Đề tài Research staff competence

Milestone 5: Research Staff Competence Due: 31 August 2007 Payment: $25 930 Deliverables: • Training report from Australian Study tour, including assessment of appropriateness of technology in Vietnam • Vietnam training seminar program and training materials • Assessment of competence in supply chain mapping and the development of quality assurance programs in Vietnam Australian Study Tour Study tours to Australia were undertaken by 6 Vietnamese scientists and extension personnel (Ms Ngo Thi Hanh (RIFAV), Mr Vu Tuan Minh (HUAF), Mr Ngo Xuan Chinh (IAS), Mrs Nguyen Thi An (FAVRI, formerly RIFAV), Mr Ngo Minh Dung (IAS), Mr Nguyen Dinh Thi (HUAF) ) for a 4 week period in 2005 and 2006. On the 2006 study tour, participants from the research institutes were also joined by vegetable grower and nursery specialist, Mr Nguyen Hong Phong from Lam Dong province. His inclusion on the study tour particularly assisted the team in looking at how Australian technology may be modified to enable it to be utilised in Vietnam. Training focused on both field and greenhouse vegetable production, postharvest and supply chain management and implementing Good Agricultural Practice (GAP). Field visits to low tech (Sydney Basin) and high tech (Yanco, Gosford) greenhouses and farms also encouraged training participants to consider how they could adapt such technology to Vietnamese conditions. In addition to visiting numerous farms, training participants also visited Sydney Wholesale Markets, and an importing and export business to enable them to understand Australian supply chains and quality requirements. Visits to research stations at Gosford and Yanco provided the visitors with an insight into the types of research and extension projects undertaken by NSW DPI and how R&D programs are managed in Australia. Photo 1. Study Team 1 - Ms Ngo Thi Hanh (RIFAV), Mr Vu Tuan Minh (HUAF), Mr Ngo Xuan Chinh (IAS) visit greenhouse vegetable producers in Sydney Basin, together with Dr Vong Nguyen, Dr Suzie Newman and Dr Ho Dang. Photo 2. Study Team 2 -Mrs Nguyen Thi An (FAVRI, formerly RIFAV), Mr Nguyen Dinh Thi (HUAF) and Mr Nguyen Hong Phong (farmer, Lam Dong) learning how to measure postharvest quality attributes of fresh produce. Training reports from the 2005 and 2006 study tours are appended in Appendix 1 and Appendix 2. In addition the following case studies have been prepared to demonstrate how technology has been modified and utilised by both Vietnamese research personnel and vegetable farmers. CASE STUDY 1: Mr Nguyen Hong Phong, Vegetable farmer and seedling producer, Lam Dong Province Throughout the course of the project, Mr Phong has been improving his seedling production and farming operation at Duc Trong in Lam Dong province and these improvements may be partially attributed to the training and on-going technical support he has received as a part of this project. This training has included: • the Australian study tour from the 2nd-29th July 2006 • advice provided by the Australian project team during their visits to his farm in February 2006, May 2006, October 2006 and May 2007 • assistance with acquiring and setting up 2 mechanical precision air seeders • ongoing technical assistance provided by Dr Vinh’s vegetable group at IAS. Uptake of technology and improvements to current practice has included: • the commissioning of 2 mechanical precision air seeders to enable Mr Phong to increase seedling output (Photos 3 and 4) • the improvement of working conditions for workers carrying out grafting operations. When we visited in February 2006, workers were undertaking grafting operations outside under netting but they now work in a purpose built shed. This has not only benefited workers but has led to greater efficiencies in the seedling operation (Photos 5 and 6). Photo 3. Installing the mechanical precision air seeder – February 2006 Photo 4. Mechanical precision air seeders improving production efficiency – April 2007 Photo 5. Grafting operation carried out in greenhouse – February 2006 Photo 6. New grafting set-up in specially constructed shed with improved efficiency – April 2007 Photo 7. Mr Phong implementing new practices in his greenhouse. A variety trial in his greenhouse April 2007 Photo 8. Tomato variety trial on Mr Phong’s property – April 2007 Photo 9. Experimenting with new techniques Mr Phong’s greenhouse April 2007 • Following his trip to Australia, Mr Phong rapidly adopted hydroponic growing and adapted the system to make it suitable for use in Vietnam. He has also implemented changes in the way he manages his crop based on what he saw in Australia (Photos 6-9) • Mr Phong is keen to experiment with new varieties and currently runs a number of field and greenhouse variety trials on his property. (Photos 6-9). Mr Phong can truly be considered a