Hoa Binh (VNA) – The National Target Programme on New Rural🅠 Development (NTP-NRD) in Vietnam from 2011-2015 recorded stellar achievements, reported a conference to review the UN Joint Project to support the programme (UNJP/VIE/051/UNJ) in the northern mountainous༺ province of Hoa Binh on January 12.

As many as 1,526 communes and 15 districts nationwide completed all 19 criteria designed for being recognised as new-style rural areas. Average per capita income in rural areas increased 1.9 times compared to 2010 and the rate of communes completing the set criteria is on the rise. Experts from the UN’s organisations, the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Steering Committee for UNJP/VIE/051/UNJ said the UN project remarkably contributed to these successes. The project has provided support in different fields such as aquaculture, breeding, post-harvest, cultivation, forestation, and irrigation, while assisting design and policy recommendations for mobilising resources for the new-style rural area building campaign. It also contributed to amending the national criteria on building new-style rural areas and supported Vietnamese localities to enhance their capacity in the work. During the conference, participants also gave recommendations on key activities of the project in 2016. Accordingly, the project should priotitise study activities and policy proposals related to the allocation of mobilised resources, in order to effectively implement the NTP-NRD . Workshops, conferences and forums will be arranged to boost commercial links among farmers and suppliers and distributors, thus creating a value chain for safe and high-quality farm produces. The project is suggested to support the implementation of a number of models in localities which highlight agriculture restructuring as part of the new-style rural area construction. UNJP/VIE/051/UNJ is a technical support project, joined by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) – the coordinator of the project, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the United Nations Organisation for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV). The agencies are joining their efforts and expertise to support the Vietnamese Government to implement NTP-NRD, towards improving incomes, livelihoods and living standards of rural people. The project consists of three main components, namely raising knowledge of producers and rural residents, capacity building to develop policies, strategies and public investment, and, coordination, monitoring and evaluation within the implementation of the NTP-NRD.-VNA