Ecological agriculture is a solution for many challenges

On the morning of March 31, the annual meeting of the Transformative Partnership Platform on Agroecology (Agroecology TPP) opened in Hanoi, Vietnam. The meeting gathered about 130 delegates (both online and direct), who are experts, researchers, farmers, and practitioners from international and regional areas, to discuss the latest advances in ecological agriculture and sustainable food systems.

The annual meeting takes place from March 31 to April 4, which will be a place to exchange knowledge and present the bright spots in the innovative research and best practice method in ecological agriculture.

With the recognition of its commitment to sustainable agriculture and its taking the lead in transforming into ecological agriculture, as well as the desire to become Asia's Food Innovation Center, Vietnam is an ideal meeting place for discussions about promoting sustainable and effective food systems in Southeast Asia.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has affirmed that Vietnam has always been actively involved in many initiatives and international efforts to contribute to ensuring food security globally and implementing sustainable development goals.

This annual meeting is organized by Agroecology TPP in collaboration with the Asian Farmers Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) and the Project on Agroecology and Safe Food System Transitions (ASSET), with support from organizations in Vietnam. Of which, there is positive support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

Speaking at the opening session, Mr. Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, Director of the International Cooperation Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), affirmed that food is a basic need of people, like water and air.

Meanwhile, in the ASEAN region, there are now many challenges directly related to food, such as climate change, and people's lives depend heavily on agriculture and natural resources. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on enhancing the recovery capacity for the agricultural sector.

"Ecological agriculture will solve these challenges. For example, enhance biodiversity, build sustainable ecosystems, ensure livelihoods, and contribute to the transformation into a transparent, responsible, and sustainable food system," Mr. Nguyen Do Anh Tuan emphasized.

The representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment also affirmed that the application of principles and practices of ecological agriculture will bring great benefits in maintaining healthy food systems with high productivity in the context of climate change.

With the specific situation of Vietnam, Mr. Tuan said that ecological agriculture is an extremely important solution, bringing many opportunities.

Typically, ensuring the balance between productivity and environmental protection; providing opportunities for high-tech applications such as IoT, artificial intelligence (AI), and automation to improve efficiency, optimize resources, and minimize negative impacts. Besides is the opportunity to focus on safe products with clear origins, not only improving competitiveness but also expanding to the international market.

"We need systematic solutions such as ecological agriculture and agroforestry to solve challenges and offer compatible plans with challenges such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, fracture of the food system, as well as soil erosion and water pollution," said Dr. Fergus Sinclair, co-chair of Agroecology TPP.

This event will consist of a series of senior discussions, expert group meetings, and two field visits on April 2, giving delegates the opportunity to directly participate with local initiatives on ecological agriculture.

The Transformative Partnership Platform on Agroecological Approaches to Building Resilience of Livelihoods and Landscapes (Agroecology TPP) gathers a wide group of scientists, practitioners, and policy makers to join hands for the goal of accelerating the transformation process on agroecology. Since officially launching on June 3, 2021, Agroecology TPP has started to help solve knowledge gaps in eight fields that will support many organizations in important decision-making processes.

The online communities of the forum are open to everyone, providing space for members to create knowledge, share views and experiences on different topics related to ecological agriculture, and build cooperation networks with local communities and research facilities to promote advancement in ecological agriculture to serve the process of transforming the food system.