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Project Overview

So, what’s the problem

Despite the huge potential, Vietnamese fruit production and export still have many key issues and challenges that need to be addressed. These issues are caused by pests and diseases, limited amounts of fruit grown that is certified under the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) scheme and poor quality of fruits. There are also high costs associated with post-harvested irradiation treatment and lack of ‘Maximum Residue Levels’ for key fruits exported to the USA. Thus, managing some of the key pests and diseases is pivotal in order to decrease losses as well as increase productivity and the final products’ export value, which will be especially beneficial for smallholder farmers and the agro-ecosystem. 

What is this project doing?

Therefore, this project, led by SOFRI, aims to address the major pests and diseases that limit production. The team will do this by developing ecologically-based Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies and practices and looking at the whole system in the context of market needs for these four fruit crops. 

The objectives of this project focus on the following aspects:

• Detecting the key pests and diseases that limit production and analyzing the  pests-host-natural enemy matrix
• Developing and formulating ecologically-sound, farmer-community centric IPM technologies and packages based on innovative research and practical designs
• Piloting and expanding the IPM technologies to a wider base (eg growers/ farmers, fruit exporters and government regulators) along the production/ market chain
• Transfering technologies and communication activities in a participatory way including exploring mobile-based approaches to broaden awareness, dissemination and impact of IPM technologies
• Monitoring and evaluating project outputs and outcomes with an emphasis on the socio-economy and gender