During the General Assembly of the World Farmers’ Organization in June 2015, Peter Prins/NWP met with the delegation of the Viet Nam Farmer’s Union VNFU. We discussed the problems that Vietnamese farmers face due to severe drought and salinization, and concluded that collaboration between VNFU and Dutch experts on Water, Climate Change, and Agriculture might be fruitful.

In strong cooperation with the VNFU International Cooperation Department, we have setup a mission to Vietnam with Prins – Land, Water & Food Consult. This mission will visit Vietnam from March 1-11, 2016. Objective of this mission is to identify the needs of VNFU on the topics of water and climate change and to find a common base for possible projects. Therefore, several meetings are organized with VNFU at province level in Bac Lieu, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, with government representatives, and with delegates from knowledge institutes.

During the mission we want to identify regions and crops which have to cope with extreme weather events, causing drought, and with salinization, including the outline of project ideas. VNFU can play an important role in bridging the gap between science and the grass root level, fostering feasible solutions for Vietnamese farmers. We will not only focus on water, but will take soil, fertilization, and crop growth into account as well. We aim at establishment of Vietnamese/Dutch partnerships, with public and private partners involved, which might be successful in applying grants for projects and beneficial loans for investments in irrigation systems.

Partner: Prins  – Land, Water & Food Consult