SFSP is a multi-stakeholder partnership which aims to accelerate the transformation towards sustainable consumption and production patterns in all areas related to food, with a special focus on promoting a holistic food systems approach in policy making. Thai Nguyen Province was selected as one of the five learning journeys for the delegates, to raise awareness on the One Health approach as an important tool to improve human well-being through reduction of diseases in humans, animals and the environment. 

Participants visited Dong Quang Market, a traditional market in Thai Nguyen City, to learn experiences from ILRI-led One Health food safety interventions, which were funded by the Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR). Thai Nguyen Province is one of the four provinces of the ‘Market-based approach to improving the safety of pork in Vietnam’ (SafePORK) project which introduced value chain actors to an intervention package of measures to improve hygiene. These include separation of ready-to-eat pork and raw pork, and frequent washing of surfaces, equipment and vendors’ hands.

Delegates visit Dong Quang Market in Thai Nguyen City to learn about ILRI-led food safety interventions (photo credit: ILRI/Chi Nguyen).

Delegates then visited Thai Hai Tourism Village, which was recognized as the best in the world by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in 2022. Delegates gained a better understanding about the life, culture, agriculture practices and food systems of ethnic people who live in such villages. 

In the village, delegates joined a One Health booth to learn key achievements that the One Health research partnership in the province has attained across antimicrobial resistance (AMR), food safety and zoonotic diseases. These included the following studies: 

• How decisions are made around veterinary antimicrobial use and stewardship are made by family farmers and their animal health networks, 2016-2019, Phu Binh District. 
• The willingness and abilities of the human and animal health sectors actors to investigate AMR using a One Health approach in Hanoi and Thai Nguyen Province. 
• Diet diversity in households over a 12-month period, 2019-2020, led by ILRI and the Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry (TUAF).
• Interventions of SafePORK project at pork retail markets and small-scale slaughterhouses, among others.

Pham Duc Phuc, coordinator Vietnam One Health University Network (VOHUN), a key partner of ILRI presents the key One Health research achievements in Thai Nguyen Province to delegates (photo credit: ILRI/Chi Nguyen).

Delegates also visited Hao Dat Tea Cooperative and observed a demonstration of low-emission biomass gasification in safe tea processing, supported by Oxfam in Vietnam.

Like other delegates, Marie-Pierre Mignault, deputy director of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, appreciated the traditional market in Thai Nguyen City as an important source of diverse and ready-to-eat foods that are accessible and affordable to local people. ‘However, more attention should be paid to traceability elements that increase consumers’ trust in food safety in the traditional markets,’ she commented.

Delegates visit the Thai Hai Village to learn about the culture and life of the ethnic people living in the village (photo credit: ILRI/Chi Nguyen).

This visit was co-hosted by the Vietnam One Health Partnership for Zoonosis and International Cooperation Department (ICD), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), CGIAR Initiative on Protecting Human Health through a One Health Approach (OHI), ILRI and Vietnam One Health University Network (VOHUN). 

Delegates visit Hao Dat Tea Cooperative in Thai Nguyen Province (photo credit: ILRI/Chi Nguyen).

The 4^th Global Conference of the Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) Programme took place in Hanoi, Vietnam from 24-27 April 2023 and brought about 300 international delegates from state agencies, academia, private sector, civil society and media. The conference aims to further promote the food systems approach and inclusive governance and collaboration at all levels. It also provides a space for national convenors, the United Nations Food System Summit (UNFSS) coalitions, relevant multi-actor initiatives and other food systems actors to build capacities and deepen the collective efforts towards sustainable food systems pathways in view of the UNFSS 2023 Stock-Taking Moment.

Related news about the events:

https://nongnghiep.vn/nhan-rong-guong-chuyen-doi-thanh-cong-he-thong-luong-thuc-thuc-pham-d349279.html

https://nongnghiep.vn/to-chuc-quoc-te-chung-tay-ho-tro-viet-nam-chuyen-doi-he-thong-luong-thuc-thuc-pham-d349812.html

https://vietnamagriculture.nongnghiep.vn/replicating-examples-of-successful-food-system-transformation-d349383.html

Anna Okello, research program manager for livestock systems at the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), which funded the project, said SafePORK focused on improving food safety in Vietnam as a key goal, which is also one of the key priorities of the government. ‘Food safety was identified as one of six priorities of the project at start in the agreement between the ACIAR and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam,’ she said.

The SafePORK project sought to reduce the burden of foodborne disease in informal, emerging, and niche markets in the country. It developed and evaluated simple interventions for improving food safety while safeguarding livelihoods in the Vietnam pork sector. Its results provide policymakers and the public with scientific evidence for actionable policy options to better manage food safety in the country.

The project’s interventions targeting traditional retail were effective in reducing microbial contamination in pork. ‘After intervention, the prevalence of Salmonella in retailed pork decreased from 52% to 24%,’ said Fred Unger, the regional representative at ILRI in East and Southeast Asia, while presenting an overview of the program and its key achievements. These include low-cost and scalable interventions at slaughterhouses and traditional markets in four provinces of Hung Yen, Nghe An, Thai Nguyen and Hoa Binh, developing the indigenous Ban pig in the northwestern Hoa Binh Province, developing risk communication capacity for different actors in the value chain, and engaging the private sector in the project implementation.

