Agroecology program in Xuan An and Ngoc Son, Vietnam
Located about 70 km north east from Hanoi, Vietnam, the villages of Xuan An and Ngoc Son (Bac Giang province) include 285 households. Rice is the main staple crop. Local rice and vegetable production strongly relies on synthetic inputs specifically Nitrogen fertilizers and pesticides which increase production costs and raise concerns on the impact of farming on the environment and human health. Despite a varied production system, the limited land available per household and the high input costs, the local agricultural production is not enough to guarantee decent livelihoods for the local communities.
It was evident that the local production systems had to be re-designed in order to make agriculture more profitable and sustainable. Farmer’s participatory training and the direct involvement of farmers in the community planning process was identified to be crucial in this process which was supported by the Initiatives on Community Empowerment & Rural Development (ICERD), and The Field Alliance (TFA), FAO Asia Regional IPM/Pesticide Risk Reduction Programme, Department of Plant Protection (PPD)- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET). The ICERD, TFA and FAO-IPM support for Xuan An and Ngoc Son are within the Sida funded regional program "Towards a non-toxic environment in South-East Asia".