HANOI, July 4 (Vietnam News/ANN): Transforming the food system can help meet many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to a community of experts who are joining forces to confront challenges in Vietnam.
The Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) – a global partnership that unites international organisations engaged in research for a food-secured future – led an online meeting in Hanoi last week, bringing together key people from state agencies, academia, NGOs, donor agencies and industry to help address existing and emerging challenges and opportunities in Vietnam's agri-food systems and inform policies and investments ahead of the United Nations Food Systems Summit.
As world leaders, movers, and activists prepare for the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) in September 2021, countries are gathering evidence and identifying key solutions to pressing issues in their local food systems.
In June, CGIAR centres participated in and contributed to a series of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)-convened dialogues that are organised at national and sub-national levels.
The independent dialogue on Thursday was another effort by CGIAR centres in Vietnam to enhance the awareness of key stakeholders engaged in the National Food Systems Dialogue about the potential contribution of CGIAR to achieve responsible, accountable, sustainable and resilient food systems in the country.
The dialogue also seeks to facilitate conversations with partners to identify the way forward on how CGIAR and partners can work together to better address the needs and priorities identified by national partners and policymakers for achieving sustainable and resilient food systems in the country.
According to experts, Vietnam's food systems are diverse and facing many challenges.
Global climate change forecasts and reality in recent years show that Vietnam is one of the countries most heavily affected by the changing climate.
Vietnam needs to take specific actions to promote cooperation, synergising with external forces to support the formation and development of a smart and resilient food systems, ensuring food safety.
Food security and nutrition is not only for nearly 100 million Vietnamese people but also contribute to ensuring world food security, especially in the context of the complicated development of the Covid-19 pandemic.
CGIAR has been working extensively in various initiatives around Vietnam, ranging from agriculture, nutrition and diets, One Health and climate issues—and more recently contributing to Covid-19 initiatives.
Ten out of 15 CGIAR are operating in Việt Nam. Among those, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, the International Potato Center (CIP), the World Agroforestry (ICRAF), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), WorldFish, and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) contributed substantially to this dialogue.
Dao The Anh, vice president of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS), said that research by CGIAR contributed to improving the sustainability of food systems of Vietnam by using a multidisciplinary and integrated approach.
In short, Vietnam wants to promote connectivity among innovation networks in the country and across the world. Vietnam also hopes to become a food innovation hub in the Asian region. - Vietnam News/ANN
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