V-SCOPE project enhances coffee and pepper value chains

The V-SCOPE project, aimed at increasing the sustainability, productivity and economic value of coffee and black pepper farming systems and value chains in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam, is underway in the three provinces from February 2021 to September 2024, with the participation of nearly 300 farming households. The project is funded by the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and implemented by the International Center for Agroforestry Research (ICRAF - also known as World Agroforestry), in collaboration with the Center for Agricultural Research. The French International Development Corporation (CIRAD) provides human resources for the project.

Experts of the V-SCOPE project carry out a survey in Dak Lak - photo: V-SCOPE project

The project has four main components: (1) improving soil health and controlling soil-borne pests on coffee and pepper farms as well as in nurseries; (2) sustainable farming methods and cropping systems to bring economic efficiency, suitable for various contexts; (3) improving local value chains to enhance national public-private dialogue; and (4) improving multi-stakeholder landscape initiatives and scaling strategies to enhance local public-private dialogue.

The project is implemented to improve livelihoods for smallholder farmers and rural communities, supports natural resource management and makes production more sustainable, as well as promotes a more inclusive agri-food market chain through partnerships with the private sector and farmers.

Tran Nam Anh, Deputy Chief Representative of ACIAR in Vietnam, said that Vietnam is the world’s largest Robusta coffee and black pepper producer, and it produces these products mostly for export. Most of Vietnam’s coffee and pepper plantations are in the Central Highlands region, creating direct and indirect livelihoods for more than one million farmers. However, due to the spontaneous development of coffee and pepper plantations and orchards, the region is facing the increasingly serious deterioration of the environment. Notably, intensive farming methods, including the excessive use of fertilizers, water and synthetic pesticides, are polluting underground water resources.

At a recent meeting held to sum up the project’s results, Dr. Estelle Biénabe, V-SCOPE project leader, said that the project has achieved many positive results. From July 2022 to August 2023, major changes were found: 400 liters is the amount of water suitable for watering each coffee tree in monoculture plantations during a crop; coffee trees grown under the shade of fruit trees consume 20-30 percent less water compared to the monoculture conditions.

The project team has conducted irrigation tests which can help the Central Highlands region adapt to climate change. They have identified the cause of the disease in pepper roots. The test plots also pointed out the low efficiency of using NPK. In addition, the project team also classified five areas affected by climate change corresponding to different adaptation strategies. Meanwhile, the assessment results on labor and economic efficiency of coffee and pepper-based farming systems in Vietnam show a significant difference in the total labor demand.

Le Ky Su, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Division of Dak Lak Province’s Krong Nang District, said that local farmers have benefited greatly from the project. The project analyzes soil health to recommend farmers on how to balance the nutrients that the soil is lacking, and warns farmers of the need to save water while irrigating and ensure environmental protection for coffee and pepper growing areas, he added.