Project team leads from implementing partners – the Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA), the Hanoi University of Public Health (HUPH), National Institute of Animal Sciences (NIAS) and the University of Sydney – also presented assessments, interventions, and reflections from the project.

Simple interventions by SafePORK and building the capacity of value chain actors has helped to reduce incidences of Salmonella, which is a prevalent foodborne problem in Vietnam. Foodborne illnesses are common and though most cases are mild, infections can be severe and affect anyone. Salmonella contamination of pork is especially high in the country and on average, 1­–2 in 10 people are at risk of contracting pork-borne salmonellosis annually. Those most at risk are children under the age of 5, elderly 65 and above, pregnant women, and those with health issues.

From a survey of pork smallholder value chain actors, seven key reasons were identified as the leading cause of unsafe pork: poor hygiene, improper preservation and processing techniques, long meat transportation time, disease, unclear origin of pork, and low-quality inputs.

The SafePORK team introduced an intervention package with measures to improve hygiene in pork handling, which have been adopted by value chain actors in the country. These include separation of ready-to-eat pork and raw pork, and frequent washing of surfaces, equipment and vendors’ hands. An intervention package was also introduced at slaughterhouses that increased the use of stainless-steel grids to prevent carcasses from contacting the floor, promoted frequent washing of hands and surfaces, and better separation of clean and dirty zones to further reduce carcass contamination.

In the plenary discussion, the project team heard reflections from different actors in the value chain:

‘Since I adopted SafePORK’s recommended practices, I have sold more pork and attracted more customers. The project is amazing, nothing is more precious than this,’ said Nguyen Thi Thuy, a pork retailer, Tien Lu District, Hung Yen Province.

Doan Thi Tuyen, president of a farmer’s union in Le Xa Commune, Tien Lu District, Hung Yen, noted that 70% of the union members have changed their awareness and behaviour to distinguish between safe and unsafe pork because of the projects interventions.

Nguyen Ba Tam, vice-president of Le Xa Commune in Tien Lu District, Hung Yen, shared that the project has provided training for departments and organizations in the commune leading to greater awareness of food safety and increased trade in safer pork.

‘This project has shown that simple and low-cost interventions can reduce the level of pork contamination in traditional markets helping to address the big problem of food safety,’ said Hung Nguyen, co-leader of ILRI Animal Human Health Program and leader of the CGIAR One Health Initiative. He added that other programs such as the CGIAR Initiative on One Health will scale out these research outcomes to more people in other provinces in Vietnam.

The workshop was followed by a structured discussion with various project partners on lessons learned and ways of scaling out the project results. Opportunities for further research were also explored.

Shirley Tarawali, director general (a.i.) ILRI, closed the workshop and noted that ‘SafePORK research and interventions have contributed significantly towards safer pork in Vietnam while supporting many livelihoods. These lessons and valuable insights will help achieve safer food systems for the country and beyond.’

The workshop was hosted by ILRI and attended by more than 80 participants including donors, leaders, project implementers, researchers, partners from national programs and research institutions, international partners, and the private sector representatives.

SafePORK (2017–2023) was funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). It was implemented by ILRI, the Vietnam National University of Agriculture, the Hanoi University of Public Health, National Institute of Animal Sciences and University of Sydney, Australia, in five provinces of Vietnam of Hanoi, Hung Yen, Nghe An, Hoa Binh and Thai Nguyen.

(The post was written by Elizabeth Jones, communications fellow and Chi Nguyen, communications officer at ILRI East and Southeast Asia).

Media clippings: Market-based approaches to improving the safety of pork in Vietnam project closing workshop

In English:

• Project helps improve pork safety in Việt Nam (Vietnam News)
• SafePORK Project brings the Salmonella infection rate on retail pork from 52% down to 24% (Nong nghiep Vietnam)
• Project helps improve pork safety in Vietnam (Vietnam Plus)

In Vietnamese

• VTC16: Giải pháp giảm mức độ ô nhiễm trên thịt lợn tại Việt Nam (Television)
• VTC16: Nâng cao vệ sinh toàn thực phẩm với thịt lợn tại Việt Nam (Television)
• Dự án SafePork: Tỷ lệ thịt lợn bán lẻ bị nhiễm khuẩn giảm từ 52% xuống 24% (Mekong Asean)
• SafePORK đưa tỷ lệ nhiễm khuẩn Salmonella trên thịt lợn bán lẻ từ 52% xuống 24% (Báo Nông nghiệp Việt Nam)
• Hỗ trợ quản lý giúp cải thiện an toàn của thịt lợn tại Việt Nam (Báo Công thương)
• Tỷ lệ thịt lợn bán lẻ bị nhiễm khuẩn giảm từ 52% xuống 24% (Báo dân sinh)
• Hỗ trợ quản lý, cải thiện an toàn của thịt lợn tại Việt Nam (Báo quốc tế)
• Những can thiệp đơn giản giúp thịt lợn an toàn hơn (Báo Khoa học Phát triển)

In French:

• Conserver les aliments pour prévenir des intoxications alimentaires (Le Courier)

Click here to read ILRI East and Southeast Asia Newsletter, Issue 13

To get regular updates on ILRI in this region, click subscribe by email and enter your email address.

