Vietnam Newsletter - English version

ACIAR
in Vietnam
January Tháng 1 2016
<aciar.gov.au>
No matter where they work, on the fields, in laboratories or in management positions, women have always been an essential part in ACIAR Vietnam program
Bất kể là ở vị trí nào, trên đồng ruộng, trong phòng thí nghiệm hay ở vị trí quản lý, phụ nữ luôn đóng vai trò quan trọng trong chương trình ACIAR ở Việt Nam
News
Regional workshop on beef markets and trade (p.2)
Rice farming in the Mekong Delta – adapting to climate stresses (p.4)
Retirement of Dr Nguyen Van Hao (p.6)
Story of Mrs Luyen – the vegetables grower in Moc Chau (p.8)
Project updates
First forum round towards sustainably developed
temperate fruits industry (p.12)
Mid-term review of the rice-shrimp project (p16)
Improving policies for forest plantations in Lao PDR and Vietnam (p.20)
Enhancement of production of Acacia and Eucalypt veneer processing (p.22)
Preliminary results of the oysters project (p.24)
Tin đào tạo
John Allwright fellowship (p.26)
John Dillon fellowship (p.28)
Australia, full of love from my heart (p.30)
Tin tức
Hội thảo quốc tế về thị trường bò thịt (p.3)
Trồng lúa ở Đồng bằng sông Cửu Long - ứng phó với biến đổi khí hậu (p.5)
Tiến sĩ Nguyễn Văn Hảo nghỉ hưu (p.7)
Chuyện cô Luyến - nông dân trồng rau ở Mộc Châu (p.9)
Cập nhật từ dự án
Diễn đàn cấp tỉnh lần thứ nhất hướng tới phát triển bền vững
cây ăn quả ôn đới (p.13)
Đánh giá giữa kỳ của dự án tôm-lúa (p.17)
Hoàn thiện chính sách rừng trồng ở Lào và Việt Nam (p.21)
Tăng cường sản xuất ván mỏng từ gỗ keo và bạch đàn (p.23)
Kết quả bước đầu của dự án hàu (p.25)
Tin đào tạo
Chương trình học bổng John Allwright (p.27)
Chương trình học bổng John Dillon (p.29)
Australia, tình yêu tràn đầy trong tim tôi (p.31)
NEWS
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Regional workshop
on beef markets
and trade
International experts and policymakers attending the regional workshop on
beef markets and trade in Ben Tre province, Vietnam
Các chuyên gia quốc tế và các nhà hoạch định chính sách tham dự
hội thảo quốc tế về thị trường bò thịt ở tỉnh Bến Tre, Việt Nam
By Pham Luong, HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation
From 30 November to 3 December 2015, an international
workshop on Beef Markets and Trade in China and Southeast
Asia was organised in Ben Tre province in Southern Vietnam
to identify strategic constraints and opportunities for research,
development and collaboration that will enhance development
of inclusive and sustainable beef industries, markets and trade
in China and Southeast Asia. The workshop was funded by
ACIAR and co-organised by HELVETAS Vietnam, the University of
Queensland and the People’s Committee of Ben Tre province.
The workshop attracted the participation of a large number of
stakeholders from different countries including China, Vietnam,
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia and Timor-Leste,
and also several Australian agencies including ACIAR, Department
of Agriculture and Water Resources, Austrade, Meat & Livestock
Australia, state government representatives from Queensland,
Northern Territory, Western Australia, and ACIAR project
participants and other beef industry experts and consultants.
The reports of crosscutting themes from country sessions
suggested that beef markets and trade in China and Southeast
Asia have undergone major change in ways that could not have
been envisioned only a decade ago. Unprecedented economic
growth and urbanisation has increased beef consumption in
parts of the region. For example, between 2000 and 2013,
average annual beef consumption increased by 8% in Vietnam
and around 4% in China, while beef prices increased by 8% and
11% respectively.
The increases in consumption have not, however, seen a
parallel response in cattle numbers. Over the same period, the
cattle herd in China and Southeast Asia decreased (especially
in China, which makes up 69% of cattle numbers) for several
reasons including increasing opportunity costs of labour in
countries that experienced broad-based growth; large scale farm
mechanisation that have reduced the need for draught cattle;
and farmers selling cattle to take advantage of high prices. In a
regional cattle industry dominated by smallholders, the supply
response to rising prices has been muted – especially for cow-calf
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production – compared to other more commercialised livestock
industries including pigs and chickens.
These supply–demand settings have generated several
significant trends. While cattle numbers have stagnated (-0.3%),
turnoff numbers and beef production have increased (1.9% and
2.5% respectively), indicating higher turnoff rates and increased
carcass weights as proxies for gradual industry productivity.
While regional beef industries are dominated by smallholders
and individual household actors, there has been several hotspots
of industry growth – especially in the feedlot sector and other
downstream sectors.
Most importantly, there has been a major increase in the trade of
cattle and beef. The volume of beef officially imported into China,
Vietnam and Indonesia increased from approximately 100,000
tonnes in 2008 to 430,000 tonnes in 2013. Another one million
tonnes entered China from India, Brazil and the US through
informal channels in 2014. These countries formally imported
more than 900,000 cattle, while about 300,000 more, mainly
from Myanmar, crossed into China and traversed Thailand,
Laos, Cambodia and then entered Vietnam through a myriad of
established and opportunistic trade routes.
The experts agreed that these evolving market and trade settings
have major implications for disease and bio-security risks
associated with livestock trading, consumer access to red meat
protein, food price inflation, and rural development. At the same
time, regional market and trade development patterns have a
direct, but largely unknown or unquantified, effect on markets
for Australian cattle and/or beef.
