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Three Decades of Partnerships: Celebrating CIRAD's 30-Year Journey in Vietnam
The delegation from CIRAD and that of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS) during the signing of the new framework cooperation agreement by Elisabeth Claverie de Saint Martin, CEO of CIRAD and Nguyen Hong Son, president of VAAS. © Viet Hung, CIRAD
Consolidating existing partnerships, meeting, exchanges, and planning... Elisabeth Claverie de Saint Martin, CIRAD's CEO, Sélim Louafi, Deputy DGDRS, and Jean-Paul Laclau, Director of the Persyst Department, came to participate in several events organized for CIRAD's 30th anniversary in Vietnam.
A One Health Scientific Day
Elisabeth Claverie de Saint Martin opened the One Health scientific day.
The highlight of this celebration week was a One Health Scientific Day organized by the platform in partnership for research and training (dP) Emerging diseases in Southeast Asia (GREASE). Centered on the health of plants, soils, and the environment, it confirmed a strong partnership dynamic and a keen interest in this field in Vietnam. Nearly 90 people gathered, coming from the research sector, Vietnamese governmental institutions, as well as international and regional bodies, Vietnamese universities, and NGOs. Olivier Brochet, the French ambassador to Vietnam, opened the day: "Considering that 60% of human infections are of animal origin," he stated, "promoting the One Health approach is no longer just a concept but a necessity to enhance our collective capacity to prevent and respond to the emergence of new diseases."
On this point, CIRAD's CEO provided more context: "There is a pre-Covid One Health concept, more focused on human health, and a post-Covid concept where we are moving towards more prevention with a holistic approach that pays as much attention to the health of ecosystems, that of animals, and that of humans."
Framework Agreement Renewals
During her visit, Elisabeth Claverie de Saint Martin signed the renewal of framework agreements with two of CIRAD's historic partners in Vietnam: the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Vietnamese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS).
Elisabeth Claverie de Saint Martin, CEO of CIRAD, and Tran Thanh Nam, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam © CIRAD
As a major partner in the dP Agroecology for Southeast Asia (ASEA) and Market and Agriculture Linkages for Cities in Asia (MALICA) on urban food systems and the significant Agroecology and Safer Food System Transitions in Southeast Asia (ASSET) project on agroecological transition, VAAS will be involved with CIRAD in the major Smart Agro-ecological Transformation of Farming Systems towards Resilience and Sustainability in Middle and Coastal Zones of the Viet Nam Mekong Delta (STAR-FARM) project. "CIRAD understands the challenges of Vietnam and Vietnamese agriculture very well," commented Nguyen Hong Son, president of VAAS. "VAAS has been a partner in many projects with CIRAD in the past. That's why this renewal is important to us." The two partners recently shared the success of the European H2020 BREEDing Coffee for AgroForestry Systems (BREEDCAFS) project with the selection of new varieties of Arabica coffee. Five CIRAD scientists are currently working within an institute of the Academy.
30 Years: An Opportunity to Look Towards the Future
In the FAO representative offices in Hanoi. On right side, the Cirad delegation, from left to right: François Roger, Jean-Paul Laclau, Elisabeth Claverie de Saint Martin, Sélim Louafi. © FAO
Meetings with the delegation of the European Union and the FAO provided a platform to discuss the Vietnamese agricultural context, ongoing and future projects, and potential collaborations. With the FAO, there were discussions about agroecology and climate change in relation to the upcoming STAR-FARM project in the Mekong Delta. The goal is to promote equitable, healthy agricultural systems that are climate and environmentally friendly, to improve value chains, and to enhance the capacities of stakeholders.
Regional Outreach
On the PRCC CN project stand, from left to right: Hoa Tran Quoc, agronomist from UPR GECO, HE the Ambassador of France to Laos Ms. Siv Leng Chuuor, Mr. Kikheo Singnavong, the Laotian vice-minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF), Sélim Louafi, Jean-Paul Laclau, Florine Degrune, soil health specialist at CIRAD (UMR Eco&Sols) soon stationed in Laos, and Philippe Tixier, agronomist and ecologist from the Research unit GECO, coordinator of the dP Asea. © CIRAD
The week concluded in Laos for part of the CIRAD delegation. "Laos is experiencing an expanding dynamic," emphasizes Sélim Louafi, "there is a great diversity of projects on-site requested by our partners from the Department of Agricultural Land Management of the Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Dalam) and the National University of Laos." After visiting the Laotian sites of the Asset project, Sélim Louafi and Jean-Paul Laclau attended the International Coffee Day to meet with the teams and partners of the Project to Reinforce the Commercial Capacity - Coffee North (PRCC CN). CIRAD provides technical and scientific assistance on topics of agroforestry, income diversification, research, education, and training within this partnership between the Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the AFD.
At the end of this celebration week, Jean-Paul Laclau was pleased with the exchanges and meetings: "The topics of interest, both local and global in scope, cover agroforestry, agroecology, food systems, and adaptation to climate change and are connected with regional dynamics at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) level."