See also the latest ILRI research publications and outputs from the region

And previous issues of the regional newsletter: Issue 12; Issue 11; Issue 10; Issue 9 ;Issue 8; Issue 7; Issue 6; Issue 5; Issue 4; Issue 3; Issue 2

Article in international peer-reviewed journals

1. Nga Nguyen-Thi-Duong, Hung Pham-Van, Ha Duong-Nam, Huyen Nguyen-Thi-Thu, Trung Ninh-Xuan, Sinh Dang-Xuan, Unger, F., Hung Nguyen-Viet and Grace, D. 2022. Gender-focused analysis and opportunities for upgrading within Vietnam’s smallholder pig value chains. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 9: 906915. More
2. Jainonthee, C., Sinh Dang-Xuan, Hung Nguyen-Viet, Unger, F. and Chaisowwong, W. 2022. Impacts of the pandemic, animal source food retailers’ and consumers’ knowledge and attitudes toward COVID-19, and their food safety practices in Chiang Mai, Thailand. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19(16): 10187. More
3. Sang-Ik Oh, Thi Thu Huyen Nguyen, Myeon-Sik Yang, Bui Thi To Nga, Vuong Nghia Bui, Van Phan Le, Seung-Won Yi, Eunju Kim, Tai-Young Hur, Hu Suk Lee and Bumseok Kim. 2022. Blood parameters and pathological lesions in pigs experimentally infected with Vietnam’s first isolated African swine fever virus. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 9: 978398. More
4. Duong, C., Jenkins, M., Pyo, E., Phuong Hong Nguyen, Tuyen Huynh, Hung Nguyen-Viet, Young, M.F. and Ramakrishnan, U. 2022. Understanding maternal food choice for preschool children across urban-rural settings in Vietnam. Maternal & Child Nutrition e13435. More
5. Trang Thi-Huyen Le, Langley, S.J., Dunham, J.G., Sinh Dang-Xuan, Unger, F., Hai Hoang Tuan Ngo, Luong Nguyen-Thanh, Hung Nguyen-Viet and Toribio, J.-A. 2022. Food safety knowledge, needed and trusted information of pork consumers in different retail types in Northern Vietnam. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 6: 1063927. More