The participants of the workshop also discussed and identified
key gaps and challenges in the areas of smallholder involvement
in the industry, regional integration and cooperation, biosecurity
and accuracy of data and statistics. These will shape ideas and
activities of future projects, as well as the short and long-term
priorities of these countries.
For further information, please contact Dr Pham Luong
<[email protected]>
NEWS
<aciar.gov.au>
Rice farming in the Mekong Delta –
adapting to climate stresses
By Ngo Dang Phong, Crop and Environmental Sciences Division, IRRI
rice-based systems of the delta,’ says Reiner Wassmann, project
leader and IRRI coordinator for climate change research.
Adjudged to be ‘high quality’ by external reviewers, the project
generated the following research outputs and results, among
others:
• The impacts of SLR have been mapped in a very high resolution
depicting spatial and seasonal patterns of future flooding and
salinity intrusion risks. With improved varieties, and adjusted
crop management strategies, these maps can be used for
targeted technology changes in the rice production systems of
the delta.
Vice Minister Le Quoc Doanh delivering a speech at the workshop
Thứ trưởng Lê Quốc Doanh phát biểu tại hội thảo
Promising rice varieties and innovative farm technologies that
could help farmers in the Mekong Delta Region (MDR) adapt
to crucial climate challenges were presented in a workshop on
14 September 2015 at Daewoo Hotel, Hanoi, Vietnam. These
rice farming technologies were identified through an Australian
Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) project in
which farmer field trials were conducted in An Giang, Bac Lieu,
Hau Giang provinces and Can Tho City over 4 years.
The workshop participants were Dr Le Quoc Doanh, Vice
Minister of the Ministry of Agricultural Research and
Development (MARD), Vietnam, Mr Layton Pike, Australian
Deputy Ambassador to Vietnam, representatives from policy
and planning ministries, project proponents and partners, and
donors.
Vietnam’s rice granary, the MDR accounts for half of the
country’s annual rice production, but rice farmers in the region
have been battered by varying climate change impacts like sea
level rise (SLR), which causes salt-water intrusion in rice paddies.
This impacts on the sustainability of the country’s rice sector.
The workshop featured detailed results of the 4-year project:
Climate Change Affecting Land Use in the Mekong Delta:
Adaptation of Rice-based Cropping Systems (CLUES) funded
by ACIAR and implemented by the International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI), together with its Vietnamese and Australian
research partners.
‘The interdisciplinary approach adopted by the CLUES Project—
encompassing hydrology, plant breeding, crop management and
socio-economic approaches—yielded a range of tangible results
on future risks stemming from sea level rise as well as possible
response strategies in terms of adaptation and mitigation in
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• Rice varieties that are high-yielding, have a short growth
duration, and are tolerant to salinity and being submerged
were developed, field-tested, and submitted for varietal release
(2014).
• The alternate wetting and drying irrigation technique, which is
simple and not expensive, holds high potential as an adaptation
and mitigation strategy. It saves on water use for rice production
by 25% and reduces methane emission in rice paddies by up to
50%.
• Salinity-tolerant, short-growth duration and high-yielding
varieties could give higher yield and replace traditional rice
varieties Mot Bui Do in the shrimp-rice system in the saline
zones of Bac Lieu.
• The project has yielded new data on emission and its
mitigation for rice production as one of the key areas within the
Vietnamese greenhouse gas inventory.
Building on previous work undertaken by IRRI and its Vietnamese
and Australian research partners, the CLUES Project aimed to
increase the adaptive capacity of rice production systems in
the MDR and to provide farmers and extension agencies with
technologies and knowledge that will improve food security,
not only in the region, but globally as well, withVietnam being
the second largest rice producer in the world.
The workshop also served as a platform for feedback from
various stakeholders on how the research findings can be
widely disseminated, and the outreach and exit strategy of the
CLUES Project were refined.
To find out more about these important project results which
may help curb the climate challenges confronting Vietnam’s
rice industry, visit the CLUES website at the following:
http://irri.org/networks/climate-change-affecting-land-use-inthe-mekong-delta
For further information, please contact Dr Ngo Dang Phong <[email protected]>
NEWS
<aciar.gov.au>
Retirement of
Dr Nguyen Van Hao
By Jes Sammut, New South Wales University (UNSW)
Dr Nguyen Van Hao recently retired after many years of service
to aquaculture research and development in Vietnam and
the region. Prior to retirement he served as the Director of
Research Institute for Aquaculture No. 2 (RIA2) in Ho Chi Minh
City, where he built a strong program of research. He was
also responsible for developing links and partnerships with
local and international agencies that underpinned a series of
successful research programs. Dr Hao was well known outside
of Vietnam, where he played an important role in managing
fisheries in the Mekong.
Dr Hao retired after decades of service to aquaculture and fisheries in Vietnam
and the region
TS Hảo nghỉ hưu sau nhiều năm cống hiến cho sự nghiệp nuôi trồng thủy sản
và nghề cá của Việt Nam và khu vực
During the time I have worked with Dr Hao, I have been most
impressed by his commitment to develop and inspire young
researchers. He has been responsible for mentoring successive
generations of researchers who are now progressing to
important management and leadership roles. His foresight in
successional planning has left RIA2 and aquaculture in good
shape.
One of Dr Hao’s final international collaborative projects was in
partnership with ACIAR. The rice-shrimp project team will miss
his leadership. Team members from University of New South
Wales, Can Tho University, Cuu Long Rice Research Institute
(CLRRI), Griffith University, RIA2 and Charles Sturt University
have had a good time working under the leadership of Dr Hao.
He has a ‘let’s get the job done’ attitude that has inspired
the team to work hard towards meeting the project’s goals.
