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Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development

CARD Project Progress Report



025/06VIE

Improvement of Vietnamese vegetable production
using GAP principles for seed and seedling
production and superior hybrid varieties


MILESTONE 9
PROJECT VALIDATION AND CAPACITY
IMPROVEMENT


2
Introduction

The project review visits were conducted from December 2009 and completed in
March 2010. In November 2009, Robert Spooner-Hart and FAVRI staff visited a
number of project FFS in 6 provinces to discuss progress with the sub-PPD (SPPD)
staff, farmer participants and to visit the field demonstration sites. These activities
were undertaken to assess results and how they might impact on adoption of project
outcomes. This followed earlier visits to FFS in the first season, and the TOT at the
end of the first season’s FFS.

In February-March, 2010, Robert Spooner-Hart, together with Tony Haigh (UWS)

and Peter Hanson (AVRDC), reviewed the progress and the status of hybrid vegetable
seed evaluation and production, particularly by SSC and FAVRI. They visited sites in
Southern, Central Highlands and Northern Viet Nam. Robert Spooner-Hart and
FAVRI staff subsequently surveyed farmer participants and SPPD staff in 4
provinces: 2 in the Red River Delta (Hai Phong and Thai Binh) and 2 on the Central
Coast (Quang Nam and Da Nang).

In June 2007, Robert Spooner-Hart and Oleg Nicetic with FAVRI staff, conducted a
baseline study of seed and seedling producers and SPPD staff in 3 regions of Viet
Nam: the Red River Delta, (Hung Yen and Vinh Phuc provinces) Central Coast
(Quang Nam and Da Nang) and Lam Dong. In each province, survey questionnaires
were used to gather information from tomato, cucumber producers and seedling
producers, using a Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) approach. Data collected
included current crop varieties grown, key pests and diseases, and yield and quality
and costs and returns. In addition, the knowledge, skills, attitudes and practices of the
target farmers to GAP in the context of vegetable production was also assessed. The
interview forms for farmers, which were a combination of questions previously asked
in the baseline survey, together with their view on project outcomes relating
specifically to themselves.





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Review of activities and current status of activities at end of project

1. Southern Seed Company
Members of the project team met with SSC staff in December 2009 and February
2010 and, on both occasions, discussed progress with regard to capacity building in

production of F1 hybrid tomato seed and understanding of GAP within the company
as well as progress toward registration and supply of new, disease-resistant tomato
varieties from the project. For images of SSC activities, please see Fig.1.

The review team visited the 3 SSC field sites described in the Baseline Survey,
namely Long An, Lam Dong and Hung Yen, in late February 2010. The overall
quality of evaluation trials was assessed as very good by the team, and demonstrated a
high level of competence shown by staff at SSC. Two issues identified by the project
team, however, was the lack of use of grafted plant material in the trial sites, and the
use of commercial seed (particularly check varieties) which had received a seed
treatment, when comparing with performance of non-commercial cultivars which had
not received seed treatment. These were not regarded as major issues by SSC, because
the land for evaluations had not been previously used for tomato production, so
bacterial wilt should not have been a problem. However, this will be a policy they will
now consider in future trials. There have been 3 seasons of evaluation trials by SSC
during the project. The project has been able to identify, via SSC activities, two
superior F1 hybrid varieties from the World Vegetable Center (AVRDC), WVCT2
and WVCT8, which have proved to be as good as many of SSC current varieties,
performed well against the industry standard Savior (RRD and HCMC) and Anna
(Lam Dong), and have good market acceptability. They are also highly tolerant of
TYLCV.

While in Lam Dong, the project team inspected the hybrid seed production site.
Again, the team were impressed with the level of expertise shown. We quizzed SSC
as to the likely cost of seed of the new varieties vs the industry standards, Savior
(South) or Anna (Lam Dong). They believe the price to farmers will be 70,000 VND
(~$US 3.50) for 5 grams seed, compared with 120,000 VND (~ $US 6.00) for Savior.
They estimate it will cost them $US 100-120 /kg to produce the seed. They are, as yet,
unclear as to the size of the market for their varieties. They will sell both the F1

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hybrid seed and bacterial wilt-resistant rootstock seeds, and will recommend use of
grafted seedlings in disease-prone districts.

The company confirmed its commitment to submit an application to register at least
one of the varieties through MARD, hopefully by December 2010. To this end, SSC
is currently (mid 2010) conducting final evaluation of 2 varieties to generate data for
application for registration to the Evaluation Committee MARD, and is establishing
10 demonstration plots for farmers and seed buyers in North Vietnam, Lam Dong and
the Mekong Delta. In addition, they indicated that they are incorporating disease
resistance genes (especially against TYLCV- the major disease targeted in CARD
06/025) into an expanding tomato breeding program for Vietnam.

