Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development

Project Progress Report

CARD 025/06/VIE
Improvement of Vietnamese vegetable production
using GAP principles for seed and seedling
production and superior hybrid varieties MS2: FIRST SIX-MONTHLY REPORT 10 October 2007

1
Table of Contents

1. Institute Information ___________________________________________________ 1
2. Project Abstract _______________________________________________________ 2
3. Executive Summary ____________________________________________________ 2
4. Introduction & Background _____________________________________________ 2
5. Progress to Date_______________________________________________________ 3
5.1 Implementation Highlights________________________________________________ 3
5.2 Smallholder Benefits _____________________________________________________ 4
5.3 Capacity Building _______________________________________________________ 4
5.4 Publicity _______________________________________________________________ 4

Peter Hanson (AVRDC)
Date commenced
March 2007
Completion date (original)
February 2010
Completion date (revised)

Reporting period
September 2007
Contact Officer(s)
In Australia: Team Leader
Name:
Robert Spooner-Hart
Telephone:
0245 701429
Position:
Associate Professor,
Leader Sustainable Plant Production
Systems
Fax:
0245 701103
Organisation
Centre for Plant & Food Science
University of Western Sydney
Email:
r.spooner-
[email protected]

In Australia: Administrative contact
Name:


The project aims to develop capacity in three Vietnamese research organisations, the Fruit and
Vegetable Research Institute Hanoi, Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry and the Potato
Vegetable and Flower Research Centre Institute Da Lat, in evaluation and use of disease-resistant
hybrids as part of Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) in vegetable production. Superior tomato
hybrids resistant to geminivirus from the World Vegetable Centre as well as cucurbits resistant to
mildews, will be evaluated for performance in North, Central and Central Highlands regions over
two seasons. Superior varieties will be used in farmer demonstration trials in five locations in each
region, together with IPDM involving use of PSOs and record keeping. Farmers will participate in
demonstration trial evaluations, which will be supported by Farmer Field Schools conducted by
PPD. The project includes key commercial companies, and will involve them in developing GAP
for seed and seedling production. Training will include a technical visit to Australia and


2
for tomato vs 15 million VND/ha for rice), making tomato production a popular choice for
farmers. Despite the substantial and largely successful development of vegetable production
in Viet Nam, vegetable farming still faces considerable problems, particularly quality
production of vegetable seed and seedlings, and vegetable food safety. In Viet Nam
approximately 8000 tonnes of vegetable seeds are planted every year. More than half of these
seeds are imported, 41% is produced by local farmers and only 7% is supplied by local seed
companies. Seeds produced by local farmers are commonly of poor quality, resulting in low
yield while imported seeds cost the Vietnamese economy millions of dollars. Vegetable
seedling production in nurseries or by farmers in many provinces uses very simple
technology with high labour costs, which has further contributed to low farm yield and
production efficiency. With the increased intensity of vegetable production, concerns about
vegetable food safety have escalated, especially the high quantity of pesticides (10 -12 times/
plant cycle) and fertilizers applied to small plots of land used for vegetable production,
particularly in peri-urban areas, in an attempt to boost production. The lack of pest and
disease tolerant/resistant varieties has added to this problem. Recent studies have found that
in Hanoi 9% of all vegetable samples exceeded pesticide residue limits by 5-10 times and 7%
of samples were found to have residues of banned pesticides. As a result, there are annually
thousands of food poisoning cases due to eating vegetables with high pesticide residues
(MALICA, 2003). In addition, pesticide overuse has resulted in increased pest damage
caused by natural enemy destruction and development of pesticide resistance.

Good agricultural practice (GAP) principles, together with results of several international
projects involving the current project collaborators, provide a solid base for improvement of
vegetable seed and seedling production that will result in increased production of safe, high
quality vegetables. The proposed project will utilise results from these projects to develop
pilot tomato and cucumber seed and seedling production systems primarily using TYLCV
and other disease-resistant tomato genetic material from AVRDC, and downy and powdery
mildew resistant cucurbit material developed in FAVRI, and comparing the production with

“safe” cucumbers or tomatoes produced in Viet Nam. The baseline survey included visits to
the Hanoi vegetable markets and to Metro, to assess quality, source and price of tomatoes
and cucumbers.

The selection of tomato and cucumber varieties (both introduced and local) for all evaluation
sites has been completed, together with development of protocols for evaluation trials.
Selected seed has been transferred from AVRDC to the project partners, and the first season
evaluations are currently underway in FAVRI and PVFC.

Oleg Nicetic visited FAVRI on September 24, 2007 to finalise the development of the GAP
workshop program, scheduled for early December.

5.2 Smallholder Benefits
It is too early in the project to see smallholder benefits. However, the project team identified
likely benefits during the March and June-July visits.

5.3 Capacity Building
FAVRI have played a major role in project coordination, and capacity for this activity has
been developed through interaction with the Australian and Vietnamese leading institutions.
In addition, UWS has developed an improved understanding of the range of technology and
skills in vegetable seed, seedling and vegetable production across a number of widely
dispersed regions in Viet Nam.
5.4 Publicity
University of Western Sydney has published a media release on the project, Addressing the
GAP in Vietnamese Vegetables in June 2007 (see Appendix 2). Is there any project
publicity: articles, radio, television etc. from FAVRI??
5.5 Project Management
The project management is progressing well, despite Robert Spooner-Hart experiencing
personal and health problems during this period.


