“We want to share our experiences to contribute to global efforts for food security,” minister says

Viet Nam stands ready to send experts to other countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America to assist in food production and other areas of agricultural development, the country's Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Cao Duc Phat, said today following a meeting with FAO’s Director-General.

“30 years ago Viet Nam had a food deficit which we overcome with the strong commitment of the international community and FAO’s support, and we are now an exporting country,” he said.

“We now want to share our experiences to contribute to global efforts for food security,” the Minister added, noting that the country is already cooperating with Mozambique, Angola, Laos, Cambodia, Cuba and Haiti.

Progress towards food security

FAO Director-General Jose' Graziano da Silva noted progress made by Viet Nam reducing food insecurity and under-nutrition.

According to FAO’s State of Food Insecurity in the World 2014 report, the country has shown impressive achievements in the last fifteen years, reducing the total number of undernourished people from 32 to 12 million, achieving the hunger target of the first Millennium Development Goal.

Climate-smart agriculture

Talks between the FAO Director-General and the minister also touched upon Viet Nam’s request for the Organization's assistance with climate-smart agriculture – an agricultural approach that promotes farming systems that sustainably increases productivity and resilience.

Vietnam is a key supporter of this approach. The country hosted the2nd Global Conference on Agriculture, Food and Nutrition in 2012 and the Climate Smart Agriculture Consultative meeting in June 2014, which contributed to pave the way to the establishment of the Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture launched at the UN Climate Summit.