Presentation at international workshops/forums/conferences/seminars

1. Nguyen Thanh Ha. 2022. Assessing and prioritizing wildlife value chains and transmission risks of zoonotic diseases. Presentation at the consultation meeting of the CGIAR Initiative on One Health zoonoses work package, Hanoi, Vietnam, 8 December 2022. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
2. Unger, F., Hu Suk Lee, Okoth, E., Bett, B. and Hung Nguyen-Viet. 2022. ILRI’s key programs to address infectious diseases, areas requiring international cooperation, and plans for cooperation with the Republic of Korea. Presentation at the Global ODA Forum for Sustainable Agricultural Development, Seoul, South Korea, 22 November 2022. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
3. Sinh Dang Xuan, Le Thi Huyen Trang, Ngo Hoang Tuan Hai, Hung Nguyen-Viet, Nguyen Thi Duong Nga, Pham Van Hung, Le Thi Thanh Huyen, Pham Duc Phuc, Nguyen Hong Phi and Unger, F. 2022. Food safety risk communication: A One Health approach to improve knowledge and practices along pork value chains in Vietnam. Poster prepared for the 7th World One Health Congress, Singapore, 7-11 November 2022. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI; Hanoi, Vietnam: Hanoi University of Public Health, Vietnam National University of Agriculture and National Institute of Animal Sciences. More
4. Otieno, M.A. 2022. Chăn-hênh: Sustainable Animal Productivity for Livelihoods, Nutrition and Gender inclusion in the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam. Presented at the stakeholder Engagement Meeting of CGIAR SAPLING initiative in Son La, Vietnam, 11 October 2022. Rome, Italy: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. More
5. Le Thi Thanh Huyen, Marshall, K., Hoang Hai Hoa, Tran Thi Bich Ngoc, Nguyen Quang Huy and Unger, F. 2022. Chăn-hênh: Sustainable Animal Productivity for Livelihoods, Nutrition and Gender inclu-sion in the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam, Work package 1: Technologies and practices. Presented at the Stakeholder Engagement Meeting of CGIAR SAPLING Initiative in Son La, Vietnam, 11 October 2022. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI, Hanoi, Vietnam: National Institute of Animal Sciences and National Institute of Veterinary Research. More
6. Truong Tuyet Mai. 2022. Chăn-hênh: Sustainable Animal Productivity for Livelihoods, Nutrition and Gender inclusion in the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam, Work package 2: Livestock-derived foods as part of diverse diets. Presented at the Stakeholder Engagement Meeting of CGIAR SAPLING Initiative in Son La, Vietnam, 11 October 2022. Hanoi, Vietnam: National Institute of Nutrition (NIN). More
7. Phuong Nguyen. 2022. Chăn-hênh: Sustainable Animal Productivity for Livelihoods, Nutrition and Gender inclusion in the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam, Work package 3: Sustainable livestock productivity for gender equity and social inclusion. Presented at the Stakeholder Engagement Meeting of CGIAR SAPLING Initiative in Son La, Vietnam, 11 October 2022. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
8. Thinh Nguyen. 2022. Chăn-hênh: Sustainable Animal Productivity for Livelihoods, Nutrition and Gender inclusion in the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam, Work package 4: Competitive and inclusive live-stock value chains. Presented at the Stakeholder Engagement Meeting of CGIAR SAPLING Initiative in Son La, Vietnam, 11 October 2022. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
9. Notenbaert, A., Esquivias, L., Mwema, E. and Van der Hoek, R. 2022. Chăn-hênh: Sustainable Animal Productivity for Livelihoods, Nutrition and Gender inclusion in the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam, Work package 5: Evidence, Decision and Scaling. Presented at the Stakeholder Engagement Meeting of CGIAR SAPLING Initiative in Son La, Vietnam, 11 October 2022. Rome, Italy: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT and Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
10. Unger, F. 2022. Protecting human health through a One Health approach. Presented at the 19th quarterly meeting of the Food Safety Working Group in Vietnam, Hanoi, Vietnam, 26 September 2022. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI.
11. Unger, F., Pham Duc Phuc, Pham Van Hung, Sinh Dang Xuan, Le Thi Thanh Huyen, Sothyra Tum, Chhay Ty, Toribio, J.A., Ngo Hoang Tuan Hai, Nguyen Thi Duong Nga, Hung Nguyen-Viet. 2022. Safer food for traditional markets from a One health perspective. Presentation at the 23rd Khon Kaen Veterinary Annual International Conference in Khon Kaen, Thailand, 2 September 2022. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
12. Unger, F., Nga Nguyen-Thi-Duong, Huyen Le Thi, Phuc Pham Duc, Sinh Dang-Xuan and Grace, D. 2022. Food safety knowledge, attitudes, practices and trust of pork consumers of Northern Vietnam. Presentation at the 16th International Symposium of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Halifax, Canada, 7-12 August 2022. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
13. Unger, F., Tum, S., Chea, R., Sinh Dang-Xuan, Hung Nguyen-Viet, Ty, C. and Grace, D. 2022. The first large scale randomized control trial in Cambodia animal sourced food systems: rationale and process. Presentation at the 16th International Symposium of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Halifax, Canada, 7–12 August 2022. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
14. Sinh Dang-Xuan, Nga Nguyen-Thi-Duong, Ty, C., Hung Pham-Van, Unger, F. and Hung Nguyen-Viet. 2022. Assessing impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on animal source food retailers and consumers in Vietnam and Cambodia. Poster presented at the 16th International Symposium of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Halifax, Canada, 9 August 2022. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
15. Vu Thi Phuong. 2022. Protecting human health through a One Health approach and improving human health through sustainable value chains in human-animal-environmental interactions using ICT in Vietnam. Presented at the kick-off workshop of the CGIAR Initiative on One Health and ICT4Health project, Hanoi, Vietnam, 3 August 2022. Hanoi, Vietnam: Vietnam One Health Partnership for Zoonotic Diseases. More
16. Hung Nguyen-Viet, Bett, B., Unger, F., Murphy, M., Muloi, D. and Sinh Dang Xuan. 2022. Protecting human health through a One Health approach. Presented at the kick-off workshop of the CGIAR Initiative on One Health and ICT4Health project, Hanoi, Vietnam, 3 August 2022. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI and Washington D.C, United States: IFPRI. More
17. Hu Suk Lee and Sinh Dang Xuan. 2022. Improving human health through sustainable value chains in human-animal-environmental interactions using ICT in Vietnam (2022-2025). Presented at the kick-off workshop of the CGIAR Initiative on One Health and ICT4Health project in Hanoi, Vietnam on 3 August 2022. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
18. Bett, B. and Muturi, M. 2022. One Health experiences in Kenya: South-south learnings. Presented at the kick-off workshop of the CGIAR Initiative on One Health and ICT4Health project, Hanoi, Vietnam, 3 August 2022. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
19. Unger, F., Sinh Dang-Xuan and Hung-Nguyen Viet. 2022. Use of risk assessment for food safety management with an integrated One Health approach. Presentation at a webinar on One Health application in foodborne diseases, Gadjah Mada, Indonesia, 14 July 2022. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More

Brief/Brochure

1. ILRI. 2022. ILRI in Vietnam. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
2. ILRI. 2022. ILRI tại Việt Nam. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
3. ILRI. 2022. Bảo vệ sức khỏe con người thông qua cách tiếp cận Một sức khỏe. Profile prepared for Vietnam Priority Country Program. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
4. ILRI. 2022. Protecting human health through a One Health approach. Profile prepared for Vietnam Priority Country Program. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
5. ILRI and Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT (ABC). 2022. Chăn-hênh: Sáng kiến CGIAR về Năng suất Chăn nuôi Bền vững. Priority Country Program. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI and Rome, Italy: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT (ABC). More
6. ILRI and Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT (ABC). 2022. Chăn-hênh: CGIAR initiative on Sustainable Animal Productivity. Vietnam Priority Country Program. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI and Rome, Italy: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT (ABC). More
7. ILRI. 2022. Improving human health through sustainable value chains in human-animal-environmental interactions using ICT in Vietnam (ICT4Health). Project profile. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
8. CGIAR System Organization. 2022. New CGIAR portfolio in Vietnam. Brochure prepared for the workshop on introduction of CGIAR Portfolio in Vietnam, 15 June 2022. Hanoi, Vietnam: CGIAR. More
9. CGIAR System Organization. 2022. Tổng quan các sáng kiến CGIAR mới tại Việt Nam. Brochure prepared for the workshop on introduction of CGIAR Portfolio in Vietnam, 15 June 2022. Hanoi, Vietnam: CGIAR. More

