Results

Since 2001 six practical pilot projects have been conducted in Vietnam within various public-private partnerships in the provinces of Quang Tri, Dak lak, Gai Lai and Lam Dong. Reaching approx. 2,500 farmers directly the practical solution for improving sustainability of coffee production and the proven impact of the pilot projects was acknowledged by the Ministry for Agricultural and Rural development. This in turn triggered a national dialogue between donors and partners to identify ways of multiplying the experiences of the pilots.

At the instigation of Sara Lee, Kraft Foods, Nestle and Neumann Kaffee Gruppe the project team lead by the Coffee Sector Task Force (headed by the Crop Production Department under the Ministry for Agriculture and Rural Development) in cooperation with local stakeholders from trade, industry, coffee provinces and central government initiated the so-called "Rolling Out Process" in Vietnam. A logical framework is being constructed to provide the basis for a national coffee sector program which will ultimately support 500,000 coffee households on the way to sustainability.

Challenge

Many farmers in Vietnam used to be frustrated about their work. They felt isolated and untrained. Many of them did not really know how to organise their farms or how to produce better quality coffee. Their income was very low and many of them were struggling to support their families.Natural resources were  endangered by the excessive use of agro-chemical inputs and irrigation water. Coffee quality from Vietnam as the second largest producer worldwide was repeatedly found to be lacking by participants in the international market.

Actions Taken

A set of strategic studies was conducted for the assessment of experiences from the pilot projects with a sector-wide perspective. Subjects researched by Vietnamese experts included tools and instruments developed, the institutional setup of projects as well as the impact generated at farmer level. The working group included the Institute for Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development, the Department of Trade, Agro-forestry and Salt Processing, the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association, the Northern Mountainous Agro-forestry and Sciences Institute and is led by the Department of Crop Production. This working group is now designing a national programme for scaling up the use of sustainable practices in Vietnam.

But the process of spreading the news is also being supported at farmers level as many farmers were so enthusiastic about their project experiences that they decided to become trainers on sustainable practices themselves. After attending a Training of Trainers they make use of handbooks, DVD's and other materials to disseminate improved agronomical processes how to keep records and better business skills to their neighbours.