farmer ‘champion’ and with his seedling operation producing seedlings for many farmers in the region, it is likely that the uptake by other farmers will be high. His position as a seedling producer is likely to have a major impact on tomato production throughout the region, facilitating the adoption of new technologies and approaches. Engaging farmers in study tours has certainly been a successful approach in encouraging rapid adoption of techniques and we would certainly recommend this approach in future projects. CASE STUDY 2 – The uptake and development of hydroponic systems by Vietnamese Research Institutes All four Vietnamese Research Institute partners in this project have successfully implemented hydroponic growing systems. Training periods in Australia have enabled them to learn how to build and run the systems successfully in both a research and commercial context. Visits to Australian hydroponic farms such as Pacific Hydroponics, Gosford and Atkinsons, Griffith have demonstrated how these systems are used commercially in Australia. Training by Dr Parks and Worrall has focussed on getting the best out of these systems including management of EC and appropriate growing media. Crop management practices have also been central to this training. During this project we have seen the successful development and adaptation of these systems to Vietnamese growing conditions. The group at IAS has also undertaken on- farm trials testing these systems. During visits by the Australian team we have provided advice on how system and crop management can be improved. During our visit in February 2006, we also visited the Hanoi Seed Company in Hanoi and a high technology greenhouse park in Hai Phong to address problems that they were having with their growing system in their greenhouse complex. Following our visit Dr Parks also provided additional information and advice on how they could improve their production practices. Photo 10. Ms Anh (FAVRI) with the hydroponic system she has constructed. This is her second crop using this system. April 2007. Photo 11. The hydroponic system at FAVRI – April 2007 Photo 12. The hydroponic system at FAVRI – April 2007 Photo 13. The hydroponic system at HUAF being tested by Mr Thi – April 2007 Photo 14. Dr Ba and her hydroponic system at Can Tho University – May 2007. (Dr Ba undertook part of her PhD studies at Gosford Horticultural Institute with Drs Parks and Nguyen) Photo 15. Testing hydroponic systems at Can Tho University –May 2007. Vietnam training seminar program and training materials Workshops were conducted in 4 locations during the course of the project. These were: • Workshop 1: 13-15th February, 2006, Ho Chi Minh, 72 registered delegates • Workshop 2: 20-22nd February, 2006, Ha Noi, 109 delegates • Workshop 3: 27-28th April, 2007, Can Tho, 82 registered delegates • Workshop 4: 3-4th May, 2007, Da Lat, 70 registered delegates Details on these workshops can be found in previous milestone and travel reports (Milestone reports 3 and 6, Travel reports February 2006 and May 2007). Attached in Appendix 3 is a copy of the Workshop Proceedings from the Hanoi workshop. Similar proceedings were produced for the other 3 workshops, with different local papers at each location. These can be obtained from Dr Thi or Dr Newman upon request. Each of these workshops also included field visits enabling workshop participants to discuss material presented during the presentations in a more relaxed informal manner. Assessment of competence in supply chain mapping and the development of quality assurance systems in Vietnam. The Australian training component included training specifically in supply chain mapping and quality assurance systems. Dr Newman introduced the concept of supply chain mapping, described the methodology and then as a training exercise the team mapped out typical vegetable supply chains in North, Central and Southern Vietnam. Part of Dr Newman’s workshop presentation in Vietnam also included a section on supply chain mapping and this generated considerable discussion and questions particularly at the Hanoi workshop. The concept of supply chain mapping is a relatively new concept to our production focussed Vietnamese partners, but through the training courses they now have an understanding of the process and with further guidance should be able to utilise this in future projects and activities. Joseph Ekman, NSW DPI Quality Assurance Officer provided study tour participants with 1-2 days of training in the Australian Quality Assurance program - ‘Fresh Care’. Mr Ekman is one of the developers of this QA system and regularly provides training to farmers in ‘Fresh Care’ to enable them to implement their QA system. Mr Ekman provided Vietnamese study tour participants with a condensed version of this course using ‘Fresh Care’ training