There is no doubt that there has been significant capacity development within SSC
with respect to tomato evaluation, F1 hybrid production and breeding during the
project period. This was most evident in Mr Tuan, who was our key contact in the
organisation and was the SSC representative to visit Australia on the study tour. The
company also recognises the need for capacity development in their staff, and paid for
a recently-appointed tomato breeder Mr. Tang Duc Hung, to visit AVRDC for
training in advanced breeding techniques, such as use of molecular markers, tomato
inbred line evaluation, and breeding for resistance to other key tomato diseases, such
as bacterial wilt and late blight. This training has now been completed, and SSC is
looking forward to breeding new multi-disease resistant F1 hybrid tomato varieties for
Vietnam.

3. PVFC
During our visit to Lam Dong, the project review team met with the project
coordinator from that institution, Dr PX Tung. While Dr Tung’s background and
primary interest has been in potato production, it was extremely pleasing to see that
he had developed, by the end of the project, a tomato breeding program to produce

varieties resistant to bacterial blight and late blight as well as TYLCV. He had been
running this program for the past 2 seasons, with greenhouse and field evaluations. He
showed us his current field evaluation site, the assessment of which is being assisted
by Ms Hang, a Masters student from Da Lat university (See Fig. 1).The breeding
program commenced with 36 crosses, of which 16 were selected for further

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assessment. The current investigations include a further 34 evaluations. Selection is
being made for yield, fruit quality and disease resistance. This outcome was not part
of the original project but it demonstrates both the improved capacity of PVFC and a
strong interest in development of superior tomato varieties for Vietnamese conditions.
It also demonstrates a response beyond the original focus on TYLCV, in light of
actual experiences from the project activities (namely, loss of evaluation plots from
late blight).

Further demonstration of the capacity improvement includes the training of a Masters
student in tomato variety evaluation in Vietnam and AVRDC. UWS will financially
assist Ms Hang to undergo a training course on tomato breeding and varietal
evaluation of late blight resistance, in November 2010.

4. Seedling production
The project team also met Nguyen Hong Phong, Duc Trong district in Lam Dong, the
vegetable seedling producer who assisted in the project. He provided access to his
production facility for the TOT and Industry training workshops at Lam Dong, as well
as producing the grafted tomato seedlings for the FFS in Lam Dong and, in the second
season, for Da Nang and Quang Nam. The project team was impressed to see how Mr
Phong’s business had developed during just over three years of the project- it had
expanded with improved technology, but also with improved record keeping and
implementation of worker occupational health practices. However, it was difficult to
determine how much of this was achieved as a result of his association with the

project. We discussed with Mr Phong what he had achieved from his involvement in
the project. He stated that he had widened his network of researchers and extension
staff he had increased his awareness of the tomato production industry beyond Lam
Dong. He also stated that the discussion of GAP, especially practical implementation,
had helped him and his wife to improve their record keeping practices. He was
unclear about implementation of GAP certification of his company, because he is
selling plants to other farmers and certification does not seem relevant at this time.
He invited us into his very impressive recently constructed home, and expressed his
gratitude for being allowed to participate in the project. There is no doubt that his
business will continue to be the leading vegetable seedling producer in Lam Dong,
and possibly in Vietnam, and that it will be a demonstration of good technical,

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business and organisational ability. Images of Mr Phong’s production facilities are
presented in Fig. 2.

5. FAVRI
The project evaluation team visited FAVRI on February 24, 25 and 26, 2010. We
received presentations of the activities and outputs of FAVRI with respect to the
project, and visited field sites for production of hybrid tomato and cucumber seed.

Tomato seed production

We first reviewed tomato variety evaluation and production of F1 hybrids. Several of
the AVRDC varieties (in particular WVCT2 and WVCT8) had performed well when
compared to the industry standard varieties, P375 (Known You Seeds) and Perfect
(Syngenta Seeds). In the first season, FAVRI was able to obtain total yield and
marketable yields, but was total yield only in the second season, because of severe
late blight attack. This problem, which was similar to that reported for Lam Dong
evaluation trials, demonstrates the need for multi-disease resistant tomato varieties,

particularly during the off (rainy) season. This problem may be exacerbated (and,
thus, there will be an even more pressing need to manage it) if seasonal rainfall
patterns in Vietnam are modified as a result of climate change.

The team then visited the field where hybrid seed was being produced, and which
Robert Spooner-Hart had visited in November. There was a quite high level of disease
(not TYLCV), particularly the foliar/fruit fungal diseases Alternaria blight and late
blight in the block. This was probably a result of unfavourable weather and proximity
to other tomato evaluation trials. This problem will have to be overcome if FAVRI
wishes to produce commercial quantities of high quality tomato seeds for sale to
farmers. It was clear from the earlier pilot production of F1 hybrids during the project
that FAVRI has the expertise to produce hybrid tomato seed. However, to date they
have not sold tomato seeds, and it remains to be determined if they have the
appropriate facilities and location to produce them and distribute commercially.
Never-the-less, while SSC has demonstrated that they are willing and able to
commercially produce hybrid tomato seed, it is a good outcome that FAVRI also has

7
the capacity to do so. Images of the (early stages) of the hybrid tomato production site
in November 2009 are presented in Fig.3.

