Kick-off workshop for the newly approved Climate Resilient Coffee Farming (CRCF) project in Vietnam

On 6th March 2024, SNV Vietnam organised the kick-off workshop for the newly approved Climate Resilient Coffee Farming (CRCF) Project in Dak Lak in Vietnam’s Central Highlands.

The project aims to promote sustainable and climate-resilient coffee production practices and improve the livelihoods of 8,000 rural smallholder farmers. The project is funded by Tchibo, a major German coffee roaster committed to supporting sustainable coffee production in Vietnam – their principal source country for Robusta. The Dak Lak Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) is designated as the project owner with SNV Vietnam allocated the role of implementing partner. The project was approved by Decision 485 of the Dak Lak Provincial Peoples’ Committee on 2nd February 2024.

At the start of the kick-off workshop, Mr. Do Xuan Dung, Vice Director of the Provincial DARD highlighted the importance of agriculture and in particular the coffee sector to the economy and livelihoods of local households in Dak Lak and welcomed the project’s support towards key provincial goals and objectives.

Mr. Dave D’haeze, Country Representative of Sustainable Coffee for Tchibo in Vietnam, followed up by clearly elaborating on Tchibo’s interest in the project as part of a wider programme of support in Vietnam, stressing that they wish to have a practical project that delivers quality and impact. He noted that the coffee sector and Tchibo themselves face some challenges – coffee production in Vietnam is threatened by already noticeable changes in climate, especially increasing water stress in El Nino years; accessing Tchibo’s main markets in the European Union with requirements related to the use of agro-chemicals and the new EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Tchibo wants to partner with Dak Lak DARD to resolve these shared problems. Mr D’haeze also mentioned Tchibo’s desire to implement an inclusive programme that targets the typically poorer, often ethnic minority farmers who have hitherto been marginalised, have received less support, and are uncertified.

SNV's Project Manager, Mr Nguyen Bach Mai, outlined the project in greater detail to benefit the participants from provincial and district authorities, other private sector entities, and related organizations in the coffee sector, such as the Global Coffee Platform (GCP). He explained the project will build the capacity and partner with extension agencies at provincial and local levels to deliver a participatory Farmer Field School approach. SNV's Agri-food Sector Leader, Mr. Richard Rastall, expressed SNV's desire that this was the beginning of a new era of wider support aiming to transform agricultural production systems towards inclusive and climate-resilient practices throughout the province and region.