A responsible community to build sustainable agriculture

To ensure food safety for all, we need transparency along the production process as much as along the processing and distribution processes. To ensure this transparency, it’s essential that producers and distributors of agricultural products are driven by enthusiasm, a sense of responsibility and a certain understanding of sustainable agricultural production. Transparency should become the driving force for their development and the most valuable quality certification for consumers!

Last month, 30 agricultural producers and distributors successfully completed a 15-day training course on retail distribution of safe agricultural products, which ran during 6-22 September 2021. The course was part of the project "Building an ecosystem for a sustainable food supply chain" and was jointly organised by Rikolto and MEVI Vietnam.

The course is aimed at developing a community of responsible retailers that will create incentives for producers to choose sustainable farming, create livelihoods for rural women and minimise the negative impact on the environment. The course presented new sustainable farming methods, how to build business models for the distribution of safe agricultural products, how to segment customers and satisfy their expectations, brand development and customer building guidelines.

Testimonies of the participants

"After the course, I better understood the agricultural producing and processing process, how to control the quality of agricultural outputs and how to sow the seeds of a responsible business of safe agricultural products. I have learned how to identify customers and make a business plan. Today, I feel more confident and proactive." Ms. Le Thi Hong Thanh

"The course has helped me to gain more knowledge about the retail industry and safe agricultural production and to realise the core importance of giving value to customers, for the whole community. I hope that after the course, I will immediately implement what I have learned in order to motivate other producers and convince them to implement sustainable farming, so that everyone in Vietnam will access healthy food!" Mr. Hong Van Cong

After the success of the first course, Rikolto is organised with Mevia a second 15-day training course that took place during 9-26 October 2021.