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The Centre for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD) as a member of the Pesticide Action Network PAN – AP, has been participating to “Action Year for Rice” initiated by PAN – AP and taken place from April 2009 to April 2010. Culminating to the Action Year for Rice, SRD in collaboration with PAN AP organizes the workshop “Rice for community & livelihoods” on 3rd February 2010 in Hanoi.
Farmers make up more than 70 per cent of the country’s population and their main livelihood is rice production, therefore rice has an extremely important role in the life of Vietnamese. Rice cultivation not only contributes substantially to the export, but takes an important part to ensure national food security. Rice has also been an original factor in formation of the Vietnamese personality and culture.
 Participants included international organizations, non-governmental organizations, representatives of government agencies, research institutes and farmers. At the workshops, Ms. Clare Westwood, representative of the PAN AP introduced the Action Year for Rice (YORA), its rationales, pillars and activities. To promote food sovereignty and small farmers in Asia, YORA has launched the campaign “Save Our Rice”, which highlights the rights of small farmers in Asia and fights against the control of cooperations on agriculture. “Farmers are feeding the Asian countries but they are among the poorests of Asia”, said Clare. “To save our rice, we must unite and it’s our rice and it’s up to us to save it”, she emphasized.
There was also a presentation of representative of the Department of Plantation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, providing an brief overview on rice production in Vietnam and a researcher from the Institute for Plant Protection presented on the problems of pests and rice, focusing on the sourthern stunt virus – a kind of virus newly appeared in Vietnam.
Particularly, at the workshop, the representative of the Plantation and Plant protection Sub-Department (PPSD) and farmers of Bac Kan province shared the results and achievements of the project “Strengthen farmers’ rice seed system” implemented by SRD in collaboration with the PPSD Bac Kan. Following farmers from Bac Kan, their biggest problem is the quality of rice seed and the dependance of farmers on the rice seed sources from external providers. Therefore, the project has reponded to the farmers’ needs by training them the skills on selection of local and pure rice varieties which can adapt well to local conditions.
Another topics that raised exciting discussion of participants were rice and climate change and the potential of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Through discussions at the workshop, participants and presentors highlighted that sustainable agriculture is vital. Government and NGOs should cooperate to support small farmers to develop their livelihoods basing on sustainable management of natural resources, ensuring food sovereignty, food safety, conservation and development of local rice varieties and community wisdom.
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