ILRI, Viet Nam strategize cooperation for a sustainable livestock sector

Following the 80th Anniversary Celebration of the Agriculture and Environment and the First Patriotic Emulation Congress on VAN News, I see that the sector has received strong attention, support, praise, and guidance from the Party and Government's highest leaders. This is truly a "golden moment" for the sector to advance on its path toward sustainable development.

The entire sector has made great efforts to transform Viet Nam from a poor, food-insecure country into a major agricultural exporter. International partners highly appreciate Viet Nam’s green vision for agriculture and its contributions to global agricultural development. These achievements stem from decisive agricultural policies, the hard work of Vietnamese farmers, and contributions of scientists and businesses across the sector.

Milestones of 80-year achievement

From a country once facing major agricultural challenges, Viet Nam has risen to become one of the world’s leading exporters of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products. Export value has continued to grow; as of October 2025, total export turnover reached approximately USD 58.13 billion, up 12.9 percent compared to the same period in 2024, and is forecast to surpass USD 70 billion in 2025, reaffirming Viet Nam’s strong position in the global market.

On food security, in 2024, rice output reached about 43.7 million tons, with an average yield of 6.14 tons per hectare. The livestock sector also made significant advances, with total live meat production reaching around 8.1 million tons, placing Viet Nam among the world’s largest pork producers and contributing to improved quality and value in animal-source food.

Viet Nam has also affirmed its active role in South-South Cooperation and global value chains. The country has signed around 30 bilateral agricultural agreements with African nations, participated in nearly 10 tripartite cooperation models, and sent more than 400 experts overseas to support technical assistance, crop varieties, and aquaculture development, helping enhance productivity and sustainable growth for partner countries.

On environmental commitments and green transition, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) has announced its crop-emission reduction roadmap for 2025-2035, targeting at least a 30 percent cut in crop-related emissions and a minimum 10 percent reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions from crop production by 2030 compared to 2020 levels.

In poverty reduction, Viet Nam has ensured social welfare and rural development. Between 2021 and 2025 alone, the national poverty rate fell from 5.2 percent in 2021 to 1.93 percent in 2024. More than 1.3 million poor and near-poor households accessed loans for production development, over 90,000 households received housing support, and more than 2,500 essential infrastructure projects were implemented.

Advancing science - agriculture cooperation

As a member of the CGIAR global network of international agricultural research organizations, ILRI together with several CGIAR centers, particularly IRRI, CIFOR-ICRAF, CIAT, and CIP have cooperated with Viet Nam for decades, achieving important progress in agricultural, health, and environmental research.

ILRI hopes to continue working with Viet Nam to advance the One Health approach in managing zoonotic diseases, ensuring food safety, reducing antimicrobial resistance, and addressing economically significant diseases such as African swine fever. This includes expanding One Health activities by integrating environmental, soil, and plant health, and especially by disseminating One Health knowledge widely across communities and applying it practically at the local level.

In addition, research will focus on developing high-yielding varieties that are suited to Viet Nam’s conditions and resilient to climate change, while conserving indigenous genetic resources to support breeding, biodiversity, and improved resilience.

ILRI stands ready to strengthen cooperation on environmental research in livestock and develop low-emission models. For example, ILRI’s Livestock and Climate Solutions Hub provides a platform for advancing low-emission and more sustainable livestock production.

Finally, the two sides may collaborate on designing and operating integrated systems for disease surveillance, food safety, and climate monitoring, covering livestock data, environmental indicators, and greenhouse gas measurement in the livestock sector, while also building capacity for local authorities and enterprises.

Directions for sustainable development era

Viet Nam has achieved remarkable accomplishments. From this, I believe the vision and future orientation of the sector should be built around several key pillars:

Increasing investment in agricultural science and technology. Currently, Viet Nam’s investment remains relatively low, with only about 0.2% of agricultural GDP allocated to research and development. Experts suggest that Viet Nam could raise this ratio to 0.6-0.8%, comparable to the levels in Thailand and China.

Supporting smallholder farming and leaving no one behind. Viet Nam needs to continue providing policies and resources for smallholder farmers, who, despite their small-scale production, make significant contributions to food security and social welfare. Gradually helping them access modern agriculture, markets, and larger-scale production will improve livelihoods and quality of life.

Modernizing production. Accelerating digital transformation and smart agriculture.

Promoting sustainable, low-emission production. Increasing resilience to climate change, protecting the environment, and preserving biodiversity. Pursuing green growth, rapid development without compromising the environment, while moving toward safe, clean agricultural value chains and deeper participation in global value chains.

Demonstrating leadership in international cooperation. Through South-South Cooperation, Viet Nam can enhance its leadership role, contribute to global agriculture, share experiences, and assist less-developed countries in advancing toward food security. This, in turn, supports job creation, improves livelihoods, and ensures security and peace.

ILRI believes that MAE will continue to work closely with international partners, strengthen innovation and cooperation, advance toward a modern, sustainable, and green-oriented agricultural production system, thereby contributing to enhancing Vietnam’s position on the global stage.