Although retired, he has maintained his involvement in the
rice-shrimp project to gradually handover all responsibilities
and leadership to Dr Sang and other staff at RIA2.
The rice-shrimp project was developed from Dr Hao’s vision
to improve the production of rice and shrimp by a modified
farm design. The project team’s goal is to realize his vision
as we move into the last two years of the project. We pay
tribute to Dr Hao for his decades of dedication to aquaculture
development in Vietnam and wish him well in his retirement.
He will remain our friend and an inspiration to work towards
success!
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NEWS
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Mrs Luyen doing farm works at her family garden
Cô Luyến đang làm rau ở vườn nhà
Story of Mrs Luyen –
the vegetables grower in Moc Chau
By Dinh Thi Huyen Tram
Liking agricultural products to market, enhancing
their value and improving smallholder’s livelihood
in North West Vietnam is one of ACIAR program’s
priorities. In recent years, through researching,
ACIAR has successfully established value chains for
several agricultural products of this area, which,
despite having potentials, still face many difficulties.
One of ACIAR projects here has helped Moc Chau
farmers to increase their income by selling offseasonal vegetables to some supermarkets in Hanoi,
taking the first step towards the establishment of
Moc Chau safe-vegetables brand. Mrs Nguyen Thi
Luyen, leader of Luu Luyen cooperative in Moc Chau,
Son La province is one of the contributing factors
to the success of this project. Below is a small talk
between Mrs Luyen and ACIAR staff in January 2016,
in which she shared about the challenges she had to
face as well as her effort to overcome them.
Before joining this project, what did you do? Why did you
join the project?
Before, I used to grow mostly maize and bean. There were also
vegetables, but the volume was small. I grew vegetables to
sell and to eat. Then, one time, I was sent by the commune
to join a class about safe vegetables held by the province
government, and I realized its importance and potential. From
that, I hit upon the idea of forming a small group to produce
safe vegetables. At the same time, the off-seasonal vegetables
project started to run in Moc Chau. So I decided to join the
project, thus focusing on off-seasonal vegetables. At first there
were only 19 members.
When you first grew safe off-seasonal vegetables, what
challenges did you encounter?
Challenges availed, but the most difficult task was to make
people believe in this business. At the beginning, people‘s
mindset and custom were very hard to change. And they
were also afraid that these vegetables would not sell. Even
government officers in the communes showed no support.
When I held a training class for farmers, the head of the
commune even locked the commune hall, not allowing us to
More on page 10 >>
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NEWS
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>> Continued from page 8
use the venue. It was very difficult, but I was still determined
to do it. At the beginning I even had to use my own house as
collateral to borrow from the bank, using the money to buy
processing equipment and a truck to transport vegetables.
When we first switched to producing safe vegetables it
was very different, since the process is stricter and more
complicated. Right at the beginning, soil and water samples
must be tested. Only when the chemical level is lower than
the acceptable level can our land be certified to be safevegetable producing land. When applying fertilizers and plant
protection chemicals, we have to use the right types (listed in
Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development’s approval list)
and amounts at the right time.
Before we only had to grow vegetables, but now we also have
to practice careful record-keeping. When using a fertilizer or
chemical, we have to note down its name, code, producer,
outlet, manufacturing date and the detailed application
process. In addition, each household has a farmer code. I have
to record the codes when collecting vegetables so that later
I can trace back to growers if needed. It may sound simple,
but at the beginning it took a lot of time. In the first seven
or eight months, the project staff and I had to communicate,
encourage, motivate and follow people closely so that they
could get used to the new method. Now they are proficient in
record keeping.
How did the project help you during that time?
Firstly, the project helped my group to grow and test potential
vegetables in my own garden. Then the project also provided
support in techniques and materials, such as helping to build
plastic houses or sponsoring visit trips for people to go,
observe and learn about growing techniques. The project
even sent technicians to the field to guide and supervise our
farmers closely. With the project’s assistance in techniques and
management, we were able to get the VIETGAP certification
for safe vegetables.
The project also helped me to connect to buyers at the
beginning. After our brand was established I was able to look
for customers by myself. When our work bore results, it was
obvious that there was a significant improvement compared
to before. People saw that and more and more asked to join,
so the cooperative gradually expanded. At the beginning there
were 19 households with 6.7 hectares, now our cooperative
has 38 members with 14 hectares.
What are the differences you see now compared to before
the project was started?
After joining the project, people’s livelihood has been
enhanced significantly. For example, before, 1000 m2 of land
only resulted in 10-15 million VND profit per year. Now it must
bring about 50 or 60 million. Before, there were two or three
pro-poor households in the cooperative; now many have
income of 12-13 million per month.
As for me and my family, before I had to borrow money from
the bank, but now I have paid off all of my debt, renovated my
house and have a new car. The project creates a lot of jobs. For
example, in addition to family members, every year I have to
hire three more people to work.
After Luu Luyen cooperative, do you have any plan for the
near future?
At present, I am proposing to expand this vegetable-growing
model to four Thai groups in my commune. I am also planning
to establish a ‘Club for ex-prisoners’, which will gather exprisoners to form a vegetable growing group. People returning
from prisons or detention centers often suffer greatly from
inferiority complex. It is difficult for them to assimilate into
the community again, and without help from others they are
prone to reoffending. I want to form this group to create jobs
for them as well as help them to get rid of their inferiority
complex and re-enter our community. I think despite being
old, I have heart, and I can do it.
After the success of the cooperative, is there any advice or
suggestion that you want to mention?
