Towards a safe and sustainable food system in Da Nang

Challenges

Although modern markets are increasingly selling traceable food with proper quality assurance, the city is still struggling to ensure that reliable safe food is supplied to traditional markets, the main shopping place for the majority of city dwellers.

Another challenge is the low per capita yearly income of vegetable farmers around Da Nang which revolves around 36 million VND (approx. 1,330€). This low figure is mostly due to the lack of opportunities to participate in higher value food chains such as those for safe vegetables. Affordable quality assurance to enable farmers to access safe food markets is largely unavailable, leaving few incentives for them to invest in safe production.

Furthermore, Da Nang is unable to produce most of the food that it consumes. About 80-85% of the total demand for animal husbandry products is met by imports from other provinces. Only 100 ha of land are cultivated for vegetable production, supporting less than 10% of the city’s demand with only 3 production areas being VietGAP certified. Because of this shortage of land, 140,000 tons of vegetables are imported each year from other provinces and countries.

Ensuring consumers' access to quality safe food and making sure that smallscale farmers are involved in safe food chains are among the priorities of our collaboration with Da Nang.

Results

We have achieved the following results:

1. A food smart city strategy and action plan is adopted by the authorities and implemented within Da Nang;
2. Safe food consumption by Da Nang citizens has increased, including in lower and middle income groups;
3. Consumers adopt safer food handling and processing behaviours;
4. Da Nang’s municipal governance on food safety is strengthened;
5. Safe food supply chains are established in traditional markets to bring quality food at consumers’ most popular shopping places;
6. Participatory Guarantee Systems are integrated within the City’s food and agriculture policies and constitute an integral part of its strategy to supply reliable safe food to consumers;
7. Da Nang actively contributes to the activities of Rikolto’s International Food Smart Cities Cluster by providing evidence of successful policies and initiatives for a more sustainable and inclusive urban food system;
8. Da Nang becomes an example of a food smart city in Vietnam, inspiring other cities in the country to follow suit.

Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Rikolto in Vietnam’s food smart cities interventions will specifically contribute to the following Sustainable Development Goals:

SDG 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere

• Target 1.7. Create sound policy frameworks at the national, regional and international levels, based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive development strategies, to support accelerated investment in poverty eradication actions

SDG 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

• Target 2.1. By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round
• Target 2.3. By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment
• Target 2.4. By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality

SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

• Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life

SDG 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

• Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management
• Target 11A: Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, per-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning

SDG 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

• Target 12.1. Implement the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production (10YFP), all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries
• Target 12.3. By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses

SDG 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

• Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.

SDG 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.

• Target 17.7: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships

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