A first-of-its-kind partnered project led by The University of Queensland will boost economic, environmental, and social outcomes for Vietnamese smallholder farmers in the Mekong Delta.
The public-private partnership, established by Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and the SunRice Group, is headed by a team of international researchers from institutes across Australia and Vietnam.
Dr Jaquie Mitchell from UQ’s School of Agriculture and Food Sciences said the project will connect smallholder rice-growing communities to high-value international markets and give farmers economic incentives to grow higher-value rice more sustainably.
“The Australia Vietnam Mekong Delta Sustainable Rice Value Chain Project will improve the livelihoods of Vietnamese smallholder rice growers, who are currently battling a multitude of agricultural challenges,” Dr Mitchell said.
“It’s a tough time for farmers in this region, who are facing problems ranging from soil degradation and environmental pollution to the unavailability of quality seeds.
“Farmers also have limited access to high-quality economic markets, compounded by a heavy reliance on traders, which is greatly reducing their ability to independently thrive.
“It’s a priority of this project to establish a highly-productive, profitable, sustainable, traceable, and quality-assured value chain for the Mekong Delta’s rice production industry, that links to high-quality global markets.
“To do this, Vietnamese and Australian researchers from across five institutions including specialist rice breeders aim to reduce the time it takes to develop a commercial rice variety and get it to market.
“Australian researchers are working on several novel genetic approaches which will be utilised in existing breeding activities as a proof of concept to improve breeding efficiencies for disease resistance in rice.
“The project will also enable the SunRice Group, Australia’s most prominent rice company and one of the world’s largest rice food companies, to not only diversify its supply of products, but meet a growing global demand.”
Dr Mitchell said the project will involve regular visits and collaborative on-farm field days demonstrating sustainable practices within three key Mekong Delta provinces.
“The project aims to improve the sustainability of agronomic production practices, health and safety procedures to ensure a high-quality product and, alongside improved efficiencies in the value chain, enable long term connection to global economic markets,” Dr Mitchell said.
“Doing this will greatly improve the Vietnamese's smallholder commercial viability and maintain their standing within larger economic markets as a world-class agricultural producer in this industry.”
Dr Ammar Abdul Aziz said the project will play a vital role in further emboldening the partnership between Australia and Vietnam.
“Both nations share strategic interests in maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” Dr Abdul Aziz said.
“Research and collaborative partnerships play a significant role in establishing strong relationships between regions and this project will no doubt strengthen ties between Australia and Vietnam.
“The project is a win-win, as it will benefit both countries in terms of trade, capacity building and development.”
The four-year project will also enable the SunRice Group, Australia’s most prominent rice company and one of the world’s largest rice food companies, to diversify its supply of high-quality rice to meet growing global demand for its branded products.
The project will run until December 2025 and see ACIAR and the SunRice Group partner with The University of Queensland, An Giang University, Can Tho University, Cuu Long Rice Research Institute and Vietnam provincial governments.
Media: Dr Jaquie Mitchell, jaquie.mitchell@uq.edu.au, +61 (0)408 780 712; Dr Ammar Abdul Aziz, a.abdulaziz@uq.edu.au, +61 (0)451 127 115; Faculty of Science Media, science.media@uq.edu.au, +61 (0)438 162 687.
