Photo: Ms. Cầm Thị Phong – Deputy Director of the Sơn La Department of Agriculture and Rural Development delivering the opening remarks.
At the meeting, Ms. Cầm Thị Phong, Deputy Director of the Sơn La Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, expressed her gratitude to representatives of provincial departments and sectors, as well as the inter-sectoral working group, for their active collaboration and support in developing Sơn La Province’s food system profile. She emphasized that the emerging picture of the province’s food system, which is gradually being completed, will play a crucial role in implementing the food system transformation plan in Sơn La in the near future. To develop specific plans and strategies that contribute to a transparent, responsible, and sustainable food system, it is essential to identify priority tasks and issues within the food system, effectively allocate resources, and mobilize stakeholder participation.
Photo: Ms. Huỳnh Thị Thanh Tuyền sharing insights on Sơn La's food system status.
To provide foundational information for the discussions, Ms. Huỳnh Thị Thanh Tuyền, representing the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, presented an overview of the current state of Sơn La’s food system. Overall, the province’s food system is gradually transitioning toward product diversification and providing high-quality food for both domestic consumption and export. Local livelihoods have seen significant improvement. However, challenges remain regarding sustainability. Fertilizer and pesticide use in production remain high. In 2023, average fertilizer application rates for rice production were 48.3 kg/ha of nitrogen, 85.7 kg/ha of phosphate, and 35.7 kg/ha of potassium. Despite a declining trend, malnutrition rates among children under five remain higher than the national average, with stunting at 26.1%, underweight at 15.4%, and wasting at 4.5%. The increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases reflects imbalances in dietary and food consumption patterns. Some remote areas still face localized food shortages.
Photo: Mr. Trần Văn Thể presenting the methodology for prioritizing food system issues.
Based on the identified challenges in Sơn La’s food system, Mr. Trần Văn Thể from the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences outlined the methodology and steps to prioritize issues, stakeholders, and resources. Following this, representatives from Sơn La’s provincial departments and sectors, along with researchers from the inter-sectoral working group, participated in discussions divided into three groups. The groups focused on identifying critical cross-sectoral issues affecting various aspects of the food system in Sơn La.
At the conclusion of the discussion session, three prominent issues requiring attention and resolution were identified:
-
Governance of the food system and limitations in inter-sectoral coordination: There is a lack of inter-sectoral coordination mechanisms, overlapping policies, and insufficient awareness of the Action Plan for Food System Transformation.
-
Food safety concerns: Food safety is not adequately ensured, with high levels of pesticide residues adversely affecting health. There is a lack of mechanisms and enforcement measures for monitoring food safety. Consumers have limited information and trust regarding food safety.
-
Weak inter-sectoral connectivity in the supply chain, market, and food supply coordination: Connections within the supply chain and market, as well as food supply coordination, remain limited and have not been seriously implemented.
Photo: Group discussions on identifying priority issues, resources, and ways to integrate efforts for implementing priority programs in the province.
To address these priority issues, the province needs to mobilize participation from multiple stakeholders, optimize existing resources, and propose future resource allocations for specific activities.
The discussion outcomes from the meeting provide a foundation for developing Sơn La Province’s action plan to transform its food system in alignment with the directions and objectives outlined in Decision No. 300/QĐ-TTg of 2023.