High-Level Policy Dialogue: Promoting International Cooperation and Multi Sectoral Coordination for Circular Agriculture
Date: Monday, 08 July 2024
Time: 13:30 – 17:30 ICT (Online and Offline)
Moderator: Mr Phung Duc Tien, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
Donor and co-chair: UNDP in Viet Nam
Agency in charge of general coordination and logistics: Department of International Cooperation (ICD), MARD
Technical support agency: Institute for Rural Development Policy and Strategy (IPSARD), MARD
Registration link for online participation: https://undp.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIvceuopz0jE9w3vRRp4XJuyWnoyOgn0EfD – Meeting ID: 862 6209 6998 – Passcode: 295444
Background:
As global demand for food has increased rapidly in the past decades, the pressure on agricultural production and natural resources has grown. Yet the environmental and socio-economic costs of the linear nature of food production are significant. For every dollar spent on food, it is estimated that society spends double on environmental, health and economic costs (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2016). Half of these costs – estimated at USD 5.7 trillion annually – are due to the linear nature of agriculture (ibid.). Without changes to unsustainable production and consumption patterns, emissions could increase by 30 to 40% (IPCC, 2019).
Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries remain the backbone of Vietnam’s economy, with export turnover expected to reach over US$53 billion USD in 2023, accounting for 12% of Vietnamese Gross Domestic Product in 2023. In 2022, 13.9 million people were employed in the Agriculture, forestry, and sectors, accounting for 27% of the country’s working population (General Statistics Office, 2023).
However, the exponential growth of Vietnam’s agricultural sectors has been made at the expense of the environment through the intensive use of fertilisers and chemicals coupled with land expansion, leading to deforestation, depletion of fish stocks, water pollution and overall land degradation. In parallel, farmers’ income, health, and overall welfare haven’t followed these rising trends. There are risks related to increasing disparities as well as decreasing availability of human resources (and rising labor costs) due to labor shifts and rural out-migration.
Agriculture makes up the second largest sector in terms of national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for 19% of which almost half comes from rice production (MONRE, 2020) and 75% of methane emissions. High GHG emissions can be explained by inefficient use of water for irrigation, high density of seeding, high and inefficient rates of application of fertilisers, inefficient use of energy, and poor management of rice residue (straw and bullets)., its significance comes with environmental costs: waste generation, soil degradations, waterways pollution, and significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
In recent agricultural and climate policies, the Government has emphasized the importance of mainstreaming circular practices and shaped strategies for green, low-carbon, sustainable agriculture that decouples growth from resource consumption and reduces waste and emissions. A key example is the National Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy for Vietnam from 2021–2030, as well as Vision 2050, which underscores the crucial role of agriculture in environmental protection, socio-economic stability, and response to climate change. The “Sustainable Development of One Million Hectares of High Quality and Low-Emission Rice Associated with Green Growth in the Mekong River Delta By 2030” mentioned circular economy practices for rice straws.
The Government of Vietnam begins revising its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), presenting a pathway for the country to elevate its climate ambitions. Integrating circular economy into the NDC 2025 could bolster its short- to medium-term climate and development objectives. The “Building Circularity into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – A Practical Toolbox”, co-developed by the UNDP, UNEP’s One Planet Network Secretariat, and UNFCCC Secretariat, offers a framework for this integration. The toolbox is now being piloted within Vietnam’s agricultural sector, and this effort aligns with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s (MARD) draft National Program to promote the “Development and application of science and technology transfer to accelerate circular economy in agriculture up to 2030.”
In this context, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the United Nations Development Program in Viet Nam have joined hands to advance the circular economy transition in the agricultural sector and co-organize this High-Level Dialogue.
This session will aim to:
- Raise awareness on the benefits of adopting/scaling up circular practices/ solutions in agriculture to deliver the NDC commitments set out in agricultural policies.
- Disseminate and discuss the future implementation of the targets in the Draft National Program “Applying science and technology transfer to promote circular economy in agriculture up to 2030”.
- Present initial results collected under the NDC-CE Toolbox and prioritye high-potential subdivisions for circular economy adoption to enhance targets/measures in agriculture for NDC 2025.
The latest issue brief “Opportunities to Drive a Transition Towards a Circular Economy in Vietnam’s Agricultural Sector” can be accessed here .
Agenda