Australia vows to support Viet Nam’s transition to sustainable, climate-resilient agriculture
VGP - Australia is committed to supporting Viet Nam’s transition to sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture, asserted Deputy Consul-General of Australia in Ho Chi Minh City Brent Stewart.
Deputy Consul-General of Australia in Ho Chi Minh City Brent Stewart discusses with local residents at Krong Buk District, Dak Lak Province, about the implemenation of Water Efficiency Improvement in Drought Affected Provinces Project (WEIDAP) - Photo: VGP/Thuy Dung
In a recent interview with VGP, Stewart said, Australia's agriculture projects in Viet Nam are designed to deliver practical benefits for local farmers, researchers and communities.
"Through organisations like ACIAR–the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, we support research that helps Viet Nam improve farming methods, reduce risks, and increase productivity", shared the Deputy Consul-General.
For example, the project on "Increasing the sustainability, productivity and economic value of coffee and black pepper farming systems" in the Central Highlands helps smallholder farmers use water and land more efficiently and improve access to markets.
In the Mekong Delta, another ACIAR project is helping farmers deal with rising salinity by identifying salt-tolerant crops and better land-use strategies. These projects are making a real difference-they improve incomes, strengthen food security, and support Viet Nam's efforts to adapt to climate change in rural areas.
Furthermore, according to Stewart, Australia supports Viet Nam's agriculture sector in many ways, through both private and government-backed initiatives.
In the private sector, a good example is Orlar, an Australian-owned company. They are using advanced vertical farming technology to grow produce with minimal water and no soil-right here in Viet Nam.
Through funding support, the Australian Government helped Orlar move from a pilot concept to a fully operational farm in the Mekong Delta province of Long An.
This partnership aims to scale an innovative climate smart farming technology to increase sustainable food production and free up agriculture land for rehabilitation.
Orlar's pods are the result of five years of research and optimisation. The advanced technology is ten times more productive compared to other alternatives, uses less land, 95 percent less water, and has no greenhouse gas emissions with zero plastic and nutrient pollution.
Through the partnership Orlar will adapt its technology to include efficient temperature control for use in low altitudes such as the Mekong Delta. This requires a series of scaled tests and a model pilot site to demonstrate that high-value temperate crops can be grown in areas not traditionally viable to produce such crops.
From left to right, a project on increasing the sustainability, productivity and economic value of coffee and black pepper farming systems in Dak Lak Province; a project supporting production capacity and further expansion of community-based sea cucumber farming in Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province; and Orlar project using advanced vertical farming technology to grow produce with minimal water and no soil-right in Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province - Photo: VGP/Thuy Dung
Australia's funding to Orlar-San Ha in Long An helps advance opportunities into the Mekong Delta and other lowlands where temperate agriculture is very difficult. The farm can operate with 1 percent of the energy of other agri-technologies, net zero emissions, and 400 times more water use efficiency than rice.
This kind of support reflects Australia's broader approach-working alongside innovative partners to bring practical, scalable solutions that benefit both people and the environment.
On the government side, ACIAR coordinates a wide range of projects with Vietnamese partners. Some of these include assisting the improvement of coffee and pepper farming in the Central Highlands, supporting farmers in managing saline soils in the Mekong Delta and improving the performance of smallholder farming systems in northwest Viet Nam through agroforestry.
Strong performance of Viet Nam's agriculture, fisheries, and forestry sectors
In the first four months of this year, Viet Nam gained US$21.15 billion from exporting agro-aquatic-forestry products, a year-on-year increase of 10.7 percent.
Stewart said, this is a very encouraging result for Viet Nam, and it reflects the resilience and strong performance of the country's agriculture, fisheries, and forestry sectors.
"We hope that Australia has played a part in this success. Through our long-standing partnerships with Viet Nam, including those highlighted during this media tour, Australia is supporting sustainable farming, aquaculture development, and value chain improvements", noted the diplomat.
Stronger production systems, better access to markets, and innovation are all important factors behind export growth, and Australia is proud to support Viet Nam in these areas, told the Deputy Consul-General./.