materials. Time was also provided for training participants to ask questions and for discussion on how such a system may be implemented in Vietnam. As one of the reviewers for ASEAN GAP, Mr Ekman was able to demonstrate clearly to participants what they needed to do to achieve this standard in Vietnam. Part of the training also included field visits where Mr Ekman was able to demonstrate the practical application of these systems and also the Vietnamese team was able to ask farmers how they went about implementing such a system. Mr Ekman’s workshop presentations in Vietnam were also focussed on quality assurance and how this might be implemented in a Vietnamese context. In April 2007, we also visited Ben Tre cocopeat factory to look at how this operation may look at implementing a QA program. Following a tour of the facility, Mr Ekman provided feedback to the management team on issues they needed to address if they were looking at introducing a QA system. Report prepared by Dr S M Newman, September 2007 Appendix 1 Report on Travel to Australia 31st October – 27th November, 2005 AusAID-CARD-004/04VIE “Improving the safety and quality of Vietnamese vegetables through research and capacity building in quality assurance, postharvest management and high technology protected cropping systems” November 2005 Ngo Thi Hanh, RIFAV Vu Xuan Minh, HUAF Ngo Xuan Chinh, IAS TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Acknowledgements 3 II. Executive Summary 4 III. Introduction of Project and Study tour 6 IV. The Authors 6 V. Source of Funds 7 VI. Itinerary 7 VII. Research Institution Visited 9 VIII. Report 10 IX. Recommendation 14 X. Appendix 15 I. Acknowledgements There are many people and organizations that have contributed towards our trip to Australia and to all of these people we would like to express our appreciation: • The AusAID-CARD, who contributed financial assistance to enable us to go to Australia to work with Australian counterpart organization. • The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; Ministry of Education, Vietnam for supporting the final formality of this course. • Dr. Mike Curll, the Deputy Director General of NSW Department of Primary Industries (Science & Research), who invited us to NSW DPI to work with his organization’s scientists at the National Centre for Greenhouse Horticulture, Gosford NSW. • Dr. Trevor Gibson, Director (Production Research); Dr. Philip Wright, Research Leader (Horticulture). • Dr. David Hall, Director, National Centre for Greenhouse Horticulture, Gosford NSW. • Dr. Vong Nguyen, Australian Project Leader, Drs Suzie Newman, Sophie Parks, Ross Worrall, Stephen Goodwin, Mr Joseph Ekman, Mr Len Tesoriero and Ms Marilyn Steiner. • Mr. Paul Andersen, Manager and Mrs Jacquies Priest, National Centre for Greenhouse Horticulture, Gosford NSW. • Assoc. Prof. Tran Khac Thi, Project Leader, Deputy Director of Research Institute of Fruits and Vegetables (RIFAV); Prof. Tran Van Minh, Rector of Hue University of Agriculture & Forestry (HUAF); Prof. Pham Van Bien, Director of Institute of Agricultural Sciences for South Vietnam (IAS), who delegated us to NSW DPI to work at the National Centre for Greenhouse Horticulture, Gosford NSW. • Support by Dr. Le Thi Khanh, Head of Department of Horticulture of HUAF; Dr. Ngo Quang Vinh, Head of Department of Vegetables of IAS and the helps from colleagues. • We also appreciate the hospitality of the research staff at the National Vegetable Industry Centre, Yanco Agricultural Institute including Mr Mark Hickey, Dr. Mohammad Quadir, Dr. Mo and Dr Sandra McDougall. • Last but not the least, we are grateful to Mrs Tuyen Nguyen and Mrs Yuri for their hospitality during our stay in Australia. II. Executive Summary The aim of this visit to Australia was to work with NSW DPI’s horticulturists at the NCGH, Gosford for a period of one month during October/November 2005 on production of safe & high quality vegetables at Gosford Horticultural Institute. This includes greenhouse and hydroponic production methods and pest and disease management. The Postharvest Group based at the GHI provided training to visiting Vietnamese scientists in quality assurance systems, supply chain dynamics and postharvest management of vegetable crops. A postharvest study tour provided Vietnamese scientists with an insight into postharvest and quality assurance employed by Australian producers. They also visited Yanco’s NVIC to inspect the research on irrigation and vegetables and a number of vegetable farms, seed producers and food processors. During this trip we visited Gosford, Sydney, Canberra and Yanco. In Gosford we were trained at the National Centre for Greenhouse Horticulture (NCGH) re. greenhouse vegetable production, hydroponic systems, greenhouse IPM, postharvest for fresh vegetables and fruits and