Regarding advice, there is nothing much to offer. I just want to
say that the support and assistance from government bodies
in communes and districts are needed for the success of safe
vegetable production. You cannot just give strict orders when
working with farmers, you need to communicate and motivate
people to change their customs and way of thinking.
Thank you very much. We wish you and the project a
successful new year.
Mrs Luyen sorting vegetable with cooperative members
Cô Luyến đang phân loại rau cùng thành viên hợp tác xã
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PROJECT UPDATES
<aciar.gov.au>
Tam Hoa plum is the major temperate fruit in Son La province
Mận Tam Hoa là loại quả ôn đới chủ yếu ở tỉnh Sơn La
First forum round towards sustainably developed
temperate fruits industry
By Pham Thi Vuong1, Pham Thi Sen2, Oleg Nicetic3
Within the framework of the Project AGB/2012/060 ‘Improving
smallholder incomes in the north-western highlands of
Vietnam by increasing access and competitiveness in regional
temperate and subtropical fruit markets’ the first provincial
forum among a series of planned forums on temperate fruit
(TF) were organised in Son La and Lao Cai last September.
Directed towards cooperative actions to sustainably exploit the
local specific advantageous climatic conditions for temperate
fruit development, the first provincial forum aimed to identify
the main opportunities and challenges facing smallholder
farmers in TF industry and possible options for overcoming
these challenges.
About 50 participants, including provincial and district
decision makers, extension officers, producers, collectors and
traders, attended the forum. Presentations by the project’s
researchers and discussions by participants confirmed the
strong will of local authorities and people in developing TF. In
addition to restoration and fruitful exploitation of the existing
2,000 ha and 3,400 ha (mostly of plum, pear and peaches) in
Lao Cai and Son La respectively, both provinces have set up
priorities for extending the area and diversity of varieties of TF
but are currently experiencing difficulties in sourcing planting
material.
More on page 14 >>
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PROJECT UPDATES
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>> Continued from page 12
Although differences between the two provinces exist,
discussions ended up with unanimous conclusions that
both Son La and Lao Cai have good opportunities and
suitable conditions for further developing TF. While Son La
can increase the supply to a range of large Vietnamese city
markets as well as export to neighbouring countries, Lao Cai
has the advantage of being able to produce high quality fruit
and can obtain a high price by selling to tourists at their local
markets and selling any surplus to Hanoi markets. However, a
limiting factor for extension of plum production in Lao Cai is
that fruit ripens later than in Son La and at the same time that
plums ripen in China. Opportunities for increasing production
can be in processing plums and selling them to tourists in Bac
Ha and Sa Pa all year. High profit (2-3 times higher) from TF
compared to conventional food crops such as rice and maize is
an important driver for farmers to extend the fruit area.
The main challenges to TF in the region, as pointed out at the
forums include:
- Small scale of farms and scattering plots
wider range of quality temperate fruit varieties to prolong
the season in which fruit products are available to tourists.
Development of a trade mark is not currently a priority
because the excellent reputation of Bac Ha plums provides
access to the premium market.
For Son La specifically, due to both green and ripened plums
having good market opportunities, it is necessary to conduct a
study to define and map the most suitable micro-locations for
investing into high quality ripened plums as well as develop
a specific brand for this product. The remaining areas can be
allocated to green plum production. Specific technologies and
production recommendations should be developed separately
for production of high quality ripened plums and green plums.
In Son La province the project will facilitate processes to link
private companies involved in the seedling industry, fruit
trade and processing with local government and farmers. The
project will also facilitate the formation of farmer groups and
strengthening of existing farmer organisations.
Plant Protection Research Institute
Northern Mountainous Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute
3
University of Queensland
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2
- Low and un-uniform quality due to poor plant management
and post-harvest technologies.
- Low diversity of fruit types and varieties, e.g. most of the
current 3,400 ha of the existing TF area in Son La is for Tam
Hoa Plum.
- Poor seedling quality: Over 60% of the seedlings used are
farm-derived which have never been subjected to quality
monitoring and control.
- Undeveloped links to market and links between stakeholders:
Lao Cai at the moment relies mostly on the highly profitable
but limited sized local ‘tourist’ markets, while Son La sells
100% of its green and a small amount (up to 10%) of its
ripened plums to China. In both provinces, the deals are made
without contracts between stakeholders along supply chains,
and prices are highly volatile.
To achieved sustainable development of TF industries in the
provinces, participants agreed that the priorities for project
intervention are as follows:
For both provinces (i) to improve capacity in plant management
and postharvest through implementing innovative outreach
strategies (ii) to promote the use of quality seedlings through
strengthening capacity for seedling producers and improving
awareness of farmers in the importance of seedling quality,
and (iii) to diversify varieties and types of TF towards effective
exploitation of local climatic advantages and supply windows
of TF from China and other regions.
For Lao Cai specifically, as local sales to tourists will remain
the main marketing opportunity for coming years and because
farms are both small scale and scattered, production and
postharvest skills need to be improved in order to supply a
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For more information, please contact
Dr Pham Thi Sen <[email protected]>
PROJECT UPDATES
<aciar.gov.au>
One of the 18 farms used for the field trials showing plots used to test different varieties of rice and soil treatments
1/18 trang trại tham gia những thử nghiệm về các giống lúa và phương pháp xử lý đất
Mid-term review of the rice-shrimp project
By Jes Sammut, New South Wales University (UNSW)
ACIAR Project SMCN/2010/083, ‘Improving the sustainability
of rice-shrimp farming systems in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam’,
underwent a mid-term review in October 2015 to evaluate
progress and consider variations to the activities and
milestones. Dr Tran Dinh Luan and Dr Gamini Keerthisinghe
reviewed the project. Twenty-six people attended the first
and third day of the meeting, representing the implementing
agencies and stakeholders, and 18 farmers from Hoa My
Commune in Cai Nuoc District co-hosted the site visit with
the project team on the second day. The program enabled the
team to formally present the research findings on Day 1, and
then show the reviewers the field trials on Day 2. The final
day was used for interviews, project planning discussions and
feedback from the reviewers, which was positive and uplifting
for the project team.
