The first phase of the FAO Regional Vegetable IPM Programme was implemented successfully during 1996-2001, establishing a cadre of vegetable IPM trainers trained (132) and involving around 22,000 farmers IPM FFS. Up to this reporting period, or four and a half years of Phase II since it was started in July 2002, the programme has covered 23 vegetable growing provinces throughout Vietnam. The programme has organized 170 FAO funded vegetable IPM FFSs, 45 LToT-associated FFSs and 5 pilot FFSs, in total adding up to some 6,600 farmers trained.

The main national counterpart organisation is the Plant Protection Department (PPD) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). Field implementation of activities is done through provincial Plant Protection Sub-Departments (PPSD).The application of the IPM FFS approach has been extensive in Vietnam, covering several crops and even livestock and seed systems. However, it has so far still predominantly been applied in externally funded projects, and the FFS-approach has not yet been incorporated into the Government of Vietnam’s (GoV) mainstream extension system operated by the Agricultural Extension Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). Some provincial initiatives, such as the locally funded Hanoi Province Safe Vegetable Programme, however, have shown that good results can be achieved when the FFS approach is applied as the standard farmer training method in the Safe Vegetable Programme. Building on this experience, and given the importance that the GoV is currently placing on “safe vegetable” production, it was decided in 2004 that the FAO-supported Vegetable IPM activities in Vietnam should link up strongly with the provincial Safe Vegetable Programmes. Field activities in the form of Vegetable IPM FFS and field studies, and even local ToTs, are increasingly being financed from local Safe Vegetable Programme funds

For more information about IPM in Vietnam

For more information about Vietnam, click (http://www.fao.org/countryprofiles/index.asp?lang=en&ISO3=VNM)