Report

1. ILRI and Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT (ABC). 2022. Report on Vietnam inception workshop of CGIAR Initiative on Sustainable Animal Productivity for Livelihoods, Nutrition and Gender Inclusion (SAPLING), 20-21 April 2022. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI and Rome, Italy: ABC. More
2. Hung Nguyen-Viet, Unger, F., Sinh Dang-Xuan and Nguyen, C. 2022. Report on the kick-off workshop of the CGIAR Initiative on One Health and Improving human health through sustainable value chains in human-animal-environmental interactions using information communication technology in Vietnam (ICT4Health) project. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
3. Ha Nguyen, Lindahl, J., Hu Suk Lee, Hung Nguyen-Viet, Sinh Dang-Xuan, Thang Nguyen, Tung Dao, Chi Nguyen, Thanh Nguyen and Unger, F. 2022. Consultation meeting on assessing and prioritizing wildlife value chains and transmission risk of zoonotic diseases in Vietnam. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
4. Tu Mai. 2022. Report on Li-chăn stories of change – Evidence from photovoice. Report produced un-der the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock Agri-food Systems, December 2022. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI, and Rome, Italy: ABC. More
5. ILRI and Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. 2022. Vietnam stakeholder engagement meeting of the CGIAR Initiative on Sustainable Animal Productivity. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI and Rome, Italy: ABC. More

Newsletter

1. Food Safety Working Group in Vietnam. 2022. Food Safety Working Group in Vietnam E-bulletin January-June 2022. Hanoi, Vietnam. More
2. ILRI. 2022. ILRI East and Southeast Asia newsletter Issue 11, January–June 2022. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
3. CGIAR. 2022. CGIAR Vietnam newsletter Issue 1, 2022. Hanoi, Vietnam: CGIAR. More
4. CGIAR. 2022. Tờ tin số 1 CGIAR tại Việt Nam, năm 2022. Hanoi, Vietnam: CGIAR. More

Video

1. ILRI. 2022. Healthier animal, happier farmer: Quan’s story (Li-chan project). Video. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
2. ILRI. 2022. People get rid of grass, but I grow it: Trong’s story (Li-chan project). Video. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
3. ILRI. 2022. Common interest groups: The power of connection (Li-chan project). Video. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
4. ILRI. 2022. Artificial insemination: Key to improving livestock production efficiency (Li-chan project). Video. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More
5. ILRI. 2022. Photos can speak: The farmer’s perspective of livestock (Li-chan project). Video. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. More

The forum was hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs of Korea and organized by the Korea Rural Economic Institute as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The forum included welcome or key remarks by Chung Hwang-keun, minister of MAFRA, Qu Dongyu, director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Ban Ki-moon, president and chair of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), among others.

Fred Unger, regional representative for ILRI in East and Southeast Asia, shared how ILRI’s programs are addressing infectious diseases to improve the health of humans and animals. Unger also spoke about opportunities for research collaboration between ILRI, a CGIAR research centre, and the Republic of Korea. Key among these are initiatives to help reduce the risk of disease transmission from animals to humans. He said a ‘One Health approach could help tackle zoonosis diseases, food-borne diseases and antimicrobial resistance.’  

Fred Unger, regional representative for ILRI in East and Southeast Asia, shared how ILRI’s programs are addressing infectious diseases to improve the health of humans and animals (photo credit: MAFRA).

Stressing the importance of livestock in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs), Unger highlighted the sector’s critical role in achieving many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He said the future growth of the sector will require balancing the rising demand for milk, meat, eggs in LMICs and minimizing the risk of pathogens spread from domestic animals to humans, especially in smallholder farming systems and informal markets that produce and sell 70% of animal-sourced food in LMICs. ‘We also need to reduce the threats of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is already causing 1.2 million deaths annually across the world and is projected to kill 10 million each year by 2050,’ he cautioned, adding that achieving this will require greater investment in research and diagnostics.

Key ILRI programs and projects that are using One Health to address zoonoses, food safety and AMR in Africa and Southeast Asia include:

• One Health Centre in Africa (OHRECA), which is developing research based One Health capacity in developing countries,
• the CGIAR One Health Initiative that is ensuring multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral involvement in One Health to address zoonotic disease threats,
• vector-borne disease research in urban areas of Vietnam, and
• food safety research (in Cambodia through the Safe Food, Fair Food for Cambodia project and in Vietnam through SafePORK project).

Key achievements from ILRI’s decade-long research on food safety in Southeast Asia at both policy and grassroots levels were presented at the meeting. These include low-cost interventions to improve the safety of food in Cambodia and Vietnam policy changes based on research. Others were ILRI’s contributions to the development of the Vietnam One Health Partnership for Zoonotic Diseases Strategy (2021–2025), the United Nations Food Systems Summit in 2021 and the National Action Plan for Food System Transformation in 2022.