Cucumber seed production

The review team was also briefed on the cucumber variety evaluation and production
of F1 hybrids. Evaluations were conducted by FAVRI over 3 seasons, and were based
on fresh market, not processing, varieties. FAVRI’s F1 variety CV5 demonstrated
superior performance with regard to yield, market acceptability and disease resistance,
over the industry standard variety, Amata (Chia Seed Co), as well as two SSC
varieties, CUC777 and CUC 6110. It should be pointed out, however, that these
evaluations were conducted in Northern Vietnam, and CV5 did not perform as well,

nor did it have high market acceptance in Southern Vietnam (as shown in Dr Vinh’s
variety evaluation at Cu Chi). CV5 was registered with MARD as a cucumber variety
during the course of the project, as some previous evaluations had been conducted by
FAVRI prior to commencement of CARD 06/025. Its previous good performance
meant it was selected as a candidate for the broad variety evaluation trials conducted
as part of the current project.

The team then visited the cucumber hybrid seed production facilities at FAVRI. The
team was impressed with the facilities, the quality of the production as well as the
post-harvest handling (see Fig. 3). During the course of the project, FAVRI adopted
the technology of hermetically sealing the hybrid cucumber seed in labelled packets,
whereas at the commencement of the seed was often distributed in unlabelled plastic
bags. In addition, sales of CV5 have significantly improved during the period of the
project, in part due to the demonstrated superiority of this variety in evaluation trials
and FFS demonstration plots which were a key component of the project. FAVRI sold
approximately 50 kg of CV5 seed over the past 12 months, and believes this will
increase by at least 20-25% in the coming year. The uptake of this variety by farmers
has been undoubtedly facilitated by the increased professionalism associated with sale
of this product and the provision of advice and support by FAVRI staff.

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Fig 1. Field evaluation trials


SSC evaluation trials and hybrid breeding at Lam Dong

SSC evaluation trials in Hung Yen

Dr Tung describing his tomato breeding evaluation trials in Lam Dong
to Peter Hanson (AVRDC) and Tony Haigh (UWS)

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Fig 2. Mr Phong’s Seedling Nursery, Lam Dong


Tomato seedling production Grafting of tomato seedlings




Grafted tomato seedlings Farmer collecting seedlings from despatch section










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Fig.3. Hybrid seed production at FAVRI

Tomato hybrid production plot, FAVRI (Nov 2009)


More advanced tomato hybrid production plot at FAVRI, with
CARD tomato breeder, Ms Thuy (Nov 2009)

Hybrid cucumber seed production (CV5) at FAVRI,
with CARD cucumber breeder, Ms Hahn

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Seedling production

At the commencement of the project, it was envisaged that the commercial arm of
FAVRI (CIDHOP) would, through the project, become a key producer of tomato
seedlings for the Red River delta. CIDHOP had facilities for tomato seedling
production and had sold several thousand seedlings in the previous year. Shortly after
the commencement of the project, CIDHOP was restructured to primarily focus on
ornamental plants and floriculture. This meant that the tomato seedling production
component of its business reverted to FAVRI. As part of the project FFS field
demonstrations, FAVRI provided grafted and non-grafted tomato seedlings to all FFS
of the 6 provinces in the Red River delta, as well as to Quang Nam and Da Nang in
the first season. The rootstock used by FAVRI for all grafted tomatoes was eggplant.

The seedlings had to be transported to the Central Coast by train, and arrived in poor
condition. The eggplant-grafted scions did not perform as well as they did in the Red
River delta. A decision was therefore made to source the second season’s Central
Coast tomato seedlings from Mr Phong in Lam Dong (see information above). In this
case, the seedlings were grafted on disease-resistant tomato rootstock, arrived in very
good condition, and performed much better than did the non-grafted equivalent
varieties. This demonstrated two things:
• the eggplant grafting technology suitable for the Red River delta was not
suitable for either the Central Coast or the Central Highlands.
• the capacity to deliver quality tomato seedlings was limited by distance and
logistics of transport.

