Growing out of poverty with potato

The goal of the project is to make Vietnam more self-sufficient in potato production and less dependent of fresh potato imports, by developing potato production in different and new agro-ecological zones in order to get year-round domestic supply of potatoes. The overall aim is to improve livelihoods and profitability among 175,000 small-scale farmers in the Red River Delta in North Vietnam (within the project: 2,500 farmers).

The partnership entails four partners. Applicant Fresh Studio Innovations Asia Ltd will manage the overall project implementation, extension system and applied R&D farms. Pepsico Vietnam will invest in a cold store facility, farm equipment, pre-finance the purchase of the seed potatoes, and will sign long term purchasing contracts with the farmers. Agrico B.V. will develop the potato contract farming system for PEPSICO, and Stichting Dienst Landbouwkundig Onderzoek will train the Fresh Studio staff in managing the applied research and development (R&D) potato farms, develop potato protocols and train staff in extension methods. The project complements the ongoging government-to-government (G2G) project of the Netherlands embassy and the Government of Vietnam on seed potato certification and quality control systems.