An inception workshop today in Ha Noi has kicked-off a FAO-supported project to develop a well-functioning livestock monitoring system in Viet Nam.

The project “Development of a livestock policy analysis and monitoring system in Vietnam”, also supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), will run from 2015-2016 with technical and financial assistance from FAO to set up and run a well-functioning livestock monitoring system to provide useful inputs to policy-makers.
    
“The FAO-MARD project will also contribute to a larger goal within FAO’s strategic framework to end poverty and hunger,” said Mr. JongHa Bae, FAO Representative in Viet Nam.

The inception workshop, co-hosted by MARD and Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development, not only introduced the project to State management agencies, research institutions, universities, international organizations and NGOs, but also allowed for experts from these agencies and organizations to gain an understanding on the successful implementation of the project.

Since 2005, Viet Nam has made considerable efforts to improve surveillance and control systems of animal diseases and promoting new food safety laws and safe animal husbandry practices. The Livestock Development Strategy to 2020, issued in 2008 by the Prime Minister, explicitly recognizes the imperatives of sustainability within the context of changing national food economy. Achieving this vision requires a complex policy and institutional response that can stimulate income growth and employment in the rural areas, protect livelihoods of small-scale farmers, ensure delivery of affordable, safe and high quality food to all sections of society and minimize any potential negative impacts of rapid livestock sector development.
As a result, there isan urgent need for an integrated system that can provide MARD with more consistent and frequent information on a broader range of indicators characterizing production systems. This will require developing more representative production typologies, tools, methodologies, and indicators encompassing social equity and environmental sustainability.