Even the logistics of transporting seedlings commercially to provinces in the Red

River delta far from FAVRI, such as Thai Binh and Hai Phong, made us all question
whether a better strategy was to set up more localised production facilities and to train
the SPPD staff existing seedling producers and farmers in this technique. As
described in the baseline study, Quang Nam and Da Nang had no local seedling
producers (farmers produced their own) and in the Red River delta, there were few
seedling producers and these had small capacity, and none were capable of producing
grafted seedlings. It was only in Lam Dong that there were truly professional and

12
commercial vegetable seedling producers, and many of these were able to produce
grafted tomatoes. The two industry workshops, one held in Ha Noi and the other in
Da Lat, aimed to improve capacity within the seedling producers, particularly related
to GAP. Both workshops included grafting of tomatoes in the curriculum, and both
provided hands-on experience in this activity. However, the evidence was that at least
at the time of our review, only one seedling producer (in Vinh Phuc) had taken up this
technology, with support from FAVRI. This limited uptake may have been because
production of grafted tomatoes requires investment in some additional infrastructure,
such as appropriate areas for grafting and protected shadehouses for plants post-
grafting, as well as skilled staff. Following discussion with FAVRI staff and PPD (Mr
Ngo Tien Dung), we considered that further provision of training and facilities in the
Red River delta and Central Coast would be required to ensure the adequate supply of
quality, grafted seedlings at a reasonable price which would optimise farmer uptake. It
was clear from the farmer feedback, and SPPD staff (see later in this report) that
farmers were very keen to adopt use of grafted tomato seedlings. We received the
opportunity to conduct this initiative with an application to the Reinforce CARD
Project Outputs and Outcomes, which included provision of facilities for grafting at
a provincial level and training of SPPD staff and farmers in production and field
management of grafted tomatoes.

Never-the-less, it was clear that FAVRI had significantly improved their capacity in

production and distribution of commercial quantities of tomato seedlings during the
project. Their output over the last year was approximately 2 million grafted seedlings,
a substantial increase over CIDHOP’s production at the beginning of the project, and
is starting to approach production of some of the Lam Dong producers (but by no
means the production of Mr Phong). Grafted seedlings are sold for 850 VND/plant,
compared with approximately 300 VND for non-grafted plants. The majority of the
grafted seedlings are produced for off-season cropping. This is, at least in part,
because fruit harvest is delayed by several weeks in eggplant-grafted tomatoes,
providing weather conditions are ideal and the area does not have a history of
bacterial wilt. This aspect will be discussed further in the section reporting on the
demonstration blocks.



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FFS, Demonstration Blocks and PPD staff surveys

Visits were made by members of the project team to FFS and demonstration blocks in
all provinces at least once during the project, except for Lam Dong. In this case, Dr
Tung from PVFC (a key collaborator in the project) visited and reported on their
performance.

There were a total of 36 FFS (16 cucumber and 20 tomato) conducted over 2 seasons
(18 per season) in the following 9 provinces: Thai Binh (2 tomato, 2 cucumber), Hai
Phong (2 tomato, 2 cucumber), Ha Nam (2 cucumber, 2 tomato), Ha Noi (2 tomato, 2
cucumber), Vinh Phuc (2 tomato, 2 cucumber), Hung Yen (2 tomato, 2 cucumber),
Quang Nam (2 tomato, 2 cucumber), Da Nang (2 tomato, 2 cucumber) and Lam Dong
(4 tomato), with a total participation of 860 farmer participants. Farmer participation
in FFS varied from 20 to 30, and while there were differences between provinces,
approximately 58% of the total participants were women.

Demonstration plots formed an integral part of all FFS, and were therefore run by the
SPPD in each province. While each was slightly different (as times, climate and local
varieties were different), all tomato demonstration blocks generally included AVRDC
TYLCV-resistant F1 hybrid varieties (WVCT2 and/or WVCT8- the best performing
in the evaluation trials), as well as a local variety. In most provinces, these “local
varieties” were F1 hybrids (e.g. Lam Dong-Anna, Red River delta-Perfect or P375)
whereas in Quang Nam and Da Nang they were the open-pollinated variety BOM.
For cucumbers, FAVRI mildew-resistant F1 hybrid varieties (CV5 and CV11) were
included as well as local varieties (Amata, Trang Nong 20, and open-pollinated
varieties). SPPD staff and farmers used the demonstration plots as a resource (e.g.
stages of growth, pest and disease observations, pruning etc) and varieties were
compared as to their yield, fruit quality and disease resistance.

In addition to comparing different varieties, all tomato demonstration plots compared
grafted and non-grafted seedlings. FAVRI produced and supplied grafted (on disease-
resistant eggplant) tomato seedlings to all FFS demonstration blocks in the Red River
Delta, and to Da Nang and Quang Nam in the first season. Mr Phong, vegetable

14
seedling producer from Lam Dong, produced grafted (on disease-resistant tomato)
seedlings for FFS in Lam Dong, and for Da Nang and Quang Nam in the second
season. Grafted and non-grafted seedlings were compared as to their yield, fruit
quality, tolerance to soil-borne diseases or waterlogging, and other factors (such as
differences in harvest time, ease of management etc.)