There was also a reasonable gender balance in the seed and seedling producers/distributors.
This aspect will be reported further in the baseline survey report.
7. Implementation & Sustainability Issues
7.1 Issues and Constraints
An important constraint of the project is limited resources available to the Vietnamese
scientists and researchers, particularly those at FAVRI, to travel outside their local region.
This is an important issue in a multi-site project such as VIE 025/06. To facilitate this, UWS
has provided additional funding support for such travel. The recent rise in the value of the
AUD has also assisted funding for this activity.
7.2 Options
The timing of the visit to Australia by Vietnamese participants, scheduled for July 2008 has
been reviewed by the project management team. It was recognised that July was not optimal,
because of other project activities including the farmer baseline study in June-July, nor was it
an ideal time to see tomato and cucumber seedling and field production in Australia. We
have therefore decided to move this activity to October 2008.

5
7.3 Sustainability
No other issues have been identified to date.
8. Next Critical Steps
The baseline studies of seed and seedling production and exploration of Hanoi markets for
tomato and cucumbers will be completed, during the December 2007 visit by Robert
Spooner-Hart and Oleg Nicetic. This will involve interviews with senior staff from Metro,
and a further (winter) survey of the Hanoi markets to determine source, quality and price of
tomatoes and cucumbers, which will complement the summer survey. The Metro visit will be
facilitated through collaboration with personnel from CARD project VIE 021/06, and will
specifically address attitudes to and any marketing benefits of tomatoes and cucumbers
grown under GAP.

The GAP workshop will be held in Hanoi in December 3-5, 2007. The project team decided



Baseline
established,
including
production and
financial
information
where possible

Enhanced
capacity of GOs
and to private
industry to
implement GAP
in vegetable
production.

Low risk, because
all key
collaborators
have experience
in surveying
farmers and key
producers in their
regions, and
UWS has already
conducted similar
surveys in
previous CARD
project


Trials and
facilities
established to
agreed
protocols, and
variety
evaluation trials
successfully
carried out to
provide data
required for
Objective 3.
Low risk as
collaborators in
all 3 locations
have capacity and
facilities to
conduct seedling
production and
varietal
evaluation.
UWS will provide
support for
experimental
design and
protocols.

Potential risks
occur with all

refereed journal
Risk low, many
varieties for
evaluation
already identified,
satisfactory
discussions
already
completed with
AVRDC and
FAVRI for access
to their superior
varieties.
All participating
organisations
have good
experience with
variety evaluation
UWS will provide
biometrical
support.
See above. Seasons for evaluation do not fully
coincide in the 3 regions, but this does not impact
negatively on the project.
OUTPUTS

1.1 Establishment of baseline
data on current practices for
vegetable seed and seedling
production and development

CARD projects
on citrus and in
FAO projects on
other annual
crops including
rice.

1.2 Development of baseline
GAP draft protocols

Final draft GAP
protocols
reported to
CARD and
accepted
As above These have been developed, but will be discussed
at the GAP workshop in December 2007
2.1 Draft evaluation trial
protocols completed
Draft evaluation
trial protocols
completed and
accepted by all
participants,
and availability
of suitable
facilities
confirmed
Low risk as
collaborators in


List of selected
varieties for
evaluation
accepted and
provided
Risk low, many
varieties for
evaluation already
identified,
satisfactory
discussions already
completed with
AVRDC and
FAVRI for access
to their superior
varieties.

Completed, seed sent and received.
3.2 Superior varieties
evaluated and determined over
2 seasons in 3 regions.
Experimental
data completed
and analysed.
Superior
varieties
identified.
Article written
on varietal trials

Stakeholders meeting held in FAVRI, February.
Survey protocols established, translated into
Vietnamese, and used in July stakeholders survey
1.1.2 Conduct 2 week baseline
study, July 2007 in 3 project
regions
Baseline study
completed
Completed in July
1.2.1 Interact between key
project collaborators following
baseline study to draw up draft
protocol
Draft protocols
drawn up for
discussion at
HUAF
workshop
Draft protocols partly drawn up, will be finalised
for the GAP workshop in December 2008.
1.2.2 Finalise draft protocols at
project workshop, HUAF
Draft protocols
agreed and
promulgated
Workshop scheduled for December 3-5.
ACTIVITIES
2.1.1 Evaluation protocols
discussed at project meeting in
July, if necessary by email.

other varieties for evaluation
List of selected
varieties
Completed. Identification of varieties for evaluation
in season 1 finalised with AVRDC, FAVRI, HUAF
and PVFC
3.2.1 Trials conducted
according to protocols in
Objective 2
Trials
satisfactorily
completed
Trials currently underway in FAVRI, PVFC. To
commence in November in HUAF
3.2.2 Comparative data
analysed and compared across
all regions where appropriate
Data analysis
completed
Cannot be completed for season 1 until data from
all sites is received, in March 2008. Season 2
evaluation will not finish until mid-2008
INPUTS
Inputs provided are given in tables above. All
personnel and other inputs scheduled for the first 6
months have been delivered.
There are no issues relating to timely provision of
inputs. The Australian project leader had several
major personal and health issues in 2007, but it did
not interfere with the project activities. FAVRI staff