Unger concluded by sharing the CGIAR’s plan ‘to support the development of sustainable livestock value chains, ecofriendly production and integrated animal and human health in LMICs’ by:

• Integrating ICT in livestock production with support from government agencies, academia and the private sector
• Disease control and prevention with private sector and academia
• Research and capacity building with academia and research institutes

Hu Suk Lee, professor at the Chungnam University and joint-appointed scientist at ILRI attends a panel discussion on infectious diseases (photo credit: MAFRA).

Unger and Hu Suk Lee, professor at the Chungnam University and joint-appointed scientist at ILRI also attended a panel discussion on infectious diseases. Unger emphasized on the importance of effective early detection and response system to be better prepared for new emerging disease treats. Lee explained how a Korean government-funded project that is ‘Improving human health through sustainable value chains in human-animal-environmental interactions using ICT in Vietnam’, is helping prevent, control or eliminate risks to human and animal health, a key element in ensuring sustainable agricultural development. The project is expected to contribute to the development of a surveillance, and early warning system on zoonosis using ICT and new ways of preventing and responding to important zoonosis in the country. ‘Using One Health is helping us bring together different sectors to produce evidence that can be translated into policies,’ Lee said.

Watch a video of the ILRI session at the forum here (from 05:10:05) and panel discussion (from 05:40:40)

Speaking at the forum, Phung Duc Tien, vice minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said Vietnam’s agriculture was facing challenges such as natural disasters, epidemics and extreme weather conditions as a result of climate change. The country’s 100 million people are among the most vulnerable in the world to these variations, especially along the 3,260 km coastline.

‘Scientific and technological development and innovation will build a foundation for agricultural development in new rural areas in line with ecological agriculture,’ Tien said.

Phung Duc Tien, vice minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam makes an opening remark at the forum (photo credit: ILRI/Chi Nguyen).

With climate change at the heart of CGIAR’s new mission of delivering science and innovation that advance the transformation of food, land and water systems in a climate crisis; a series of initiatives have been designed to promote sustainable agriculture. These innovations emphasize emissions reduction and climate change adaptation and mitigation, and many of them can be applied in Vietnam.

Some of the proposals presented at the forum included:

• Significant reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions from food, land and water systems and increased carbon sequestration. For example, Mitigate+, the CGIAR Initiative on low-emission food systems, aims to reduce annual global food system emissions by 7% by 2030 by working closely with key actors in the target countries. To support the creation of resilient, inclusive, and productive deltas, the Asian Mega-Deltas Initiative is bringing together governmental and non-governmental agencies in Vietnam and Cambodia.
• More climate-resilient food, land and water systems redesigned to conserve biodiversity, reverse soil degradation, improve water quality, availability, productivity and management, restore deforested land and reduce pressure on forests. CGIAR’s Livestock, Climate and System Resilience Initiative, for example, is projected to improve the management of 2 million hectares of land.
• Enhanced resilience and adaptive capacity for millions of households through, for instance, the diversification and strengthening of livelihoods and climate-smart innovations. Excellence in Agronomy, an initiative that combines big data analytics, new sensing technologies, geospatial decision tools, and farming systems research, is projected to deliver an increase in productivity and quality per unit of input (agronomic gain) for millions of smallholder farming households in prioritized farming systems by 2030.
• Billions of dollars in investment stimulated and/or informed by scientific evidence, such as Nature-Positive Solutions, which seeks to ensure that agriculture is a net positive contributor to nature. This initiative aims to stimulate USD 1 billion in investments in nature-positive solutions for climate adaptation.
• Improving human health and well-being, for example through the One Health Initiative to protect human health by improving detection, prevention, and control of zoonoses, foodborne diseases and antimicrobial resistance in low and middle-income countries, where cases tend to increase with the changing climate.

‘Vietnam’s agriculture has grown steadily compared to other countries,’ Tran Cong Thang, director general of the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development, commented during a presentation on orientations and strategies for the development of the agricultural sector. ‘However, the contributions of science and technology to the agricultural growth of Vietnam are still limited, with total factor productivity standing at 2.39% for 1991–2019,’ he added.

Tran Cong Thang, director general of the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development makes a presentation on orientations and strategies for the development of the agricultural sector (photo credit: ILRI/Chi Nguyen).

Nguyen Giang Thu, deputy director of the Department of Science, Technology and Environment at MARD, shared the country’s Strategy for Science and Technology Development and Innovation in the Agriculture and Rural Development sector until 2030, with a vision to 2050. This strategy, approved in 2022, aims to improve domestic research and technology transfer potential as well as establish institutions and an enabling environment to promote science and innovations for agriculture.

Vietnam has implemented a wide range of programs to support the strategy, including sub-sector strategies for livestock, fisheries, forestry, irrigation, mechanization, science and technology. The country has also invested in comprehensive programs, including the New Rural Development Program (USD 385 million), Mountain Development Program (USD 2.2 billion) and Poverty Reduction Program (USD 1.2 billion). To guide more sustainable development, a climate change adaptation strategy has been set up.