The project’s overall goal is to test the design of riceshrimp farming systems developed by Research Institute
for Aquaculture No 2 (RIA2) under a previous Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) project. Riceshrimp farming has become increasingly difficult in parts
of the Mekong due to increasing soil and water salinity. The
research has investigated risk factors for rice-shrimp farming,
described pond and rice field processes, and generated much
needed environmental and farm management data.
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Australian Project Leader, Associate Professor Jes Sammut,
said ‘The project faced challenges with an unusually long dry
period and erratic rainfall during the rice-growing season.
This led to higher than normal soil and water salinity at the
study site. But the team has gathered valuable data on the
risk factors for rice and shrimp production. We are moving
towards a more comprehensive understanding of processes
that benefit and limit rice and shrimp production in the
Mekong Delta.’
The Vietnam Project Coordinator, Dr Nguyen Van Hao, said
‘Farming shrimp and rice can be very difficult without the right
farm design. The MARD designs we are testing are intended
to improve the success of both rice and shrimp. We want to
give farmers advice that is scientifically validated, hence our
project.’
RIA2 has led the shrimp component of the project. The Cuu
Long Rice Research Institute (CLRRI) has coordinated field
trials on rice varieties, and Can Tho University has led the soil
component. The Vietnamese partners are working closely
with the University of New South Wales, Griffith University
and Charles Sturt University team members from Australia.
‘Our project is strong because we work as a team; we work
More on page 18 >>
PROJECT UPDATES
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>> Continued from page 16
Dr Hao and Dr Chris Barlow (ACIAR Fisheries Program Manager) go back a long way through their involvement
in fisheries management in the Mekong
TS Hảo và TS Chris Barlow (Giám đốc chương trình thủy sản ACIAR) biết nhau từ rất lâu thông qua việc tham gia
quản lý thủy sản ở vùng sông Mekong
together regardless of our discipline, nationality or agency
background,’ Dr Hao said at the meeting.
The research showed that measuring ‘soil-water salinity’ in
the rice plant root zone, rather than just relying on standard
measures of salinity, was very important to understanding
the effects of salinity on rice. The team also compiled a
large database of soil and water quality, shrimp health and
production practices that are being analyzed to identify
associations between environment and management factors
and farm productivity.
The project is also using stable isotope analysis to develop a
better understanding of the contributions of rice and shrimp
to the production system by describing nutrient pathways. The
lack of a rice crop in the first year made it difficult to complete
the stable isotope work, but the project team will soon gain
data from a more recent rice crop and also from trials at a new
site in 2016.
The research also showed that the rice-farming system already
has high nitrogen concentrations and adequate phosphorus.
The system does not require fertilizer, at least for the area
where the work was undertaken. This means farmers can
increase the profitability of the farming system by reducing
or eliminating fertilizer. Laboratory-based studies on leaching
salinity from soils from the study site have underpinned field
trials to investigate enhanced salt leaching practices. The
results so far suggest that with sufficient water supply and
better water management practices, farmers could better
control soil salinity.
A Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) was created for the project
as a framework for conducting research. Data for the BBN
came from stakeholder interviews, expert input and data from
project trials. The BBN has helped to identify key risk factors
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for rice and shrimp farming, and also provided knowledge
that will be used to redesign field experiments to test better
management practices.
The reviewers praised the project team for the contribution
to knowledge generated by the field trials, and the positive
impacts of the capacity building activities of the project.
The capacity building activities included field and laboratory
training for soil and water studies, and developing skills in
building BBNs. The training has strengthened the research
capability of the team and increased data quality.
Luu Duc Dien from RIA2 was awarded a John Allwright
Fellowship under the project to undertake PhD studies at
Griffith University under the supervision of Professor Michele
Burford and Associate Professor Jes Sammut from UNSW.
On recommendation from the reviewers, the project team
selected a new study site in Ca Mau in December 2015 with
assistance from DARD staff. Trials at Hoa My Commune will
continue, and new trial sites are likely to be developed on
farms in the Tan Bang Commune in Thoi Binh District. The
reviewers also noted that the team had created a good
scientific platform for more refined and focused trials in 2016.
Dr Hao retired in September 2015 and is working with Associate
Professor Sammut to help handover project coordination to
Dr Sang, the new Director of RIA2. ‘The project team is very
grateful to Dr Hao for his commitment to this project and his
efforts in efficiently managing and implementing our project
activities. We wish him well in his retirement and we will
endeavor to help achieve his goal of more sustainable farming
practices for farmers in Vietnam,’ said Associate Professor Jes
Sammut at the close of the mid-term review.
For more information, please contact A/Prof Jes Sammut <j.sammut@unsw.
edu.au>
PROJECT UPDATES
<aciar.gov.au>
Project planning meeting in Vientiane, November 2015
Hội thảo lập kế hoạch Dự án tại Viên Chăn, Lào, tháng 11 năm 2015
Improving policies for forest plantations
in Lao PDR and Vietnam
By Huynh Thu Ba, University of Melbourne
The Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research
(ACIAR) held a planning meeting in Vientiane on 10 November,
2015 for a new, three-year forestry project, ‘Improving policies
for forest plantations to balance smallholder, industry and
environmental needs in Lao PDR and Vietnam’. This policy
project is one of more than 25 development research projects
in Lao PDR and one of 18 research initiatives in Vietnam that
are currently being managed by ACIAR. The project has a total
funding of $999,866 AUD and will commence its activities in
January 2016.
