More than 7,700 farmers equipped with climate risk management skills

By the completion of the project "Innovative Climate Risk Financing for the Agriculture Sector in Viet Nam" (AgriCRF-VN) in June 2026, a total of 7,775 farmers had received training in climate risk financing management, far exceeding the project’s initial target of 4,000 farmers. Of these, women accounted for approximately 32%.

The figures were shared by Ms. Hoang My Lan, representative of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) in Viet Nam, at the review conference of the AgriCRF-VN project. The event was jointly organized by the Department of Cooperatives and Rural Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and GIZ on May 28 in Can Tho City.

Regarding agricultural insurance, Ms. Lan said the AgriCRF-VN project successfully piloted four agricultural insurance products provided by ABIC, MIC, MSIG, and PVI in An Giang, Dong Thap, and Can Tho, with a total insured rice area of nearly 1,540 hectares.

Particularly, 69 farmers received actual insurance payouts following floods and extreme weather events in 2025. According to post-pilot surveys, up to 84% of insured farmers said they intended to continue participating in agricultural insurance in the coming time.

In the field of green finance, the AgriCRF-VN project collaborated with Tinh Thuong Microfinance Institution (TYM) to develop preferential loan products for farmers adopting sustainable production models such as organic farming, solar energy use, and livestock farming with waste treatment systems.

To date, 882 farmer households, all of them women-led, have gained access to green credit, with total disbursements exceeding VND 32 billion. A digital credit scoring tool integrated into the TYM application has also processed more than 100,000 loan applications and has been expanded to 13 localities nationwide.

Beyond directly supporting farmers, the AgriCRF-VN project also developed a set of policy reference materials, including an assessment of the agricultural insurance pilot program; an international comparative analysis based on experiences from Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, China, and the Philippines; and recommendations for a roadmap to develop agricultural insurance policies for the 2026–2030 period.

Mr. Le Duc Thinh, Director General of the Department of Cooperatives and Rural Development, noted that although the implementation period of the AgriCRF-VN project was not long and faced numerous objective challenges, the project delivered tangible results and created value beyond its investment scale.

"When a farmer household receives an insurance payout after a natural disaster, it is not merely financial assistance but also the confidence to continue production and remain committed to fields," Mr. Thinh said.

According to Mr. Thinh, the AgriCRF-VN project’s most significant outcome was the shift in farmers’ mindset. While many communities previously relied mainly on post-disaster support, farmers are now becoming more proactive and have a clearer understanding of the role of insurance and climate risk financing.

In the coming period, the Department of Cooperatives and Rural Development will continue researching and reviewing practical experiences to enhance the application of the project’s results in completing policies related to agricultural insurance, green credit, value chain risk management, and raw material area development.

Ms. Sonja Esche, Head of Agriculture and Climate at GIZ Viet Nam, emphasized, "Strengthening farmers’ resilience to climate risks is becoming increasingly urgent. Access to climate risk financing products will help farmers feel more confident in investing in sustainable agricultural production."

The AgriCRF-VN project was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through GIZ and jointly implemented in collaboration with the Department of Cooperatives and Rural Development.

The project was carried out during the 2024–2026 period in Hanoi, Son La, Dong Thap, An Giang, and Can Tho. This is a part of the ASEAN-Germany AgriCRF initiative implemented in Viet Nam, Indonesia, and Thailand.

Although the AgriCRF-VN project has concluded, the experiences, partnerships, and innovations developed under the project will serve as an important foundation for expanding comprehensive and sustainable climate risk financing solutions in the future.

$1 = VND 26,393 - Source: Vietcombank.