disinfectation of fruits (apple, orange…) for export. We also visited green tea plantation in Somersby research farm. In Sydney we visited the Sydney Central Market in Flemington to learn the management and vegetable and fruit market system. Hydroponic production (tomatoes and mini-cucumber) in the Western Sydney area (Bringelly and Leppinton) was inspected. We also visited Yanco Agricultural Institute, the National Vegetables Industry Centre, vegetable farms (rock melon, processing tomato and onion) and Leeton Rice Growers’ Co-operative to study the large-scale production technologies. A particular strength of Australia is the diversity of its research capability and the emphasis on bringing teams together from different scientific fields to find solutions to major problems facing Australia and the rest of the world. Similarly in the horticulture sector, NSW DPI is committed to improving fruit, vegetable and flower’s yield and quality. Due to high achievements in R&D of the Australian horticultural industry, a co-operation between Vietnam and the Australian Research Institutions as well as the Australian Horticultural companies is strongly recommended, focussing on: 1. Collaboration in medium and high technologies of Protected Cropping systems; 2. Collaboration in Good Agriculture Practice (GAP) for horticulture; 3. Collaboration in Agricultural advanced technology; 4. The invitation for Vietnamese scientists to visit Australia should be sent to Vietnam a little earlier, approximately two months before departure to enable them to better prepare their paper work, specially for HUAF. Invited scientists should go at the same time so that they can help each other in study; 5. Our accommodation and condition for our studies were very good. Therefore, we request that the project need to be kept in that way; 6. Evaluation of Vietnam’s ability in exportation of vegetables to some overseas major markets. 7. Production of cocopeat in Vietnam is stable and friendly environmental vegetable production. So project like this could be lengthen and it will become a big success. 8. There is a Need to invite much more Vietnamese scientists and outstanding farmers to join Agriculture study tour in Australia. III. Introduction of Project and Study tour Vegetable food safety is becoming of increasing concern to Vietnamese consumers. In Vietnam, in the four-year period 1999 - 2002, nearly 20,000 Vietnamese were poisoned by vegetable products with 250 subsequently dying (Ministry of Health, 2003). Studies have found pesticide residues and other contaminants including nitrates and heavy metals to be at levels well above maximum residue limits (MRL). For example in one vegetable residue survey conducted by RIFAV some pesticide levels were 5-10 times the MRL (Tran Khac Thi, 1999). In peri-urban agriculture where the majority of vegetables servicing the major centres are produced the problem stems from large amounts of fertiliser and pesticide being applied to small plots of land in an attempt to boost yields. This perceived need to boost yields is also driven in part by the knowledge that significant losses perhaps as high as 30% will occur along the supply chain. The previous project AusAID-CARD0016 (2001-2003) demonstrated that a protected cropping system (a net-house) is suitable for the production of safe and good quality vegetables in Vietnam. This demonstration system used local waste coconut fibre (cocopeat) as a growing medium, a suitable alternative to soil in peri urban areas for intensive vegetable production with low chemical inputs. However, the implementation of “good agriculture practice” for the production of safe and high quality vegetables in new growing systems is still a long way off. To successfully address these issues this project will use a multifaceted approach to improve production efficiency; reduce reliance on pesticides; reduce postharvest losses and to utilise quality assurance principles. The achievements of Australia in R&D in horticulture has been considered as a very high valuable lesson that Vietnam needs to learn for building the above vegetable production technology. Vietnamese horticulturists that will learn new production, postharvest and quality assurance techniques in Australia will be able to implement these techniques in research and transfer new skills to growers in workshops in Vietnam. In doing so this will enhance the ability of Vietnam to promote rural development in these industries and increase the agricultural efficiency and competitiveness of vegetable production, which are aligned in the Strategies 1.2.2. and 2.1.1. in the agreed CARD Program Strategic Framework (Vietnam Australia Development Cooperation Strategy 2003-2007). The four-week visit of Ngo Thi Hanh, RIFAV; Vu Tuan Minh, HUAF and Ngo Xuan Chinh, IAS to the National Centre for Green