Expert Jikun Huang from China Center for Agricultural Policy (CCAP) in Peking University gives out some pieces of advice to Vietnam during the transition to emissions-reduction agriculture through specific lessons in China.
The biggest turning point to China’s green agriculture started in 2017, represented by the following policies: Establishment Plan for Institutions and Incentive Systems “renovating systems and mechanisms to promote green agriculture development”; or in 2018 the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China (MARA) issued the “Technical Guidelines on Green Agricultural Development in the 2018 - 2030 period” and built an efficient, safe, emission-reducing, circular, intelligent and integrated technology system to develop green agriculture, and promoted scientific and technological innovations in service of green agriculture.
MARA together with six other ministries issued the “Green Development Plan for the Agriculture Sector” as a component of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025).
Vietnam's agriculture is not only in service of the 100 million Vietnamese people but also stands among the top 15 world leading agro-products export powerhouse, reaching markets of over 190 countries and territories.
Consumers now require higher quality, safer, more nutritious and more accessible agro-products. Vietnam's agricultural production and export must be greener, more humanitarian and more reliable. New markets require agricultural production to be responsible to consumers and, on a larger view, global environmental sustainability.
Over the past ten years, Vietnam is considered to have demonstrated significant commitments to promoting a more sustainable growth path and increasing efforts in climate adaptability and mitigation, reflected in a large number of strategies, plans, resolutions and revised documents. However, according to the assessment of the World Bank (WB), some of these are only at the experimental level or have not been fully integrated across sectors.
Mr. Steven Jaffee from the World Bank said that the great environmental impact of Vietnam's agricultural industry is due to many reasons, including the excessive and inefficient use of inputs (irrigation water, fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics), poor management of waste or output, and degradation of natural ecosystems. All of these are currently negatively impacting agricultural growth, productivity and livelihoods.