The Mekong Delta, Vietnam, embarks on its agroecological transition

The Mekong Delta, Vietnam (MDV) has 17 million inhabitants, but the foodstuffs produced in the zone feed more than 245 million people worldwide. Some 50% of Vietnam's rice comes from there, along with 65% of its aquacultural products and 70% of its fruit. In view of the MDV's role in the region's food security and economy, the sustainability of its agricultural sector is a crucial issue. The stakes are high: the zone is one of the most severely affected by climate change, and also faces soil degradation as a result of excessive fertilizer and pesticide use.

The STAR-FARM project aims to make the zone's food systems more sustainable, by introducing agroecological practices. It has 4.15 million euros of funding from the European Union. FAO is project coordinator, in association with the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The project is due to run for three years, and activities will be conducted by a partnership between research organizations and universities in Vietnam and France, including CIRAD and IRD.

Ms. Pham Thanh Thuy (FAO), STAR-FARM coordinator, stresses the project's strategic importance: "This project is the embodiment of a strong commitment to developing innovative, climate-friendly farming practices. By means of cooperation between governments and international organizations, it aims to roll out advanced agroecological solutions that will benefit the entire Mekong Delta community, with particular care being taken to include vulnerable groups".

Cutting pesticide use thanks to agroecological practices

One of the main topics for STAR-FARM is pesticide use. This has exploded in the region since the 2000s, resulting in severe soil degradation and a highly negative impact on the health of farmers, who often use them without being fully conscious of the risks. Agroecological solutions to this public and environmental health issue are emerging.

Agronomist Philippe Tixier is coordinating CIRAD's activities for the STAR-FARM project. He sets out some of the agroecological practices due to be tested: "For horticultural crops, mixing fruit trees and banana plants can reduce pest population and disease levels, particularly those caused by microbes found in the soil. For rice, we will be modelling pest and disease development, to understand their overall impact on yields. In the case of these types of crops, STAR-FARM's objective is to find systemic solutions, rather than strategies to tackle one disease at a time".

Dr Dang Kieu Nhan, Director of the Mekong Delta Development Research Institute at Can Tho University, explains the project's regional ambitions: "STAR-FARM is contributing to the sustainable development goals set by the government for the Mekong Delta in a new context framed by the regional integration plan up to 2030, with a vision for 2050. The hope is that the project will build capacity among farmers and other stakeholders, develop a resilient farming system capable of adapting to natural and socioeconomic uncertainty, improve farmers' livelihoods and protect local agricultural ecosystems".