The workshop was opened by H.E. Mr John Williams, Australian
Ambassador to Laos, and Associate Professor Houngphet
Chanthavong, Dean of the Faculty of Forest Science, National
University of Laos. The meeting represented an opportunity
for key project partners to discuss the project’s expected
outcomes and challenges.
Lao PDR and Vietnam have policies to support the expansion
of tree plantations to meet economic development, poverty
alleviation and landscape restoration goals. These policies
have led to a spectrum of plantation development approaches
of varying degrees of success and controversy. The Lao 2020
Forest Sector Strategy aims to increase forest cover to enhance
rural livelihoods and safeguard environmental services such as
water resources, partly through the planting of 500,000ha of
high-value or fast-growing trees by smallholders and corporate
investors. The strategy envisaged commercial tree plantations
by farmers, villagers and investment by companies to provide
export and domestic products. Under these policies, some
113,000 ha of plantation have been established for timber
production by smallholders and corporations.
In contrast, policies in Vietnam have focused on allocation
of land for plantations to small holders. This has resulted in
the establishment of 3.5 million ha of plantations, including
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20
1.7 million ha managed by smallholders. These make a major
contribution to the livelihoods of more than 1.4 million
families, support new industry development and provide a
range of environmental and social benefits. The Government
of Vietnam seeks to generate greater benefits to smallholders
and industry from their plantations, including supply to the
furniture industry and improved environmental sustainability.
The project will build on the long-standing research
collaboration of the project partners on the economic impacts
of plantation development, and aims to provide policy options
that achieve national goals for forest plantation industry
development in Lao PDR and Vietnam through improved
linkages between commercial investment and smallholder
production.
It will also improve the capacity of researchers in Lao PDR and
Vietnam in economic and social analyses, policy evaluation,
spatial assessment of ecosystem goods and services and
landscape planning and design, and there will also be
improved capacity in policy implementers, policy makers, local
authorities and educators on policy research, formulation and
implementation.
Another key feature of this project is the extensive
partnership between researchers and policy makers in the
three countries of Laos, Vietnam and Australia, including the
National University of Laos and the National Agriculture and
Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI); the Vietnam Academy of
Forest Sciences (VAFS), the Institute for Policy and Strategy
in Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD), and Hue
University of Agriculture and Forestry and MARD; and the
Australian National University (ANU), University of Melbourne,
and University of Southern Queensland.
For more information, please contact Ms Huynh Thu Ba
<[email protected]>
PROJECT UPDATES
<aciar.gov.au>
Survey team working at peeled veneer household
Nhóm khảo sát làm việc với hộ gia đình sản xuất
Introduction of veneer quality assessment
Giới thiệu quy trình đánh giá chất lượng ván gỗ mỏng
Enhancement of production of Acacia and Eucalypt
veneer processing
By Nguyen Thanh Tung1 and Adam Redman2
Visits
Training
From 28 - 30 January 2015, Mr Adam Redman visited the
Vietnamese Academy of Forest Sciences (VAFS) in Hanoi,
focusing on the state of play of current activities and the
actions required to meet the goals of future project activities.
The VAFS team was trained in the use of Excel to perform
statistical analysis on research data and data presentation for
reporting.
Two young VAFS researchers, Mr Viet and Mr Thang, travelled
to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries of Queensland
for a training course on primary solid wood and veneer
processing, data analysis and report writing from 15 to 28
February 2015.
From 15 – 20 March 2015, Dr Barbara Ozarska and Mr Gerry
Harris from the University of Melbourne, and Mr Adam
Redman from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries of
Queensland (DAF), with VAFS staff, surveyed four small veneer
peeling enterprises in the Yen Bai and Bac Giang provinces and
performed veneer peeling recovery and veneer quality trials.
The surveys were used to train VAFS staff to continue with
subsequent surveys and provided valuable information on the
inefficiencies experienced by these small scale operators, and
areas to focus research attention.
From 30 May to 5 June 2015, project leader Dr Henri Bailleres
visited Vietnam to work with project partners: VAFS, CAP
(Centre of Agricultural Policy) and VFU (Vietnam Forestry
University) to review and assess activities of each component
and discuss further project activities. During this time, Dr
Henri also visited some peeling households in Bac Giang
province and with Vietnam Farmers' Union in order to assess
the training needs of farmers.
Surveying and lathe modifying
After the first survey with University of Melbourne and DAF,
the VAFS team continued to conduct surveys of six other
peeling households in Bac Giang and Yen Bai provinces in
order to evaluate peeling recovery and veneer quality. The
main finding of these surveys is that veneer thickness variation
is the biggest impediment to veneer quality and the quality
of rollers is one of the main factors that is leading to veneer
thickness variation. Consequently, one lathe of a peeling
household in Bac Giang province was selected to modify the
roller system. After installation of a new roller system, the
thickness variation of veneer has been significantly improved.
22
22
From 3 to 6 November 2015, young VAFS researchers Mr
Manh and Mr Phong travelled to the National University of
Laos to participate in veneer processing training provided by
experts from DAF.
A two day training course was conducted at Am Ha, Ha Hoa
District, Phu Tho Province between 28 and 29 October, 2015.
The objectives of the course were to teach the basic techniques
of peeled veneer production and plywood production to small
household businesses in order to increase the quality of
peeled veneers and plywood. The main trainers were Dr Henri
Baliieres and Mr Eric Littee form DAF. There were 40 trainees,
two of which were young VAFS researchers, 26 trainees came
from veneer production and plywood production households,
five trainees from Am Ha commune staff and six participants
from the Vietnamese Farmer Association.
