Capacity building and services to assist local farmers to improve aquaculture management in Vietnam

Since 2000, we can observe important changes in traditional production systems of coastal communes in North Vietnam. Faced with relatively low incomes, rice farms converted the surfaces available to them in aquaculture ponds. These are difficult to reverse conversions were carried out by farmers seeking to improve family income in areas of relatively low rice productivity. These changes have had a significant impact on the revenues generated in coastal villages with changes in work organization and the upstream business opportunities for feed plants. This type of family aquaculture has grown rapidly to meet domestic demand but also to export markets.

Faced with these voluntary initiatives, the Vietnamese authorities have had difficulties to coach and support these new producers in sustainable development schemes for fresh water or brackish water aquaculture. In addition, climate change could significantly affect these areas particularly exposed to rising sea waters.

Moreover, aquaculture producers respond to logic relatively isolated individual entrepreneurs. They deliver their products to many collectors who engage strong competition. This is particularly true at the sub-sectors supplying the domestic market.

The Vietnamese marketing system for aquaculture products is generally considered competitive and efficient. It involves different stakeholders (collectors, dealers, wholesalers and processors) that develop often difficult short-term strategies to understand and which do not permit a good traceability of production.

At producer level, understanding of market mechanisms is very limited which makes it difficult to decision support for investments and marketing. Meanwhile, producers are exposed to high price volatility. Small producers oriented towards the local market are particularly exposed and vulnerable to this issue and it is important to understand the strategies that can be implemented to ensure against this form of risk.

In this context, this paper describes two initiatives conducted in the Northern area of Vietnam to strengthen the sustainability of clam’s farms and supported by researchers from Vietnam National University of Agriculture.