Northwest Vietnam: CIRAD-ACIAR joint effort to promote CA practices

Joint attempts are being spent to find opportunities for sustaining and scaling-up the initiatives of the CIRAD’s ADAM project “Support to extension of agro-ecology approach for improving cropping systems efficiency and durability in Northwestern mountainous areas of Vietnam” which is ending this year, as well as for scaling-out the R4D results of the ACIAR’s Northwest Vietnam project “Improved market engagement for sustainable upland production systems in the North West Highlands of Vietnam” which has been accomplished last year. Scoping missions and workshops are being organized by ACIAR in partnership with CIRAD, NOMAFSI, SFRI and Helvetas, ACIAR and CIRAD to understand the priorities of farming systems on sloping lands in the region, and to indentify potential partners and locations. Experts visited sites of both ADAM and Northwest projects and discussed with local farmers and officers to understand better the problems facing small scale households in the region to apply CA practices. Based on the experiences of previous activities and the findings of these scoping missions plan for interventions during the next 4 years is being developed.

As planned, the coming ACIAR-CIRAD joint initiatives in the Northwest Vietnam will be linked to that in Laos and Burma in a regional  proposal towards profitable and sustainable maize-based farming systems for sloping lands in the Mekong region.