From left: Nguyen Thanh Liem, deputy director general, International Cooperation Department, MARD, Phung Duc Tien, MARD vice minister, Michael Akester, Regional Director, South-East Asia and the Pacific, WorldFish and Samarendu Mohanty, regional director for Asia, International Potato Center (photo credit: ILRI/Chi Nguyen).

Representatives from CGIAR centres pledged to support MARD in realizing Vietnam’s commitment at COP26 to reduce net emissions to zero by 2050 and addressing climate-related challenges in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The participants particularly emphasized application and replication of recent research and innovation results. Stephane Weise, Asia managing director of the Alliance of Biodiversity International and CIAT, on behalf of Jean Balie, CGIAR regional director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, director general, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) emphasized that ‘the applications and innovation programs that CGIAR is working on will contribute to making the agricultural production system in Vietnam greener and more sustainable’.

The forum was organized under the framework of the annual International Support Group (ISG) Program hosted by MARD. Attendees included leaders and representatives from MARD departments and agencies, the Central Economic Commission, government offices and related ministries/sectors, authorities from the 63 provinces, international organizations and the private sector, associations, academia and social organizations working on scientific research and innovation.

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Phung Duc Tien, vice minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam makes an opening remark at the forum (photo credit: ILRI/Chi Nguyen).

Clippings of key national print and online newspapers on the forum on ‘Research and innovation for enhanced environmental sustainability, low-emission agriculture, climate change adaptation and mitigation’. The event took place on 28 November 2022 and was co-hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam (MARD) and CGIAR.

The meeting was co-chaired by Phung Duc Tien, vice minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Stephane Weise, Asia Managing Director at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT to explore ways to strengthen collaboration between MARD, CGIAR and relevant stakeholders to apply and replicate research and innovation results towards promoting low-emission agriculture, climate change adaptation and mitigation.

In English:

• Science, technology development key to sustainable agriculture
• Science and technology contribute only 30% of added value in agriculture industry
• Science, technology development key to sustainable agriculture

In Vietnamese

• VTC16: Trồng lúa 1 phải, 5 giảm giúp nông dân Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long tiết kiệm hàng tỷ đồng mỗi năm (Television)
• Ứng dụng tiến bộ kỹ thuật góp phần phát triển nông nghiệp bền vững và giảm phát thải
• Ứng dụng khoa học công nghệ thúc đẩy phát triển nông nghiệp thích ứng
• Khoa học công nghệ đóng góp trên 30% giá trị gia tăng của ngành nông nghiệp
• Áp dụng khoa học công nghệ để thúc đẩy phát triển nông nghiệp bền vững
• Chìa khóa giúp nông nghiệp ứng phó với biến đổi khí hậu
• Chìa khóa giúp ngành nông nghiệp ứng phó với biến đổi khí hậu
• Chìa khóa giúp ngành nông nghiệp ứng phó với biến đổi khí hậu
• Thúc đẩy phát triển nông nghiệp thích ứng với biến đổi khí hậu

The meeting on 21 October 2022 brought together 35 experts from six governmental ministries involved in managing food safety and food quality in the country and the international organisations and donors. These included representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).

The taskforce on food safety risk assessment was an initiative by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Safe Food, Fair Food for Cambodia project (SFFF) (2017-2021). Cambodia food safety experts and researchers are members of the project-supported Technical Working Group for Food Safety that is strengthening food safety risk assessment and food safety policies in the country through joint activities with the government.

Bun Chan, deputy director of the National Animal Health and Production Research Institute (NAHPRI), on behalf of the General Directorate of Animal Health and Production (GDAHP), acknowledged the contributions of three previous meetings of the Taskforce in 2017, 2019 and 2021 to evolution of the country’s food safety policies. The previous taskforce meetings were supported by the Safe Food, Fair Food for Cambodia project. ‘This meeting is to find the best place to fit ourselves with the newly enacted food safety law,’ said Chan.

According to Dim Theng, deputy director general of the Directorate General of Consumer Protection, Competition, Fraud Repression (CCF), the new ‘Law on Food Safety’ which was promulgated in June 2022, is designed to meet the needs of international and domestic trade and protect public health. The law – consisting of 11 chapters with 43 articles – sets out the framework and mechanism for managing and ensuring the safety, quality, hygiene and legitimacy of food at all stages of the food production chain. It also provides health and food safety protection for consumers and ensures honest food trading.

At the meeting, participants learned about the current situation and challenges of food safety in Cambodia. Other key issues discussed were outbreak investigation and response from the public health sector, lessons learned from the risked-based approach and management from the SFFF Cambodia project, and experience in food safety management from its neighbouring country– Vietnam.

Based on the SFFF Cambodia’s key findings on microbial risks linked to improper hygiene and cross-contamination, the SFFF project team tested ‘light-touch’ and low-cost interventions to improve the safety of pork and poultry sold in traditional markets across the country. Among the more hygienic practices the research team introduced were the separation of ready-to-eat from raw pork meat and intestines, frequent handwashing as well as wipe-downs of meat-selling surfaces, and promotion of clean-pork branding to retailers.

Participants at the meeting proposed strengthening the capacity for taskforce members by developing guidelines and a manual on risk-based approaches, strengthening collaboration among members through regular meetings to update on food safety in the country, and establishing a core group to facilitate the operation of the taskforce. Partners agreed to set up a communication channel for taskforce members on Telegram – a favourite social platform in Cambodia. They also suggested that the national taskforce participate in relevant national and international events and platforms such as the National Food Security Nutrition Forum and the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS).