In early March, 2010, Robert Spooner-Hart and staff from FAVRI (including, at
various times, Dr Tran Kac Thi, Pham My Linh, Pham Van Dung,
Le Thi Thuy and
Ngo Thi Hanh) visited five selected provinces Hai Phong, Hung Yen, Thai Binh, Da

Nang and Quang Nam to review the performance of the FFS and associated
demonstration plots. Hung Yen and Da Nang still had demonstration plots available
for observation, because of delayed commencement of the second FFS. The team met
with SPPD staff, and surveyed them for their views on the performance of the FFS,
and on the benefits of the project to them. They also surveyed 4 selected farmer
participants from each of the provinces. The section immediately below reports on the
outcomes of those observations and the discussions with SPPD staff, and a subsequent
section reports on the farmer surveys. The questionnaire for surveying sub-PPD staff
is presented in Appendix 1.

Hung Yen.

We visited the demonstration block for the second FFS at Thuong Dat district Yen
My, which was still operational, because this FFS (with 20 farmers) commenced late
(15 January, 2010). The demonstration block comprised 1200 m
2
. In this
demonstration block, there was a comparison between grafting and non-grafting
technology, with only one variety selected was WVCT8, because this performed best
in the first season. In the non-grafted block, there was 50% plant loss with 20% dying
from water-logging and a further 30% dying from bacterial wilt, as a result of heavy
rain. Estimated yield from the grafted block was 54 tonnes/ha, whereas it was just
under 20 tonnes/ha from the non-grafted block. While bacterial wilt was the major
disease present, crab eye spot, Pseudomonas syringae, was also present. There was no
evidence of any virus (TYLCV or TSWV), nor of late blight. Both demonstration
blocks had been treated with the fungicide Xanized 72WP Cymoxanil + Mancozeb
WP (fungicide), and with the antibiotic fungicide/bactericide Kasuran

15
(Kasugamycin) for crab eye spot. Only 1 application of PSO was applied, as insect

pressure (especially whitefly) was low. In this demonstration block, there was no
difference in the number of pesticides applied between the two blocks.

In the previous (main) season FFS, the grafted demonstration block achieved a
surprising total yield of 100 tonnes/ha, with the non-grafted block yielding 76
tonnes/ha. However, the farmers reported that there was a delay in tomato
development in the grafted tomatoes, resulting in an approximately 2 week delay in
harvesting, and fruit size was slightly smaller. Returns for fruit from grafted plants
was therefore lower (approximately 4000 vs 5000 VND per kg). This meant that they
achieved similar returns, and most thought they would not go to the extra expense of
purchasing grafted seedlings during the main season, but would like to use them
during the off-season.

We visited a tomato market agent in Hung Yen, near the demonstration block. He has
received support from both FAVRI and the SPPD, and reported that he had benefitted
from the project. He now has 300 farmers supplying him, and in November-
December, the main harvest season, he receives approximately 100 tonnes of
tomatoes per day. The tomatoes are graded, and farmers are paid on quality as well as
weight. Fresh fruit is sold within 3 days of arrival at his packing shed, with smaller
and excess fruit being processed whole, in glass jars, via a collaborative agreement
with a cucumber processor. He sells fresh fruit in Hung Yen, Hai Phong and Ha Noi
but also exports the processed tomatoes to Russia, Mongolia and Germany. We
discussed with him the volatility of the tomato market. He explained that several
weeks previously, he was paying 1000 VND/kg, but now it was closer to 4000 VND.
This price differential explains why farmers are interested in avoiding any delays to
fruit harvesting in the main season.

The agent also sells pesticides and other inputs to farmers. We discussed with him his
interest in supplying seed and seedlings, and he indicated his interest in doing so.
FAVRI will contact him in the coming season. Images of his facilities are presented in

Fig 4.)



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Thai Binh
Thai Binh was one of the provinces selected for review of farmers and SPPD staff.
We met with Mr Phu Ngoc Hung, Leader in vegetables in the sub-PPD, and also with
Ms Trang Thi Hue, one of the FFS trainers. They reported that the FFS and
demonstration blocks went well.

