1. GREEN AGRICULTURE IN VIETNAM
Case of rice sector in Mekong river delta
Green Inclusive Growth Conference SEA
Siemriep, 25-26 March 2014
Nguyen Anh Phong
Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development

2. INTRODUCTION
• During last decades, Vietnam's economy grown mainly
based on the exploitation of natural resources
inefficiently by outdated technologies, which created
more waste and pollution
• Decision 1393/QD-TTg (Sept 2012) of PM approved
"The national strategy for green growth in the 2011-
2020 period and vision to 2050”
• The Mekong Delta has best comparative advantage in
agriculture and aquaculture production in Vietnam
• The Mekong Delta has developed a number of “green”
agricultural production models. Can we scale up the
green models as “green” development strategy in
Mekong Delta?

3. Environmental pollution from agricultural
production
• The over-used of fertilizers, plant protection chemicals
and veterinary medicines is still fairly common
• Many agricultural by-products are not utilized
effectively and discharged as wastes
– 39.4 million tons of straw and million tons of rice husk (burned)
– 2.47 million tons of sugar tops and leaves, 1.42 million tons of
bagasse,…
• Livestock and aquaculture are the largest sources of
waste in rural areas.
– About 40-70% of livestock solid waste is processed, and the rest are
discharged directly into the environment
– Aquaculture in the Mekong Delta discharged nearly 500 million m3 of
sludge and waste annually

5. Food safety and bio-security
• Overused and lack of controlled of plant protection (prevalence of
chronic toxic chemicals contamination in farmer is 18%)
• Inappropriate use of antibiotics and other chemicals (100% of farms
are using veterinary drugs for prevention and treatment)
• Limited understanding of effects of pesticides and chemicals on the
environment and health of farmers and sale agents
• Highly polluted environment of livestock production areas also
cause negative effects to the surrounding ecological environment
– 4.4% vegetables exceed maximum allowable concentrations of
pesticide-infected
– 30% livestock, poultry products exceed allowable concentrations of
microbiological contamination
– 0.8% of aquaculture products contains chemical residues
– 6.7% seafood is biological contaminated

6. Quality of agricultural inputs
• 10% of 70 thousand tons of plant protection are of low quality
• Fake and poor quality fertilizers consumed mostly in Central
Highlands, the Mekong Delta and Red River Delta (key
agriculture areas of Vietnam)
– 64.3 % of samples in 2010 and 41.8 % of samples of
fertilizers in 2011 failed to meet the standards
• Difficulties to control feed quality, especially in sale process
• Quality of agricultural input on market are unregulated and it
has a strong influence on the efficiency of agricultural
production and environmental protection

7. What is green development?
• There are many concepts, but commonly include of three main
points:
– Green Economy is an environment-friendly economy,
reducing greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate
change effects.
– Green Economy is an economy with intensive
development, using less fuel and strengthening the
ecological industries and technological innovation.
– Green Economy is an economy with sustainable growth,
poverty reduction and equitable development.

8. What is green agriculture
development?
• Green and clean agriculture:
– The synchronous application of processes, technologies
that use reasonably and save inputs for agricultural
production, along with the efficient use of land, water
resources, etc.
– Lessen greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable
agricultural development.
– Enhance the competitiveness of agricultural products.
– Develop processing technology and recycle by-products,
wastes, etc.
– Ensure sustainability in all economic, social and
environmental pillars.

9. Green and clean agricultural production
models for rice
Models Flower on rice field
Place My Thanh Nam Commune, Cai Lay District, Tien Giang Province
Contents
The use of biological measures – growing flowers on rice bounds
to attract natural enemies to destroy insects that harmful to rice
(e.g. brown plant hoppers, rice leaf folder etc.)
Strength
• Reduce pesticide
• Create ecological balance
• Enhance landscape values for the field
• Reducing environmental pollution and production costs
• Improving income
Weakness
• Difficulties to develop on a large scale on the large fields and
small dike systems.
• This model relies heavily on self-discipline of the farmers
• It is lack of mechanisms to ensure the stability

11. MODELS 3 REDUCTION, 3 INCREASES
Place An Giang (2001)
Contents
3 reductions: seed; N fertilizer, plant protection chems; and 3
increases: productivity and quality; economic efficiency, and health
and environmental protection
Strength
• Average reduction of 94 kg seed / ha
• Reduce of 11-13 kg nitrogen / ha
• Reduce by 2.5 times for spraying pesticides
• Reduce of one sprays time for disease
• Increase yield by 0.1-0.5 tones / ha
• The average profit increased by 2.25 million VND / ha
Weakness
• Inorganic fertilizer and pesticides decrease but not much,
• Still use much water
• Unstable
• Different with GAP practices
Green and clean agricultural production
models for rice

12. Models 1 MUST, 5 REDUCTION
Place An Giang (2006)
Contents
1 must: certified seed; 5 reduction: seed, N fertilizer, plant
protection chems, water and harvest-post harvest losses
Strength
• Certified seed guarantee output quality
• Costs reduced by 15-20%
• profit increased by VND 4 mil/ha
• 1M5R provides a foundation for applying VietGAP, GlobalGAP
• Potential to lower carbon emissions due to AWD (alternate
wetting and drying) and N use based on LCC (leaf control chart)
Reduce loss during and after harvest
Weakness
• Poor internal transport and irrigation systems, poorly leveled rice
fields -> difficulties in water savings, combine harvestor
• Difficulty in introduced AWD in central pumping areas as of the
agreement b/w cooperatives and famers signed before crop
estabilshment
• Public investment in mass media for 1M5R may not be adequate
• Famers still care about yield rather than costs and profits
Green and clean agricultural production
models for rice

13. COMPARISON OF PROFITABILITY BETWEEN 2
PRACTICES
WS(n=66) SA(n=76)
1M5R Control Diff. 1M5R Control Diff.
Seed rate (kg/ha) 115.4 191 75.6 109.0 181.7 72.7
Nitrogen (kgN/ha) 103.7 127.2 23.5 103.5 125.1 21.6
Insecticide (sprays/crop) 1.4 3.8 2.4 1.1 3.5 2.4
Fungicide (sprays/crop) 2.7 3.7 1 3.1 4.6 1.5
Water use (pump/crop) 7 8.5 1.5 6.4 7.7 1.3
Lodging rice ratio(%) 4.9 15.9 11 6.8 17.7 10.9
Yield (tonnes/ha) 7.6 7.4 0.2 5.9 5.7 0.2
Production cost (VND/kg
of rice)
2,490 3,134 644 3,418 4,053 635
Profit (mil VND/ha) 21.371 17.129 4.242 12.876 8.570 4.306

14. CH4 gas emissions in different practices

15. By products for higher value added and green
production
• Straw: materials for mushroom, bio-ethanol, bio-coal, carbon
credit (by reduction of straw fires)
• Husk: rice husk briquettes (coal), plywood
• Broken rice: rice powder (noodle, cakes, confectioneries etc.)
• Rice bran: extract Gamma Oryzanol for pharmaceutical
products, cosmetics, food supplements for anti-aging )

16. CONCLUSION
• Green application existed by market driven and
incentives of stakeholders
• Green development would be in many apsects/
activities along the value chain of a agriculture
commodity
• Need a strong linkage among stakeholders in value
chain to sustain the green application
• Private sector would be “leading factor” for the
green development of a agriculture product
• Need a support of public sector in providing public
good and services and in creating suitable policy
environment