On 9 December, 2015 a training workshop on Acacia and
Eucalypt plywood quality control was conducted at VAFS. More
than 30 participants from plywood enterprises, researchers
of VAFS, lecturers and final year students of VFU attended.
The trainers were experts from VAFS, VFU and DAF. The
training provided reviewed Vietnamese and global standards
on veneer log and veneer classification and presented
proposed veneer log grade for acacia and eucalypt plantation
of Vietnam. Veneer drying, quality control in veneer and
plywood manufacturing and standards for testing plywood
quality were also presented at the training workshop.
1
2
Vietnam Academy Forestry Sciences
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries of Queensland
For more information, please contact
Mr Nguyen Thanh Tung <[email protected]> or
Mr Adam Redman < [email protected]>
PROJECT UPDATES
<aciar.gov.au>
Oyster farming in Bai Tu Long Bay
Nuôi hàu ở Vịnh Bái Tử Long
Preliminary results of the oysters project
By Vu Van In1, Vu Thi Ngoc Lien2, Phan Thi Van3, Wayne O’Cornor4
The project ‘Enhancing bivalve production in northern
Vietnam and Australia’ aims to increase hatchery-based
bivalve production in Vietnam and New South Wales,
Australia, expanding opportunities for coastal communities
to rear bivalve mollusks.
In July 2015, the project suffered a major setback in the
form of a strong typhoon that struck Hai Phong and Quang
Ninh, causing severe road flooding especially in Van Don,
Viet Hai and Xuan Dam communes where oysters were being
cultured. The flood caused a salinity drop of 8-10% in surface
layer seawater and, together with sandy soil and wastes from
the flooded areas that flowed to the oyster grow-out sites,
caused mass mortality of oysters in Cat Ba and scattered
losses through Van Don.
Despite these challenges, project staff have made significant
progress milestones in each period. Replicated rearing
systems were installed and operated effectively to produce
more than 100 families. These oyster families were then
grown out in two different sites: Cat Ba, Hai Phong and Van
Don, Quang Ninh Province. After 7-8 months grow-out (up
to August/September 2015), 100 families of oysters reached
reproductive maturity, and 70 of them were selected to be
parents to produce families of the first selection generation
(G1). To date, approximately 150 oyster families have been
generated using the above selected parents, from which 90
families have spat settled ready for grow-out trials.
The hatchery recently conducted four breeding events, and
each produced up to 3.8 million cultch set spat. During growout, cultch spat have shown better growth performance with
a larger and more even size than single seed oysters. A mass
mortality in single seed oysters occurred around the start of
last summer. However, more investment in culture systems
24
24
and regular grading during grow-out will help improve survival
of single seed in the coming season. The culture environment
and oyster health continue to be monitored under new
regimes implemented during this program. Training classes
on hatchery management, food safety and mollusc health
management have been implemented and staff from the
Research Institute for Aquaculture No. 1 (RIA1) were trained
by Australian experts both in Vietnam and Australia. As a
result, the capacity of project and RIA1’s staff, as well as other
related fisheries organizations, e.g. Research Institute for
Aquaculture No. 3, has significantly increased.
In Australia, research has continued in a number of areas.
An investigation into pipi disease has uncovered a previously
unknown parasite that is undergoing further investigation for
definitive identification. Work on the reproductive condition
of flat oysters has been finalised and is being prepared for
publication, while studies on improved settlement techniques
using catecholamine have been completed. Studies on the
reproductive condition of razor clams are due to commence
this summer.
For the coming months, the project will continue to rear
spat and then transfer them to grow-out sites in Van Don to
produce mature families used for oyster selective breeding
in Vietnam. Selection for the second generation should be
done based on fast growth, survival and condition index with
the expectation of a 10% increase in growth rate and 5-7%
in survival after each selection generation. Quality assurance
and identification of marketability/quality criteria will be
conducted. An environment monitoring report and manual
for laboratory quality assurance have been drafted and will be
released in coming months.
For further information, please contact Ms Vu Thi Ngoc Lien <[email protected]>
TRAINING CORNER
<aciar.gov.au>
John Allwright fellowship
We are delighted to announce that the results for ACIAR’s John
Allwright Fellowship and John Dillon Fellowship have been
released. Let’s welcome our new fellows.
This year, two awardees of this fellowship, who were selected
from 13 applicants, are Ms Le Thi Hang Nga (NOMAFSI) and Ms
Nguyen Thi Thu Hien (VWU). Both of these two outstanding
female researchers have proved their ability, commitment and
dedication through their long time work on ACIAR projects. Ms
Nga has already started her study journey in Australia, arriving
there on 29 December2015. Ms Hien is expected to go to
Australia in July 2016.
Mrs Nguyen Thi Thu Hien is an experienced researcher
of the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU), whose work is to
conduct research on gender and women’s movements with
particular focus on women from ethnic or religious minorities.
She is currently working as a coordinator for ACIAR project
AGB/2012/059, ‘Towards more profitable and sustainable
vegetable production systems in north-western Vietnam’. In
addition, she is has also been involved in three other ACIAR
projects since 2008.
Mrs Nguyen Thi Thu Hien
Taking a master course on gender studies in Australia, Mrs Hien
expects to learn, apply and spread new knowledge, skills and
methods in this field for the benefit and development of VWU
in particular and of Vietnam in general.
