A four-year project entitled Smart Farming for the Future Generation will be conducted in Vietnam and Uzbekistan in the 2021-25 period, with financial aid from the South Korean Government and technical support from The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Overview of the workshop. Source: FAO

According to FAO, the two countries will benefit from a total budget of US$3.4 million. Interventions will support creating an enabling environment through the development of capacity and policy for greenhouse cultivation of fresh vegetables.

The project targets the northern mountain province of Son La, one of the poorest localities in Vietnam, where has a large ethnic minority population but boasts great potential for high added value vegetables. Farmers and other actors along the value chain, including the post-harvest handling and marketing will have opportunities to benefit.

The information was released at the workshop held by FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Hanoi on June 23. Participants, including representatives from FAO, MARD, Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute, Son La Province, and other beneficiaries, discussed the project intervention framework and work plan.

Hydroponics farming in Soc Son District, Hanoi. Photo: Ngoc Anh

The project will deliver three key outputs, including protected production systems for different vegetables and locations optimized, post-harvest practices and market linkages for different vegetables and locations optimized, and national capabilities on greenhouse production and post-harvest management of vegetables.