Panelists at EU Side Event, COP27. Photo courtesy of VIRI Dr. Nguyen Bao Thoa, director of the Vietnam Rural Industries Research andDevelopment Institute (VIRI) who was leading the EU-funded SWITCH-Asia“Promotion of supply and demand of Eco-Fair Agri-food processing products in Vietnam”(Eco-Fair) project, was invited at COP27 to be a key speaker at the EU Pavilionduring a side event titled "Recipes for Change: How a sustainable foodsystem can curb carbon emissions."
She showcased examples of low-carbon agri-food enterprises that benefitted fromthe project’s support; and ways in which the project is engaging youth and thegeneral public and promoting low-carbon nutrition and lifestyles.
Implemented during 2020-23, the Eco-Fair project is led by VIRI in partnershipwith the Centre for Creativity and Sustainability (CCS), Funzilife Oy Co Ltd(Funzi), and the Vietnam Cleaner Production Centre Company (VNCNC).
The project’s objectives include the promotion of sustainable production andconsumption of eco-fair agri-food processing products in Vietnam, contributingto economic prosperity and poverty reduction, and the development ofsustainable livelihoods and a green economy for a transition toward alow-carbon, resource-efficient and a circular economy.
These objectives are in line with the Green Growth Strategy and the sustainabledevelopment orientation of the Vietnamese Government. Many case studies havebeen so far drawn from Eco-Fair, a project which has attracted robust supportand commitment from diverse stakeholders including Government agencies,professional associations, business organisations, financial institutions andparticularly micro and small-and-medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the valuechain.
In the path towards supporting the development of a climate-resilient agri-foodsector in Vietnam, agri-food enterprises and co-operatives that have beensupported by Eco-Fair managed to save costs and energy (10-15% per year);transform solid wastes into composition fuel; transform organic wastes intoorganic fertilisers or animal feed; generate biochar through VCBG technology;and transform various agricultural by-products into valuable products.
The Ban Luong Co-operative, in the northern province of Bac Kan, for example,was enabled to significantly reduce solid waste from galangal processing,create a good source of high protein feed for chickens and an effective sourceof fertiliser for growing organic vegetables on the farm.
The Trai Lam Noodle Co-operative (in Bac Giang province) is another beneficiaryof the Eco-Fair project. They use the litchi tree branches, which must bepruned every year in the Luc Ngan litchi growing area, as the fuel source forboiler combustion.
The cooperative uses solar energy for product drying which saves up to 10-15% ofenergy. Waste products are recovered as animal feed. Similarly, the Totacompany (in Dak Nong province) uses the greenhouse solar dryer to reduce theproduct damage ratio to less than 1 per cent. Moreover, the use of VCBGtechnology household stoves has generated 300 kilos of biochar per year onaverage for soil improvement, reducing 770 kilos of carbon equivalent byburying the biochar into the soil.
With more than 80 people registered online and 30 people attending the EUPavillon on-site, Carla Montesi, Directorate for Green Deal and Digital Agenda,EU Directorate-General for International Partnerships showcased the EuropeanUnion’s support in this transition underpinning goals of the EU CircularEconomy Action Plan and the Farm to Fork Strategy./.
VNA
