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Integrating nutrition-sensitive agricultural systems into national policy frameworks: Lessons from Vietnam
Monday, 2024/12/30 | 08:14:53
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By Tuyen Huynh, Huong Pham, Alliance of Bioversity & CIAT; Thinh Le, Tan Phan, An Nguyen, DCRD-MARD; Mai Truong, NIN; The Anh Dao, VAAS; Le Nguyen, VNUA; and Yen Nguyen, IMARD
CGIAR Dec. 26 2024
As part of the Zero Hunger National Action Program, led by the Department of Cooperatives and Rural Development (DCRD) under the Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), DCRD-MARD collaborated with researchers from the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT-Asia under CGIAR Initiative on Asian Mega-Deltas (AMD) and CGIAR Research Initiative on Sustainable Healthy Diets through Food Systems Transformation (SHiFT) to co-design the guidelines and training materials. These resources were developed to support activities promoting nutrition-sensitive agri-food systems in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam, aligning with the new policy agenda of the Poverty Reduction National Target Program and contributing to the implementation of National Action Plan on Food Systems Transformation for the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam.
The co-design process actively involved 22 experts (13 females and 9 males) from diverse organizations, bringing extensive multidisciplinary experience. Participants included representatives from the DCRD, Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS), National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD), Institute of Management for Agricultural and Rural Development (IMARD), Dong Thap and Hau Giang Center for Disease Control, Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy, among others.
This process builds upon the legacy of the Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) program, which focused on nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) to support DCRD-MARD in designing and implementing NSA activities under the Zero Hunger National Program during 2019-2021 and also SHiFT work supporting to the National Action Plan on Food Systems Transformation . It also integrated insights and findings from a policy and literature review on nutrition-sensitive agri-food systems in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, conducted by AMD WP2 researchers from the Alliance of Bioversity & CIAT .
In 2023, co-designed guidelines and training materials for Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems (NSAF) under the new Poverty reduction program were reviewed in consultation with both the agriculture and health sectors at provincial and district levels across 12 provinces in the Mekong Delta. These consultations aim to tailor the content to be align with local conditions.
Following approval by MARD, the guidelines were published in 2024 and distributed to agriculture and health staff across various provinces under the Poverty Reduction Program.
In September 2024, the co-designed training materials, developed to support the application of these guidelines for designing and evaluating NSAF in the Mekong Delta, were piloted in two (2) training courses conducted at both provincial and district/commune levels. On September 27th, 2024, the Department of Cooperative and Rural Development (DCRD), under the Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, in partnership with the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT), successfully conducted a pilot program titled “Manual for building project of developing a food system that ensures adequate nutrition” at Wink Hotel in Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho City for 48 provincial staff (Male: 28 Female: 20) of the Mekong Delta provinces in Vietnam.
At the program’s opening, Mr. Le Duc Thinh, Director of the Department of Cooperative and Rural Development, emphasized the connection between the National Program “Zero Hunger” and the transition toward a transparent, responsible and sustainable food system in Vietnam.” He highlighted that the manual aims to foster a shared understanding of the food system and guide the development of agri-food systems that ensures adequate nutrition. The manual also serves as a framework for constructing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating projects that contribute to this goal.
Regarding the training materials’ intended users, Mr. Thinh identified officers in the agricultural sectors—such as those from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Agricultural Service Center, Sub-Departments of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and commune-level agricultural and health officers—as well as health sector professionals, labor and mass organizations, project participants, and other related organizations and individuals.
At the training session, participants presented the following topics: the necessity of transforming the agri-food system and efforts to integrate it with the National Target Program for Sustainable Poverty Reduction in the Mekong Delta; strategies for implementing nutrition sensitive agri-food systems integration within the National Target Program for Sustainable Poverty Reduction program; and the current status of food and nutrition security in Vietnam and the Mekong Delta.
Following this success, training on the pilot implementation of the “Manual for Building a Project to Develop a Food System That Ensures Adequate Nutrition” for agriculture and healthy staff at district and commune levels in Hau Giang province in the Mekong Delta was conducted on September 30th, 2024, in Hau Giang Province. The event included 32 representatives from the Department of Cooperative and Rural Development, the Vietnam National Academy of Agriculture (Male: 18 Female: 14).
Trainers were briefed on the current state of food and nutrition security in Vietnam and the Mekong Delta, as well as the goals and framework of the project to develop agri-food systems that ensures adequate nutrition.
Participants were then divided into groups for discussion after receiving an overview of the specific steps involved in NSAF project development. Using the provided manual for buidling a nutrition sensitive agri-food system, the groups developed several valuable project concepts, which they later presented in a logical framework.
Throughout the training sessions at both provincial and district/commune levels, agriculture and healthy staff received updates and detailed information on the outcomes of programs and projects currently underway in Vietnam aimed at hunger elimination (triple burden of malnutrition), reducing poverty, and ensuring adequate healthy food and nutrition for the people. Additionally, they were informed about National Action Plan on Food Systems Transformation.
The co-developed guidelines and training materials, providing clear information on NSAF for the Mekong Delta, serve as a key document for guiding the implementation of NSAF under the new Poverty Reduction NTP. These materials enhance the knowledge and capacity of both the agricultural and health sectors, fostering collaboration to design and implement NSAF in the region. Supported by funding from the poverty reduction program, this initiative aims to improve not only household income to reduce poverty but also the nutritional status of households in vulnerable areas in the Mekong Delta.
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