Smallholders at the centre of policymaking

Dr. Hoang Huong Giang is the Deputy Head of the Animal Feed Division at the Department of Livestock Production, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam. In 2010 she got her PhD degree from SLU. Her PhD research focused on the impact of bacteria and yeast which have probiotic properties, on the gut environment of growing pigs in Vietnam- and how this relates to the overall performance, digestibility, and health status of the pigs. After finishing her PhD, Dr.Giang held a position as a researcher in animal nutrition at the National Institute of Animal Science Vietnam.

What motivated you to be part of the steering group of AgriFoSe2030?

The objectives and outcomes of AgriFoSe2030 are very interesting to me – specifically its core focus on increasing the use of science-based knowledge in policies and practices. There is still a big gap between science and policy – and AgriFoSe2030 would contribute to bridging this gap. More so, it is promising to see such interesting results from the first part of the programme. It is additionally motivating that Nong Lam University in Ho Chi Minh City is one of the programme’s collaborators, so as a policymaker here in Vietnam, I believe by being a member of the steering group, I can not only contribute with inputs toward the programme at a general level, but also more specifically toward the Nong Lam University research group.

How do you view the potential impact of AgriFoSe2030?

AgriFoSe2030 will build connections between the researchers engaged in the programme and policymakers. This will enable researchers to provide scientific evidence to policymakers, which can ensure that specific policies or measurements which support smallholder farmers, and which aim to improve their agricultural activities, are implemented.

Photo: ILRI/Andrew Nguyen

What challenges do you believe we have to overcome to sustainably scale-up smallholder agriculture?

This programme targets smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia, and as such, I think it would be worthwhile for farmers who are the centre of the programme’s projects, to gain further knowledge of food safety, and practices therein, based on relevant national regulations. To achieve the sustainable scale-up of smallholder agriculture, there needs to be an increase in awareness surrounding the fact that an agricultural product – whether it is produced on a big farm or small farm- can only be placed on the market long-term if it is safe for people or/and animals, plants, and the environment.