For tomatoes, they reported that the farmers’ interests were primarily in using grafted
seedlings, pruning and crop maintenance, pests and disease recognition and pesticide
safety. They also indicated that the farmers learned about GAP, but when quizzed, it
was clear the emphasis of GAP had been on record keeping and the selection and safe
use of pesticides. They reported something different from the farmers in Hung Yen-
that farmers using grafted seedlings could plant into moister soils earlier in the season
and could thus obtain higher prices. However, they also indicated that, based on the
demonstration trials, the harvesting season for the grafted tomatoes was longer, by at
least several weeks, helping to even out any price fluctuations. They also stated that
farmers could now more confidently grow (grafted) tomatoes in the off-season, and
sell their fruit for a high price. This delay in plant development may be a result of the
smaller diameter of the eggplant rootstock compared to the scion stem (see Fig 4)

When asked about what farmers were most likely to adopt of the project outputs, they
said grafted tomatoes. However, farmers wanted to learn grafting for themselves and
would need training. They suggested this could be done at FAVRI. When we asked
how the production could be practically implemented in Thai Binh, they suggested
that they would encourage the farmers to form a co-operative and build a net house
for production of grafted seedlings. We also discussed the interim option of the sub-

PPD organising with farmers to coordinate grafted seedling production and transport
from FAVRI.

Other aspects of the training the SPPD staff thought farmers were likely to adopt were
better use of side-dressings (i.e. a basal fertiliser plus timed’ specific side-dressings),
and better selection of pesticides (both registered pesticides and more IPDM-
compatible). They would not be drawn on what were the worst aspects of the FFS.


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For cucumbers, the sub-PPD staff reported that the farmers were very happy about the
performance of the FAVRI variety CV5. They indicated that they doubled yield from
30 ton/ha to 60 ton/ha using CV5 and improved management, compared to the farmer
practice crop, which used a local F1 hybrid variety. They also reported that one less
pesticide spray (4 cf 5) was used in the CV5 block, because of its higher resistance to
downy and powdery mildew. CV5 fruit was well received in the market, and
commanded at least as high a price as did other cucumber varieties. Other benefits to
farmers they reported were an increased understanding of cucumber pests and
diseases, and better selection of pesticides. Again, they did not report any negative
aspects of the FFS.

When asked about what farmers were most likely to adopt of the cucumber
component of the project, they said it would be adoption of CV5.

Hai Phong
We met SPPD staff Nguyen Thi Lan and Pham Thi Hoa and discussed how the FFS
went. They reported that the farmers in the recent FFS in Tan Tien commune in An
Duong district were very happy. FFS participation in Hai Phong was overwhelmingly
female (85% for tomato and 100% for cucumber- reflecting our previous assessment
of the gender of farmers in production of these crops, and reported in the baseline

study). The SPPD staff reported that the commune had received benefits from the FFS
beyond the targeted crops of tomato and cucumber and that their experience,
especially in IPDM and safe use of pesticides gained through the FFS, had sparked an
initiative to set up a production area of 20 ha for safe vegetables.

They reported that the production for grafted tomatoes in the demonstration block was
100 tonnes/ha, but that in the non-grafted block they lost almost all of the plants in the
current season to bacterial wilt. In the previous season, there was 40 % higher yield
(55 cf 78 tonnes/ha) in the grafted tomatoes.

They complained, however, that when farmers after the first FFS tried to adopt
grafting technology on their own farms, seedlings for 3 ha were ordered, but only
enough sufficient for 1 ha were received. They suggested that the SPPD should play a
coordinating role to ensure that farmers’ orders were met in the future. We also

18
discussed the possibility of farmers themselves being trained to graft, but we realised
the obstacles to this, including lack of adequate training and appropriate supporting
infrastructure. Staff thought that they may be able to access a net house.

For cucumbers, the SPPD staff reported that the farmers were very happy with the
FFS. They also reported that in the demonstration blocks, CV5 had around 50%
higher yield (20 tonnes/ha cf >30 tonnes/ha) than the farmers’ practice open-
pollinated variety in the demonstration. CV5 also had 7-10 days longer harvesting
period, although time of commencement of harvest was identical. In addition, less
pesticide was required for CV5. During the 2 season’s FFS, CV5 had 3 and 4 sprays,
compared with 5 and 6, respectively, for the farmers’ practice block. However, there
was an initial problem with market acceptance of CV5 in Hai Phong, because of its
different appearance and taste to local varieties. However, it has subsequently
received good acceptance by the expanding supermarket demand. At the time we

visited (early March) farmers were obtaining 10,000 VND/kg, because cucumbers
were in scarce supply. This compares with as low as 1000 VND during main season
for the local varieties. The SPPD staff indicated that CV5 should be able to be
produced in the off-season, when it is very difficult to successfully produce
cucumbers because of downy and powdery mildew problems, further benefitting
farmers.

We subsequently met with the Director of the commune, Nguyen Vau Hinh. He
thanked us for the work of the project, particularly for enabling the farmers to be in
contact with FAVRI for the “technology for grafted tomatoes”, and for the theory and
practice of safe vegetable production covered in the FFS. He confirmed that the
farmers were very happy with the FFS activities, and particularly for their ability to
grow (grafted) tomatoes off-season or early season, enabling them to receive higher
prices. Regarding tomato varieties, he reported that from the demonstration blocks, it
was clear that the tomato varieties that farmers had been using previously were not
well suited to production in Hai Phong, and that he would be encouraging adoption of
the (AVRDC) varieties that were superior in performance (this was WVCT2). We
further discussed the initiative of developing a safe vegetable production facility. He
told us that it was the cooperative’s intention to develop up to 60 ha of what he called

19
“safe/clean vegetables” by the end of 2012, and this decision was partly based on the
positive outcomes of the CARD project.

