendations.

Vietnamese agriculture has experienced remarkable growth over the past twenty years. Today, however, Vietnamese agriculture is edging toward the limits of a growth model rooted more in the intensification of production systems featuring heavy use of labor, chemicals, and natural resources than in efficiency or value addition gains. Agricultural growth is decelerating and Vietnam’s competitiveness as a provider of bulk, undifferentiated commodities is flagging as the agricultural sector faces rising competition for labor, land, and other resources. The environmental fallout from intensification has also begun to adversely impact productivity and the position of Vietnam’s commodities in international markets. If it is to fulfill its ambitions and remain a motor of economic development, Vietnam’s agriculture will need to start producing More from Less. In this regard, tackling agricultural pollution represents a key challenge for Vietnam. Pollution has started to take a toll on the sector’s own resource base, potentially impacting soil fertility and yields, the effectiveness of chemicals in combating pests and disease, farmer health and productivity, environmental health, and the safety of food. Growing evidence and public concern about pollution have led the Vietnamese government to adopt a new outlook and to take measures to address the problem. The research upon which this summary report is based represents the first attempt to assemble existing evidence on the nature and magnitude of agricultural pollution in Vietnam, looking across the livestock, aquaculture, and crops subsectors. It is also an attempt to shed light on the socioeconomic impacts and drivers of agricultural pollution, including the shortcomings of existing policies and programs to reign in the problem.

The “study” constitutes the totality of the work and includes multiple components,including national overviews of agricultural pollution for the three focus countries, thematic working papers, and an overall synthesis report. The present report corresponds to the national overview of agricultural pollution in Vietnam, and specifically, to the background paper on crop-related pollution. It provides a broad national overview of (a) the magnitude, impacts, and drivers of pollution related to the crop sector’s development; (b) measures that have been taken by the publicsector to manage or mitigate this pollution; and (c) existing knowledge gaps and directions for future research.The report was prepared on the basis of a desk review of existing literature, recentanalyses, and national and international statistics. It did not involve new primaryresearch and did not attempt to cover pollution issues that arise in crop value chainsmore broadly, outside the farm gate—such as from processing, transportation, andthe manufacturing of agricultural inputs and machinery. An earlier version of the report was circulated to stakeholders representing national government agencies,nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and research institutions, and discussed at a stakeholder consultation workshop in December 2016.This paper is structured into seven main sections. Section one includes the background and analytical framework; Section two reviews the intensification and expansion of the agricultural sector through various development stages, with a special focus on selected crops of rice, maize, and coffee; Section three discusses the use of inputs in crop systems as well as waste management practices, with a special focus on the use of fertilizers and pesticides in the selected crops; Sections four and five review thephysical and socioeconomic impacts (that is, water, soil, and air pollution and impacts on ecosystems and public health); Section six discusses the driving factors contributing and responding to agricultural pollution; Section seven presents the solutions and knowledgegaps; and Section eight summarizes the findings and recommendations.

Vietnamese agriculture has experienced remarkable growth over the past twenty years. Today, however, Vietnamese agriculture is edging toward the limits of a growth model rooted more in the intensification of production systems featuring heavy use of labor, chemicals, and natural resources than in efficiency or value addition gains. Agricultural growth is decelerating and Vietnam’s competitiveness as a provider of bulk, undifferentiated commodities is flagging as the agricultural sector faces rising competition for labor, land, and other resources. The environmental fallout from intensification has also begun to adversely impact productivity and the position of Vietnam’s commodities in international markets. If it is to fulfill its ambitions and remain a motor of economic development, Vietnam’s agriculture will need to start producing More from Less. In this regard, tackling agricultural pollution represents a key challenge for Vietnam. Pollution has started to take a toll on the sector’s own resource base, potentially impacting soil fertility and yields, the effectiveness of chemicals in combating pests and disease, farmer health and productivity, environmental health, and the safety of food. Growing evidence and public concern about pollution have led the Vietnamese government to adopt a new outlook and to take measures to address the problem. The research upon which this summary report is based represents the first attempt to assemble existing evidence on the nature and magnitude of agricultural pollution in Vietnam, looking across the livestock, aquaculture, and crops subsectors. It is also an attempt to shed light on the socioeconomic impacts and drivers of agricultural pollution, including the shortcomings of existing policies and programs to reign in the problem.

Aquaculture is an important and growing part of Vietnam’s agricultural economy. The aquaculture industry’s expansion has, however, contributed to environmental degradation and become a potential threat to the industry’s sustainability. Aquaculture expansion has involved the conversion of large areas, including mangroves, to farms and ponds, leading to changes in ecosystems and land use. In addition, aquaculture practices generate an array of emissions, most of them carried in wastewater and solid waste. This report is meant to provide a broad national overview of pollution problems in the aquaculture subsector. It aims to describe the nature, magnitude, and drivers of aquaculture pollution problems, taking stock of the state of evidence on this topic. It also touches upon current responses to the problem and offers a number of directions for policymakers.

The “study” constitutes the totality of the work and includes multiple components,including national overviews of agricultural pollution for the three focus countries, thematic working papers, and an overall synthesis report. The present report corresponds to the national overview of agricultural pollution in Vietnam, and specifically, to the background paper on crop-related pollution. It provides a broad national overview of (a) the magnitude, impacts, and drivers of pollution related to the crop sector’s development; (b) measures that have been taken by the publicsector to manage or mitigate this pollution; and (c) existing knowledge gaps and directions for future research.The report was prepared on the basis of a desk review of existing literature, recentanalyses, and national and international statistics. It did not involve new primaryresearch and did not attempt to cover pollution issues that arise in crop value chainsmore broadly, outside the farm gate—such as from processing, transportation, andthe manufacturing of agricultural inputs and machinery. An earlier version of the report was circulated to stakeholders representing national government agencies,nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and research institutions, and discussed at a stakeholder consultation workshop in December 2016.This paper is structured into seven main sections. Section one includes the background and analytical framework; Section two reviews the intensification and expansion of the agricultural sector through various development stages, with a special focus on selected crops of rice, maize, and coffee; Section three discusses the use of inputs in crop systems as well as waste management practices, with a special focus on the use of fertilizers and pesticides in the selected crops; Sections four and five review thephysical and socioeconomic impacts (that is, water, soil, and air pollution and impacts on ecosystems and public health); Section six discusses the driving factors contributing and responding to agricultural pollution; Section seven presents the solutions and knowledgegaps; and Section eight summarizes the findings and recommendations.