IFPRI and Government of Vietnam sign MoU to support sustainable agriculture and rural development
April 11, 2024, Hanoi, Vietnam: The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today in Hanoi. IFPRI’s delegation was received at Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. IFPRI’s Director General, Johan Swinnen, and IPSARD’s Director General, Tran Cong Thang, signed the MoU on behalf of their organizations. The signing was witnessed by Vietnam’s Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Hoang Trung.
“The signing of this MoU signifies a deepening commitment between IFPRI and IPSARD to collaborate on the Government of Vietnam’s critical initiatives for sustainable agri-food system development,” said Johan Swinnen, Director General of IFPRI. “By combining our efforts, we can foster innovation, build resilience, and drive positive change for the benefit of Vietnam’s most vulnerable populations.”
Tran Cong Thang, Director General of IPSARD, said: “IFPRI and IPSARD are committed to sharing expertise, building capacity, and developing innovative solutions for a world that is sustainable and free of hunger and malnutrition.”
IPSARD and IFPRI have a strong foundation from which to grow their partnership. The two organizations are currently collaborating to study value chain financing in Vietnam, a project that is funded by the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). They are also working with the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the National Institute of Nutrition on the CGIAR Research Initiative on Sustainable Healthy Diets through Food Systems Transformation (SHiFT).
The MoU will facilitate continued collaboration on these projects, as well as the inception of new ones that will advance the missions of both organizations: to provide research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition, in Vietnam and the world. Moving forward, IPSARD plans to tap into IFPRI’s expertise and resources to develop a national commodity exchange, leverage agricultural finance, reduce agricultural emissions, and support small and medium enterprises in the food sector.
Vietnam’s commitment to agricultural and rural research and development is evidenced by the country’s strides in poverty reduction and food security. The national poverty rate decreased from 17% to 5% between 2010 and 2020. Compared to 1990-1992, the proportion of the population that was undernourished declined by 79% in 2014-2016.
However, like in most of the world, this progress was stalled in 2020 by the pandemic and multiple subsequent crises. Inequality in Vietnam, which increased marginally in the 2010s, is projected to continue to increase. Additionally, agricultural growth has put pressure on the natural environment, highlighting the need to prioritize sustainability and reduce agricultural emissions.
Food systems, which are internationally linked, sit at the crux of these goals, especially as populations most vulnerable to crises often rely on agriculture. Collaboration—between countries and sectors—for food systems transformation is more important than ever.
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The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), established in 1975, provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition. IFPRI’s strategic research aims to identify and analyze alternative international and country-led strategies and policies for meeting food and nutrition needs in low- and middle-income countries, with particular emphasis on poor and vulnerable groups in those countries, gender equity, and sustainability. It is a research center of CGIAR, a worldwide partnership engaged in agricultural research for development. Visit the global website www.ifpri.org and the country website https://www.ifpri.org/country/viet-nam.
The Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD) is a public science and technology agency under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and is the think tank for MARD in the field of agricultural sector policy and strategy. Having a wide network and partnerships with research state agencies, institutes, universities, and both domestic and international development organizations in the field of ARD, IPSARD demonstrates a leading role in research, analysis, and consultancy for ARD and contributes to important agricultural strategies and policies in Vietnam.
Media inquiries: Evgeniya Anisimova, e.anisimova@cgiar.org, +1 (202) 627 4394
