Over the years,Son La provincehas become a bright spot in attracting and promoting the effectiveness of projects from international organizations supporting farmers in agricultural development, typically the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with the Project "Smart Agriculture for Future Generations".

The project has supported 34 households in Moc Chau to renovate and optimize more than 35,000 m² of greenhouses and greenhouses, or most recently, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) with the Project "Strengthening the value chain of safe crops in the northern provinces of Vietnam".

Mr. Kayano Naoki - JICA expert, Direct Coordinator of the Project "Strengthening the value chain of safe crops in the northern provinces of Vietnam". Photo:Duc Binh.

Each project brings different values, creating changes from thinking to production methods for farmers. NewspaperAgriculture and Environmenthad an interview with Mr. Kayano Naoki - JICA expert, direct Coordinator of the Project to see more clearly the feelings of international agricultural experts when coming to Moc Chau and the orientation they set for sustainable agricultural development.

Faith from the land

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Sharing about the journey of implementing the Project, Mr. Kayano Naoki said: “At the beginning, we had difficulty convincing partners and farmers to accept the Project’s approach, because this is a technical cooperation project, not a project to provide equipment or facilities”. Indeed, changing habits that have existed for many years is not easy.

In the early stages,JICAhas persistently accompanied partners in Son La, especially the Son La Provincial Agricultural Extension Center and key cooperatives, which have a great influence on farmers. Many practical activities have been organized such as technical training for agricultural extension officers, practical training for farmers, forums, seminars connecting parties in the value chain as well as tours to learn from experiences.

Son La farmers proactively absorb and quickly apply advanced farming techniques supported by international projects. Photo:Duc Binh.

Through this process, farmers gradually understood that the Project not only brought new knowledge but also helped them clearly identify long-term development drivers and build mutually beneficial cooperative relationships with businesses and markets.

In Moc Chau, Mr. Luu Tung Dinh's Nong Xanh Cooperative was chosen as a model on an area of ​​2.2 hectares, in which the main content focuses on land improvement with the motto "Take what is from the land, return it to the land".

During the project summary, Mr. Dinh shared: “Previously, people grew vegetables using traditional methods, without experience, fertilized incorrectly, did not use mulch, crops were damaged by many pests, and the soil was hard. Since participating in the Project, selecting seedlings, applying mulch techniques, crop yields have increased by 20-25%, the quality of vegetables and fruits is delicious, meeting the high standards of supermarkets, vegetarian restaurants... Each hectare brings in a profit of 200-300 million VND, people's economy is growing, and the cultivated area is expanding."

Safe vegetable development model in Moc Chau supported by JICA. Photo:Duc Binh.

The important highlight of the Project in Son La is to raise farmers’ awareness of market research. If in the past farmers often produced based on experience and sold products passively, now they know how to proactively research the demand, conditions of product quality and prices to make production plans. This change has helped cooperatives make more effective decisions, reduce risks and increase product value.

Notably, even after suffering heavy damage from Typhoon Yagi in September 2024, many Son La farming households still actively participated in post-disaster production recovery training courses, applying new production techniques based on JICA's methods. Thanks to that, all households quickly recovered production after only 1-2 months.

Changing mindsets, empowering farmers

The outstanding difference of JICA's Project is the application of SHEP (Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment & Promotion) method. This is an approach initiated by JICA in Kenya with the goal of changing the mindset from "planting and then selling" to "planting to sell".

For Mr. Kayano Naoki (middle), the time working in Moc Chau was extremely memorable because of the enthusiasm and eagerness to learn of the farmers. Photo:Duc Binh.

The approach is based on four core steps: Selecting target farmers and clearly communicating the objectives; helping farmers self-aware of their current situation through surveys and market research; supporting them in making appropriate production decisions; and finally providing technical solutions to improve efficiency.

In many countries, SHEP has demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach. For example, in Nepal, farmers’ net income increased by 50%; in Ethiopia, average income increased by 2.7 times. In Malawi, the MA-SHEP project helped farmers improve their lives, increase their income, reduce poverty, and increase their resilience to natural disasters.

By bringing this method to Son La, JICA has helped farmers fundamentally change their production thinking. They no longer grow vegetables and fruits out of habit or trend, but proactively research market demand to decide what to grow, how much, and what quality. Thereby, Son La's agricultural products not only meet safety standards but also meet the needs of consumers and purchasing businesses.

According to Mr. Kayano Naoki, to evaluate the achievements of the Project, JICA has developed a specific set of criteria, including relevance, consistency, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability. Indicators such as gross profit, sales channels or cooperative participation level have all been surveyed this year - the final year of the Project. This will be an important basis for measuring success, and at the same time create the premise for replicating the model to other localities.