A Revolution in Vietnamese Horticulture: Embracing Sustainable and Safe Practices
A Green Revolution in the Making
In Vietnam, the past decade has witnessed an incredible transformation in greenhouse vegetable production. Farmers have embraced modern infrastructure and cutting-edge growing technologies, resulting in remarkable gains in productivity, product quality, and profitability. However, despite these advancements, the control of diseases and pests has primarily relied on frequent and intensive use of chemical crop protection products.
The Shift Towards Sustainability
The continuous evolution of greenhouse production methods, coupled with increasingly stringent market requirements for food safety, has sparked a movement among Vietnamese farmers towards more sustainable practices. They are now eager to explore technologies that prevent pests and diseases or control them biologically, moving away from heavy reliance on chemicals. This shift marks a significant step towards Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
Understanding Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
IPM aims to minimize harm and control acceptable infestation levels rather than eradicate all undesired populations. It's about understanding when aggressive control measures are justified and when other integrated management techniques should be employed first. On a broader scale, IPM promotes environmental protection and sustainable agriculture in the long term.
The Components of an IPM Program
While IPM demands tailored solutions for each case, a typical IPM program covers the following aspects:
- Problem Assessment: This is the starting point, where farmers decide if a disease or pest presence poses a threat to the crop. Understanding the scope of the infestation guides the prevention or control strategies.
- Preventive Measures: These techniques aim to reduce infestations through various agronomic practices, including crop rotation, planting resistant varieties, using certified seeds, and implementing hygiene protocols.
- Disease and Pest Monitoring: Regular monitoring helps farmers decide whether corrective actions are necessary and how to proceed based on the pest or disease levels and other influencing factors.
- Decision-Making: Based on monitoring data and the planned IPM strategy, farmers decide whether an action is needed and which preventative or non-chemical methods to employ.
- Non-Chemical Methods: These include the use of natural enemies, physical traps, pheromones, and other technologies that don't rely on traditional chemical crop protection.
- Chemical Correction: If non-chemical methods fail, chemical crop protection products are applied, but with careful consideration of legislation, application methods, and the least harmful options.
Transitioning to IPM in Vietnam
Sustainable and climate-smart agriculture remains a top priority for the Netherlands in Vietnam, in line with the Strategic Partnership Arrangement (SPA) in sustainable agriculture and food security. The Dutch government's focus on a food system approach that emphasizes sustainability, transparency, and responsibility aligns perfectly with IPM.
Implementing IPM successfully requires a holistic approach, from the propagation of plant material to the final harvest. During these stages, a wide range of know-how and technologies must be employed to prevent pest and disease development and minimize the need for chemical correction.
Adopting IPM: The IPM Lam Dong Project
Vietnamese farmers are embracing safer and more sustainable production methods, and many have already started implementing IPM strategies on their farms. For instance, they're choosing disease-resistant varieties, using sticky traps to monitor and catch pests, and introducing natural enemies to prevent or control pests. However, more support is needed for IPM to become the norm in Vietnam. This includes training and knowledge development in IPM strategies, access to new IPM-supporting technologies, and on-field demonstrations of IPM practices.
To address these needs, the project "IPM and improved crop protection application methods for a sustainable food system in Viet Nam", or "IPM Lam Dong" for short, was officially launched in October 2025 in Da Lat city during an IPM conference. Funded by the Dutch Government, the main objective of this project is to make IPM the standard practice for Vietnamese farmers, ensuring minimal use of chemical crop protection products and creating a safe and sustainable horticulture supply chain.
The project partners, Fresh Studio, Koppert, and Da Lat University, in collaboration with PPD Lam Dong, will establish three IPM demonstration locations and a training and extension system. This system will demonstrate IPM technologies to farmers, enhance their knowledge of IPM strategies, and provide technical support for implementing IPM on their farms. The project is scheduled to run until the end of 2026.
The IPM Conference
To raise awareness about IPM and officially launch the project, the conference "IPM: Application of Biological Control Agents and official launch IPM project Lam Dong" was held in Da Lat, Lam Dong province, on October 8, 2025. Key stakeholders, including Mr. Nguyen Quang Hieu (Deputy Director of the Department of Horticulture and Plant Protection), Ms. Ingrid Korving (Agricultural Counsellor, Embassy of the Netherlands), Mr. Rene van Rensen (R&D Director Crops, Fresh Studio), Mr. Rob Rippens (Business Manager Asia Pacific, Koppert), and local representatives from the horticulture sector, actively participated, presenting, discussing, and learning from each other about IPM and strategies to encourage its adoption.
The presence of over 200 participants and Dutch horticulture technology suppliers, such as Koppert, Rijk Zwaan, Enza Zaden, Bejo, BVB-Substrates, Royal Brinkman, Priva, and Ridder, underscores the keen interest of farmers and other stakeholders in learning more about IPM strategies and how to implement them in Vietnam.
As part of the conference activities, a field visit to one of the IPM demonstration locations was organized. Participants observed Koppert's biological control agents, including predatory wasps, bugs, and mites imported from the Netherlands, successfully controlling pest insects like spider mites, thrips, whiteflies, and aphids in a sweet pepper crop.
Moving Forward with IPM Lam Dong
In the coming period, the IPM Lam Dong project will continue its training initiatives and demonstrations of IPM technologies. For any questions or inquiries related to the Agriculture Department at the Netherlands Embassy in Vietnam, please send an email to HAN-LVVN@minbuza.nl or HCM-LVVN@minbuza.nl. Stay updated with the latest news, funding opportunities, and more by following our LinkedIn page: Netherlands Agricultural Network in Vietnam (https://www.linkedin.com/company/nl-agri-vietnam/?originalSubdomain=vn).