We then visited several local communes around Hai Phong not associated with the
FFS, but growing tomatoes or cucumbers. The extent of crop loss, especially in
tomatoes, was devastating and we recorded typical field losses that occur when
grafted seedlings are not used, and farmers produce their own seedlings (see Fig. 5).
Hopefully, the success of the communes selected for the FFS, and the increased
capacity of sub-PPD staff will assist in this technology being more widely

disseminated and adopted in this area.

Da Nang
Here we met with SPPD staff, Director Pham Hong Van, and trainers Le My and Le
Nam and discussed how the FFS went. They reported that both the staff and farmers
were very happy about the outcomes of the project, particularly in the second season.
They discussed the problem with poor quality grafted tomato seedlings which arrived
from FAVRI in the first season, but the good quality of the seedlings from Lam Dong
in the second season. Overall, grafted seedlings out-performed the non-grafted
seedlings, even in the first season, but they took much longer to establish after
transplanting. The yield difference was approximately 25% (36 cf 45 tonnes/ha), but
SPPD staff indicated that these differences would have been greater with high quality
seedlings and more adverse weather conditions. The AVRDC variety WVCT8
performed well, but the local variety, BOM, outperformed it in both yield and in
market acceptance. There was no difference in foliar and fruit disease incidence
(particularly virus diseases) between the two varieties, which was generally low in
both seasons. The staff indicated that farmers would be keen to adopt grafting
technology, but would continue to use BOM as their scion variety. They quizzed us
on how training in grafting could be conducted locally, because Lam Dong was too
far to source their seedlings on a regular basis.

We visited the cucumber FFS demonstration site (see Fig. 4). As the FFS had been
delayed because of heavy rain and flooding, the varieties were just coming into fruit.
We discussed the performance of the two FFS with sub-PPD staff, and observed the
crops, together with a selection of the FFS farmers who were subsequently surveyed.

20
The FAVRI variety CV5 than the local variety and harvesting commenced 45 days
after planting, similar to other variety. In the previous FFS, the FAVRI varieties also
outperformed the local variety, achieving a yield of almost 60 tonnes/ha compared

with 36 tonnes/ha for the local variety. CV5 was also well accepted in the market, as
we were told that Da Nang consumers like large cucumbers, up to 500g (characteristic
of CV5). The farmers were able to the fruit in the Da Nang local markets and directly
to Metro, and were receiving 2500 VND/kg.

The Director then discussed a major development project proposed to commence in
2011, which will be impacted by outcomes of the CARD project. This large, 60 B
VND ($US4.5 M) project, funded by the Asian Development Bank will focus on
development of 5 ha of greenhouses and 40 ha of field production of safe vegetables.
Greenhouse production will be in-ground (not hydroponics), and one of the major
crops will be tomatoes. Another (probably mainly field-based) crop will be
cucumbers. Currently Da Nang only produces 10% of its vegetable requirements, and
imports the rest. This project, therefore, aims to sell its produce in the Da Nang local
markets, and also into Metro. He discussed the importance of adopting grafting
technology from the outset of this new project. He also expressed the need to use
disease-resistant cucumber varieties. Training in IPM and appropriate technology is a
part of the project, and there will need to be training in GAP to ensure supply of
vegetables to Metro. We discussed the possible role FAVRI and some of the other
project partners might play in the future, and we planned for Pham My Linh to visit
Da Nang later in 2010.

Quang Nam
In Quang Nam we met with the SPPD staff Pham Dinh Tinh, Pham Thi Thu Thuy,
Pham Xan Tran, Thi Bich and Tran Ut and discussed how the FFS went. They
informed us that both they and the farmers were very happy with the outcomes of
both tomato and cucumber FFS. For tomatoes, the major benefit was use of grafting
technology. In the commune where the FFS was run, Phuong Truong Xuan in Tam
Ky, farmers had been unable to grow tomatoes for the past 10 years, because of
problems with bacterial wilt. The FFS was the first time that tomato growing had been
reattempted there. As with Da Nang, the staff also reported problems with the first

season’s grafted tomato seedlings from FAVRI, but it appeared to be less of a

21
problem to them. This is because they used the practice of transplanting seedlings
twice (into a “nursery block” before transferral to the field). As with Da Nang, the
local OP variety, BOM, performed at least as well as the AVRDC hybrids in the
demonstration blocks in both FFS (approximately 42 tonnes/ha), and most of the
farmers thought BOM was had superior marketability. Some, however, preferred the
smaller fruit of the WVCT8 and indicated they would like to trial it on their own
farms. They can currently sell BOM locally for 6000 VND/kg, but it was unclear what
would be the price for WVCT8. The staff indicated that most growers in the FFS
would use grafted tomato seedlings, at least in the off-season, provided they could use
BOM as the scion and the costs for seedlings were not too high. The project budget
paid for the production and transport of the seedlings from Mr Phong. The cost for
grafted seedlings from Mr Phong (450
VND), and farmers in Quang Nam have
generally produced their own seedlings, at minimal cost.

