2025-05-19 15:17:10
On May 19, 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment in coordination with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO - Vietnam) organized a Consultation Workshop on the Draft Soil Health Strategy and Action Plan. The national consultation was chaired by Mr. Huỳnh Tấn Đạt, Director General of the Crop Production and Plant Protection Department, and Mr. Rémi Nono Womdim, FAO Representative in Vietnam, with the participation of 60 international development partners, relevant ministries and agencies, research institutes, professional associations, and domestic and international enterprises.
The Draft Soil Health Strategy and Action Plan is an output under the project "Support for Developing the National Soil Health Strategy and Action Plan," integrating risk management of food security, food safety, and the improper use of agricultural inputs (fertilizers, plant protection products), funded and co-implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The project was approved by Decision No. 605 dated February 27, 2024, with the Soil and Fertilizer Institute as the Project Owner. This contributes to implementing some tasks under the "Sectoral Duty on Enhancing Soil Health and Crop Nutrition Management until 2030, with a vision to 2050," approved by Decision No. 3458/QĐ-BNN-BVTV dated October 11, 2024, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The workshop aimed to consult international partners and relevant specialized agencies on the Draft Soil Health Strategy and the National Action Plan to finalize the content and policy orientation. At the same time, it provided an opportunity to disseminate the sector's tasks and priorities regarding soil health and crop nutrition to stakeholders, affirming the "importance of soil health" for agricultural commodity value, nutrition, linked with green, sustainable agriculture development, low carbon, and climate change adaptation. Notably, the content of "soil health" was linked with the One Health approach in the interrelation "Healthy Soil - Healthy Plants - Healthy Humans and Animals - Healthy Environment," aiming to attract the knowledge, financial, and technological resources.
For The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, this not only as a sectoral task to improve soil health but also as Vietnam’s responsibility to implement international commitments on green, sustainable agricultural development, ensuring food security and nutrition. Agricultural soil is a core and essential component and solution to combat climate change, protect human health, preserve biodiversity, and ensure food security and nutrition, as stipulated in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Professional contributions from this workshop will be consolidated, reviewed, and completed to finalize the Draft Strategy in preparation for an international high-level conference on soil health in the next quarter.
Director Huỳnh Tấn Đạt emphasized the goal that by 2030, Vietnam will (i) complete a database on the quality of major soil types (including physical, chemical, and biological soil indicators) and fertilizer use for key crops; (ii) develop a set of indicators and a classification scale to assess soil health for crop production; (iii) develop and improve reasonable cultivation processes associated with efficient fertilizer use, reducing nutrient loss on major soils for key crops, contributing to stabilizing and enhancing soil health, protecting and developing beneficial biodiversity, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions; (iv) enhance the capacity of management and technical staff and raise community awareness on soil health management and crop nutrition from central to local levels. From this, Vietnam aims to become one of the leading countries in the region in soil health and crop nutrition management capacity and effectiveness.
To achieve this goal, the collaboration of the international community, scientists, and public-private partners supporting knowledge, financial, and technological resources is essential.
Mr. Vũ Thanh Liêm, Deputy Director of the International Cooperation Department, hopes that the project "Support for Developing the National Soil Health Strategy and Action Plan" will serve as a foundation for subsequent technical support projects by other international and domestic partners, helping Vietnam integrate deeply into the international agricultural market, address challenges from climate change, and risks from technical barriers by strengthening soil health management. A new soil health management institutional system will align with international frameworks and contribute to enhancing the competitiveness of Vietnamese agricultural products in the international market.
The workshop attracted active contributions and participation from international organizations, top Vietnamese managers, and scientists. Notably, the leading international experts from IRRI and ICRAF provided specialized solutions to improve soil health for Vietnamese agriculture.
Stakeholders highly appreciated the approach to developing the Draft Strategy, with broad participation from stakeholders based on the principle of "participatory management and policy development" to ensure comprehensiveness and suitability to new conditions and situations.