Hung Nguyen, co-leader of the ILRI Animal Human Health Program, who also leads the CGIAR One Health Initiative emphasized the need to cement the link between the taskforce and the current multi-sectoral Technical Working Group on Food Safety so that both groups can work better together and support food safety policymakers in Cambodia.

The taskforce is currently receiving support from French Development Agency (AFD), the European Union (EU) and the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) through the ASSET project and the CGIAR Initiative on ‘Protecting human health through a One Health approach’, or One Health initiative.

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Collaboration between government and researchers to improve food safety in Cambodia

National taskforce of government experts and food safety researchers start work of ensuring safe food for Cambodians

‘Safe Food, Fair Food for Cambodia’—Future directions for scaling up the project’s interventions

In addition to providing draft work for agriculture in India, donkeys provide milk for their keepers. In recent years there has, however, been a sharp decline of the donkey and mule population as shown by the 2019 livestock census of India. The donkey population in the country is now 112,000 and there are 80,000 mules compared to a high of 320,000 donkeys and 160,000 mules in 2012.

So far, the ‘Mapping the issues of Indian donkey and mule population and identify the potential intervention strategies and partnership’ project, which is supported by the Donkey Sanctuary (TDS), UK, has organized stakeholder meetings and household surveys in six Indian states (Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Bihar) that have a sizable donkey and mule population.

On 10 October 2022, the project organized a national stakeholder meeting on the ‘Status of donkey and mule population and their dependent communities in India’ in New Delhi.

Habibar Rahman, ILRI regional representative for South Asia expressed concern about the declining population of donkeys in India. ‘The number of donkeys has decreased by 61% since the last livestock census in 2012 with the highest decline of 71% in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan,’ he said. He gave an overview of the ILRI-led project on donkeys and mules in India, which though delayed due to COVID-19-related restrictions had already started work in the six aforementioned states with support from the state animal husbandry and veterinary departments, universities, and other stakeholders.

Isabelle Baltenweck, leader of ILRI’s Policies, Institutions and Livelihoods program, said that equines, next to cattle and buffalo, play a key role in supporting the livelihoods of many poor, small-scale farmers in India. She called for more research to understand the role that women play in equines production and management. She also called for the engagement of the donkey sector’s stakeholders including farmers in coming up with policies to improve the sector’s performance.

Anil Kumar Singh, vice president of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), emphasized the importance of promoting non-bovine milk, i.e., donkey milk and camel milk, by highlighting its nutritional and economic value (donkey milk currently retails at INR 4,500 [USD 55] per litre). Singh also said there is need to focus on donkey value chains and encourage start-ups that can support the sector.

Bhupendra Nath Tripathi, deputy director general (Animal Sciences) at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) said a national policy on equine welfare would help address issues such as the donkey population decline by exploring, among other challenges, how to balance the rapid adoption of mechanization, and maintaining a sufficient number of donkeys and mules to support the local communities. He suggested that ICAR’s National Research Centre on Equines (NRCE) explore ways of improving all donkey and mule breeds, donkey dairy units, value chain systems, and economics.

Trilochan Mohapatra, president of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) and director general of ICAR, said donkeys are neglected animal species because of the adoption of new technology and mechanization. He said the welfare of farmers who depend on donkeys for their livelihood should be protected by promoting non-bovine milk and creating awareness of the health benefits of donkey milk. He urged researchers to explore whether donkey milk that can be used for pharmaceutical purposes such as in immuno-modulators.

Mohapatra and Baltenweck led a technical session at the meeting that discussed among other topics, the household survey results and the key findings from the project survey in the six states, the declining population of donkeys and its possible causes, the opportunities for using donkeys in different parts of the country, and the nutritional value of donkey milk. Among the recommendations from the discussion were that:

• Special emphasis be given to donkey milk and the development of a cooperative model for the promotion of donkey milk producers.
• All the potential stakeholders be brought together to work in donkeys research including ICAR, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, the government, non-governmental organizations, and donkey sanctuaries.
• A National Donkey Production Program (NDPP) be established for the welfare of donkeys.
• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) certification be applied to donkey milk.
• An artificial insemination program be started for donkeys with relevant subsidies.
• Indigenous donkey are given attention to improve breeds, expand the population herd and develop donkey and donkey-products export markets.
• Medicinal and cosmetic properties of donkey milk be fully utilized through economic analysis and appropriate extension.

Data generated from this project will be used by ILRI and partners to create guidelines for donkey production, management and breeding in India. The research will also strengthen market linkages and value addition in the donkey sector.

This project is funded by the Donkey Sanctuary, UK, an international animal welfare and rescue charity that is transforming the quality of life for donkeys, mules and people worldwide. The sanctuary operates major projects in Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, and Mexico.

Read more about the project at https://www.ilri.org/research/projects/scoping-study-mapping-issues-indian-donkey-and-mule-population-and-identify

(The post was written by Kennady Vijayalakshmy, research and communications officer with ILRI in South Asia, with additional editing by Paul Karaimu, communications officer, ILRI).