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Strengthening agricultural industries and supply chains
Supporting healthy, sustainable communities
Research into Vietnam's agricultural sector, biosecurity and One Health is building a framework for a sustainable industry which supports growers and safeguards food supply chains in the region.
Vietnam is home to a large agricultural industry which employs a significant percentage of the population. However, the nation's agriculture faces many challenges. One of the most prominent challenges comes from climate change, with rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and heavy rainfalls disrupting agricultural practices.
University of Sydney researchers have conducted substantial research to better understand and address these challenges facing the agricultural industry in Vietnam and the wider region. It is important work which the University of Sydney Vietnam Institute is well positioned to advance.
Evidence-based approaches to economic policy in agriculture
Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics Tiho Ancev from the University of Sydney has led research on the development of evidence-based policies and strategic planning to benefit the agricultural sector.
He and his colleagues have worked closely with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) to formulate a framework for Vietnam's strategic planning in the Agricultural sector for the period 2021-2030, which has highlighted the importance of incorporating a wider set of goals for social development, nutritional and health outcomes, educational outcomes, and environmental and sustainability outcomes into the strategic plan for agriculture.
Professor Ancev is now working together with Vietnamese partners on the development of evidence-based policies to support agricultural and rural development. This work will quantify the effects of the policies on the agricultural sector and identify the policy elements which most improve performance. This will enable effective policy design and implementation which benefits the Vietnamese agricultural sector.
"Working with policy actors enables us to accurately understand challenges facing the industry and identify policies which benefit farmers, including small-scale farmers," said Professor Ancev.
The establishment of the University of Sydney Vietnam Institute will further supports us to work effectively with our partners to advance our research and guide future policies.
Professor Tiho Ancev
Sustaining one of Vietnam's fastest growing industries
Associate Professor Neilson has worked closely with local communities
University of Sydney researcher Associate Professor Jeffrey Neilson is working to understand how the rapid growth of the coffee industry affects rural livelihood outcomes in the Central Highlands, and how this impacts sustainability and the poverty alleviation experienced by different groups.
This research forms part of the multi-partner project funded by the ACIAR to improve the sustainability of coffee and black pepper farming systems in the Central Highlands region. The University of Sydney is working alongside the World Agroforestry Centre, Vietnam's Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD), Tay Nguyen University, and other partners.
Associate Professor Neilson is working closely with local communities in the Central Highlands to better understand how processes of agrarian change are affecting rural livelihood outcomes in the Central Highlands, and how these processes are impacting sustainability and the experience of poverty alleviation by different groups.
He is also examining the rise of 'landscape approaches to sustainable sourcing', in which global commodity buyers work more closely with loca governments and community organisations to manage competing, social, economic and environmental demands.
The study is ongoing, and findings will support improving agricultural practices, market access, and policy support for small-scale farmers.
A One Health approach to safeguarding food supply chains
The health of people, animals and the environment are heavily impacted by each other. In Vietnam, where the agricultural sector is growing and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) makes treating disease challenging, this is particularly relevant.
The World Health Organisation has developed the One Health Initiative: an integrated approach to balancing and optimising the health of people, animals and the environment. One Health encourages Governments, researchers, and industry to coordinate responses to health threats.
Associate Professor Justin Beardsley from the University of Sydney’s research aligns with this strategy. His previous work involved sampling fungal pathogens from the environment, and it highlighted that Vietnam is a regional hot-spot for resistance to antifungal agents. As well as their significant health risk, these pathogens can also cause significant damage to plants and crops.
He is now looking to apply his findings to different pathogens and at greater scale. His work in Vietnam is trying to unravel how seemingly unrelated sectors like agriculture and healthcare impact one another, with a particular focus on how environmental contamination, climate change, and agricultural policy contribute to the threat of antimicrobial resistance.
"Better understanding how to safeguard the country's supply chain by balancing food security with health security will benefit Vietnam, the region, and global policy and planning", said Associate Professor Beardsley.
The University of Sydney Vietnam Institute will work with local and global partners to continue to strengthen food supply chains, maximise agricultural efficiency, and promote community wellbeing in the region.