Publication: An Overview of Agricultural Pollution in Vietnam: Summary Report 2017
Date
2017
ISSN
Published
2017
Author(s)
Cassou, Emilie
Tran, Dai Nghia
Nguyen, Tin Hong
Dinh, Tung Xuan
Nguyen, Cong Van
Cao, Binh Thang
Jaffee, Steven
Ru, Jiang
Abstract
Vietnamese agriculture has experienced
remarkable growth over the past twenty years. Today,
however, Vietnamese agriculture is edging toward the limits
of a growth model rooted more in the intensification of
production systems featuring heavy use of labor, chemicals,
and natural resources than in efficiency or value addition
gains. Agricultural growth is decelerating and Vietnam’s
competitiveness as a provider of bulk, undifferentiated
commodities is flagging as the agricultural sector faces
rising competition for labor, land, and other resources. The
environmental fallout from intensification has also begun to
adversely impact productivity and the position of Vietnam’s
commodities in international markets. If it is to fulfill
its ambitions and remain a motor of economic development,
Vietnam’s agriculture will need to start producing More from
Less. In this regard, tackling agricultural pollution
represents a key challenge for Vietnam. Pollution has
started to take a toll on the sector’s own resource base,
potentially impacting soil fertility and yields, the
effectiveness of chemicals in combating pests and disease,
farmer health and productivity, environmental health, and
the safety of food. Growing evidence and public concern
about pollution have led the Vietnamese government to adopt
a new outlook and to take measures to address the problem.
The research upon which this summary report is based
represents the first attempt to assemble existing evidence
on the nature and magnitude of agricultural pollution in
Vietnam, looking across the livestock, aquaculture, and
crops subsectors. It is also an attempt to shed light on the
socioeconomic impacts and drivers of agricultural pollution,
including the shortcomings of existing policies and programs
to reign in the problem.
Citation
“Cassou, Emilie; Tran, Dai Nghia; Nguyen, Tin Hong; Dinh, Tung Xuan; Nguyen, Cong Van; Cao, Binh Thang; Jaffee, Steven; Ru, Jiang. 2017. An Overview of Agricultural Pollution in Vietnam; An Overview of Agricultural Pollution in Vietnam : Summary Report 2017. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/29242 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”