Ms Le Thi Hang Nga, who comes from Northern Mountainous
Agriculture and Forestry Institute (NOMAFSI), has been working
on the ACIAR project AGB/2012/060, ‘Improving smallholder
incomes in the north-western highlands of Vietnam by increasing
access and competitiveness in regional temperate and subtropical
fruit markets’, since 2011. Working as a field coordinator
and social researcher for the project, she has broadened her
knowledge about the practices, culture and beliefs of different
ethnic minority farmers. As an awardee of the John Allwright
Fellowship in 2016, Ms Nga will undertake a Masters of Applied
Anthropology and Participatory Development at the Australian
National University. She believes that this will equip her with
the necessary conceptual frameworks, knowledge and skills for
her work as an agriculture researcher in Vietnam and the AsiaPacific.
26
Ms Le Thi Hang Nga
TRAINING CORNER
<aciar.gov.au>
John Dillon fellowship
The two candidates selected for the leadership course in
Australia under ACIAR’s John Dillon Fellowship this year are
Dr Luu Ngoc Quyen, Deputy Director of NOMAFSI and Dr Tran
Minh, Deputy Director of SFRI.
Dr Luu Ngoc Quyen is the current Deputy Director of Northern
Mountainous of Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute
(NOMAFSI). He has extensive expertise on agricultural system
research in northern mountainous areas of Vietnam and
technical solution on sustainable agriculture.
Dr Luu Ngoc Quyen is the current Deputy Director of Northern
Mountainous of Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute
(NOMAFSI). He has extensive expertise on agricultural systems
research in northern mountainous areas of Vietnam and
technical solutions for sustainable agriculture.
Dr Luu Ngoc Quyen
Dr Quyen has worked with ACIAR on two projects,
AGB/2012/060: ‘Increasing competitiveness and market access
of smallholders in the north western Vietnam to regional
temperate fruit markets’ and FST/2010/034: 'Agroforestry for
livelihoods of smallholder farmers in North-West Vietnam’
Dr Tran Minh Tien is currently the Deputy Director of Soil
and Fertilizers Research Institute (SFRI) in Hanoi, assuming
the responsibility of managing international cooperation. He
has been working with ACIAR in several projects, including
AGB/2012/059: ‘Towards more profitable and sustainable
vegetable production systems in north-western Vietnam’.
Mr. Tien received his Ph. D degree in Soil Fertility and Plant
Nutrition at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2009.
We wish them a wonderful journey in Australia.
28
Dr Tran Minh Tien
TRAINING CORNER
<aciar.gov.au>
Australia,
full of love from
my heart
Tho and her husband at a grape garden
Vợ chồng chị Thơ tại vườn nho
By Pham Thi Hanh Tho,
PhD candidate, University of Canberra
Being a researcher in agriculture, I’m a regular traveller.. To
other provinces of Vietnam, to neighbouring countries, to
distant countries in Europe; for field trips, workshops, visiting,
training or getting a higher education – my journeys seem to be
a continuous cycle in my inspired life of working, studying, and
exploring. Among those, going to Australia is so special that I
will always talk about it with love from my heart.
A place where kind people are always around
In 2012, as an awardee of ACIAR’s John Allwright Fellowship
(JAF), I had the opportunity to go to Australia to undertake a
PhD course at the University of Canberra. I feel lucky that I was
able to meet and work with my supervisors who I can share
any problem with because I know they are willing to support
me. I am also greatly impressed by primary teachers here, who
care about not only childrens’ study performance but also their
behaviour and emotion. Everywhere I go, I often see people
smiling and being supportive.
A place where we begin
In most of my journeys for work or study, I went alone without
my family. However, on this journey to Australia, my son and
my husband are my travelling companions. We are on the same
journey to Australia but each of us has our own journey to
experience. For me, a PhD student, I am on a journey to explore
new ideas that are meaningful to science and useful in practice.
My son and my husband have started to get accustomed to
a new environment, one that they have never experienced
30
before. Even with a similar routine of getting up in the morning,
going to school, to work, back home, having dinner, going out,
having fun with friends like in Vietnam, we are living a very
different life here in Australia. In Vietnam, living in a crowded
city with extensive relationships with relatives, colleagues
and friends make us busier compared to living in quieter but
beautiful Canberra with more green space and wildlife. Day by
day, three of us study, work, face challenges, help each other,
and have more time together to enjoy the happiness of normal
little things in life.
A place where we are proud of our culture
It is said that Australia is one of the most culturally diversified
countries. This helps me feel like I am at home and makes it
easier to socialise. I told my mother that I preferred to buy
food in Australia than in Vietnam because I could find Asian
ingredients easily and satisfy my passion of cooking. We are
so proud of our Vietnamese cuisine. Every time we go out
with friends from different countries, people always have to
try Vietnamese dishes quickly before it is too late. This pride
multiplies when we can participate in Viet-festival, which is
organised by a Vietnamese community annually.
Therefore, if people ask me how much I love Australia, I would
tell them that Australia evokes a love in my heart becuase of the
people I have met and the great time I have had with my family.
That love will lead to our success in this journey.
Researchers from rice-shrimp project in Ca Mau province
Các nghiên cứu viên của dự án tôm-lúa tại tỉnh Cà Mau
Mr Do Sy An from NOMAFSI in a scoping study for an ACIAR project
Anh Đỗ Sỹ An từ NOMAFSI tham gia nghiên cứu khảo sát cho một dự án của ACIAR
Oysters of the first selection generation
Hàu chọn giống thế hệ thứ nhất
Dr Henri Bailleres investigating a lathe of one peeling household
TS Henri Bailleres xem xét máy bóc của một hộ sản xuất ván mỏng
.
.
8 Dao Tan Street, Ba Dinh, Hanoi
Tel: (84 4) 3 7740 100
Fax: (84 4) 3 813 7707
Web: aciar.gov.au / vietnam.embassy.gov.au