Ninh Thuan Province. Integrated nutrition and food security strategies for children and vulnerable groups have taken another step forward in Viet Nam following important work by a FAO-led UN Joint Programme.    

A closing workshop was held on 13 June in Ninh Thuan province to learn lessons from a food security component of the “Integrated nutrition and food security strategies for children and vulnerable groups in Vietnam” (UNJP/VIE/055/UNJ) project, which kicked-off in 2015 and will be completed later this year.

Workshop participants included representatives from FAO, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Ministry of Health (MoH), Ninh Thuan and Lao Cai provincial leaders, Northern Mountainous Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute (NOMAFSI), Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD), Agricultural Science Institute for Southern Coastal Central of Vietnam (ASISOV) and various stakeholders, such as farmers and cooperatives.

The overall objective of the joint programme, focused on supporting Lao Cai and Ninh Thuan provinces, was to support development and implementation of integrated nutrition and food security strategies to meet the equitable targets set in the National Nutrition Strategy and National Food Security Strategy. The programmed looked to generate evidence to facilitate national policy changes and scale-up sustainable and integrated nutrition and food security.

The programme comprised two components, a health component led by MoH, and a food security component led by MARD with support from FAO which included facilitating policy changes and strengthening capacity of policy-makers at national and provincial levels, enhancing food and nutrition security and strengthening capacity of farmers. Seven models each in Lao Cai and Ninh Thuan were built and piloted, while numerous agricultural production model trainings were also conducted in the two provinces.

The workshop provided an opportunity to highlight results from the food security component to inform policy changes, achieve capacity building for stakeholders and enhance food and nutrition security for Viet Nam. Participants also engaged in meaningful discussions to mark out the next steps for integrated nutrition and food security.

Results of the joint programme, overall, will contribute to Viet Nam’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals to end hunger, promote sustainable agriculture and achieve food security and nutrition.