Title of document: VIETNAM ORGANIC AGRICULTURE - An overview on current status and some success activities

Authors: Ngo Doan Dam, Doan Xuan Canh, Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha, Nguyen Van Tan, Nguyen Dinh Thieu

Geographic focus: Vietnam

School of agroecology: Organic Agriculture

Although it is believed, as in all other countries in the world, Vietnamese farmers were growing crops organically hundred years ago, organic farming according to the international understanding is quite new to Vietnam. There is currently only a very sparse amount of information available on organic agriculture in Vietnam and the topic has received little attention in the academic literature. According to the 2010 IFOAM report, the certified organic area in Vietnam was some 21.000 hectares, equivalent to 0.2% of the total cropped area of which 7000 ha was for aquaculture (mainly shrimp). The total export value of the organic products was some 12-14 million US$. Vietnam also has some 44 ha of natural forest for wild harvesting.