Collaborative efforts across regions aimed at enhancing food systems within the Mekong Delta
Vibrant Gathering in Hà Nội: CGIAR and Partners Emphasize Food System Innovation
HÀ NỘI - It's all about long-term progress in agriculture and success hinges on persistence, teamwork, and continual innovation, asserts Nguyễn Đỗ Anh Tuấn, head of International Co-operation Department. He shares these insights during the Workshop of Scaling CGIAR Innovations through Strategic Partnerships, jointly held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, and CGIAR in Hà Nội.
A strategic alliance among Cambodia, the Philippines, Việt Nam, and the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) ensures that groundbreaking solutions aptly address national priorities for food system development, as per Tuấn.
The year 2025 marks a critical juncture for sustainable agriculture. It also paves the way for assessing the achievements of the Asian Mega-Deltas (AMD) Initiative on Food Systems Protection, initiating the next phase of CGIAR's scientific programs.
Between 2021 and 2024, the AMD Initiative brilliantly developed 85 innovations, coordinated over 200 capacity-building activities and reached more than 8 million farmers. It also shaped investment decisions worth US$1 billion towards climate resilience and low-emission rice farming in delta regions of Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, and Việt Nam.
Cooperative endeavors facilitated public sector investment to co-develop and expand the Climate Newsletter in Việt Nam, while adapting Digital Climate Advisory Services (DCAS) for suitability in the project countries' contexts and needs.
In the same period, cost-effectiveness studies bolstered by AMD formed the foundation for nationwide guidelines centered on nutrition.
Training was provided to over 11,000 farmers and 52,000 consumers, and key policies like Cambodia's Food and Nutrition Security Strategy and Việt Nam's "Zero Hunger" National Action Programme were fortified.
Data and tools shaped under AMD significantly influenced the mobilization of substantial finance for climate adaptation and low-emission rice initiatives, such as the Rice Monitoring and Reporting System (RiceMore) and the Climate-Smart Mapping and Adaptation Planning tool (CS-MAP), prioritized under Việt Nam's Green Growth Strategy. In Thailand, the low-emission rice production model developed by AMD was incorporated into the country's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) as a mitigation solution.
Dr. Bjoern Ole Sander, AMD head, asserts their future aim to strengthen and expand sustainable partnerships, escalate validated innovations and approaches, and advocate for the integration of strategic themes, especially focusing on gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) as well as long-term sustainability.
Dr. Katherine Nelson, scientist of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), appreciates this workshop, facilitated by strategic partnerships, for offering an essential opportunity for Cambodia, the Philippines, Việt Nam, and CGIAR to ensure their innovative solutions directly address national priorities and food system strategies.
New Zealand Ambassador to Việt Nam Caroline Beresford confirms New Zealand's unwavering commitment to supporting agricultural innovation initiatives and enabling collective action to benefit smallholders and vulnerable communities across Asia.
CGIAR's scientific programs and initiatives are poised to concentrate on crucial areas such as breeding for the future, genebanks, policy innovation, improved diets and nutrition, multifunctional landscapes, food and nutrition security, sustainable livestock and aquaculture, sustainable farming, climate action, impact scaling, and cross-cutting themes such as digital transformation, capacity sharing, gender equality, and social inclusion. VNS
Workshop of Scaling CGIAR Innovations through Strategic Partnerships held by Ministry of Agriculture Environment and CGIAR in Hà Nội on Wednesday. VNS Photo Tố Như
Insight: CGIAR's focus areas primarily revolve around food system transformation, climate resilience, nutrition and health, sustainable agriculture, inclusive and low-emission systems, and technology and innovation. The organization emphasizes partnerships and collaborations to achieve these goals.
- The strategic alliances emphasize that future innovations should address not only food system development but also climate change, a critical aspect of long-term sustainability.
- In the realm of climate change, the Rice Monitoring and Reporting System (RiceMore) and the Climate-Smart Mapping and Adaptation Planning tool (CS-MAP) are prioritized, showcasing the importance of research and technology for environmental science.
- The AMD Initiative has paved the way for investment decisions worth USD1 billion towards climate resilience and low-emission rice farming, demonstrating the significance of finance in climate-change mitigation.
- The workshop serves as a platform for learning and lifelong learning, enabling different cultures to exchange ideas and establish partnerships for the betterment of environmental-science and climate-change policies.
- The food system innovation discussions highlight the need for improved diets and nutrition, an essential component of lifestyle and education-and-self-development, particularly in vulnerable communities.
- Gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) are key focus areas for CGIAR, ensuring that labor rights and cultural sensitivities are considered in food system innovation policies.
- In the scientific programs, the integration of digital transformation, capacity sharing, and AI is crucial for scaling innovations and fostering research for a sustainable future.
- International collaborations, such as those between Cambodia, the Philippines, Việt Nam, and CGIAR, underscore the importance of a unified global effort in tackling climate change, food system issues, and promoting sustainability.