With regard to cucumber, the farmers preferred the variety Trang Nong 133 (SSC). It
performed well in the demonstration plot in both seasons (only around 30 tonnes/ha,
but similar in yield to CV5) and had greater market acceptability. Fruit of CV5 are too
large for the local market (despite them being preferred in nearby Da Nang). Trong
Nang fruit sold for 5000-6000 VND/kg. The good performance of their variety was
passed on to the project’s industry partner, SSC. The SPPD staff also quizzed us about
possible training in bitter gourd production, because of farmer interest. We pointed
out this was not a topic of the current project.

Cucumbers and tomatoes are some of the most profitable crops to grow in Quang
Nam, so the sub-PPD were hopeful that the farmers would take up the outcomes of
the project. They also expressed thanks for their training- none of them had previous

training in safe vegetable production, although there is a large area of safe leafy
vegetable production near Hoi An. None had any previous experience with tomato or
cucumber production.

22
Farmer surveys

As discussed earlier in this report, farmer participants in four provinces, Hai Phong,
Thai Binh, Da Nang and Quang Nam were surveyed to for their feedback on the FFS
and to assess their capacity improvement. Four farmer participants were randomly
selected by the sub-PPD staff in each province. A summary of their descriptions,
including location, gender, age, educational training and farming experience is
presented as Table 1. There were 10 females (62%) and 6 males (38%) surveyed, a
similar gender ratio to the overall farmer participation in FFS. Their age ranged from
28 to 56, with a mean age of 47. With regard to educational training, the 6% had 6
years, 31% had 7, 31% had 9, 6% had 10 and 25% had 12 years. The number of years
farming experience varied from 10 to 32 years, with a mean of 23 years.

The interviews were conducted by FAVRI staff who had been previous experience in
the farmer surveys for the baseline data. In each province, survey questionnaires were
used to gather information from using a Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)
approach. However, in this case, data were collected individually by semi-structured
interview. Data included current crop varieties and area of crop grown, key pests and
diseases, and the benefits they derived from participation in the FFS. In this regard,
farmers were allowed to nominate any benefits or detrimental aspects they considered
appropriate, but with appropriate prompting by the interviewers to ensure that all
aspects of the FFS and their possible outcomes were covered. There were additional
questions of clarification, especially on GAP, which could be used to clarify farmers’
understanding of the topic. These were the same as those used in the baseline study.
The interview forms and a summary of the results for each province are presented in

Appendix 2.

While there were some differences in farmer responses between provinces, in general
there were many similarities. Approximately 50% of farmers attended both season’s
FFS, with the rest only attending the most recent session. Of those surveyed, 56%
attended tomato FFS only, with the remainder attending both tomato and cucumber
FFS. This was province-specific, and it depended both on the crop production in the
districts selected as well as the distance between the FFS locations.

23
Table 1 Farmer Participants in project review survey.

PROVINCE DISTRICT NAME MALE/
FEMALE
AGE EDUCATIONAL
QUALIFICATIONS
YEARS OF
FARMING
THAI BINH KIEN
XUONG
Pham
Thi
Phuong
F 28 9/12 10
Nguyen
Ho
Nhuan
M 43 9/12 21
Dinh
Thi

Dung
F 50 7/10 30
Doan
Thi
Chut
F 48 7/10 30
HAI PHONG Tran
Thi
Dieu
F 43 7/10 20
Nguyen
Thi Hue
F 54 7/10 32
Vu Thi
Hong
F 54 7/10 30
Liu Thi
Hong
F 52 10/10 30
DA NANG Mai
Van
Phu
M 45 12/12 15
Ho Thi
Thuong
F 52 6/12 30
Nguyen
Thanh
Nguyen
M 54 12/12 29

Le
Truong
Hai
M 56 12/12 26
QUANG
NAM
TAM KY Pham
Thi Thu
Thuy
F 36 9/12 15

24
Pham
Dinh
Tinh
M 48 9/12 20
Pham
Xan
M 47 12/12 18
Tran
Thi
Bich
F 41 9/12 13

The production areas of the farmers surveyed varied between 300 to 1000 m
2
for
tomatoes and between 200 to 720 m
2
for cucumbers. Varieties of both tomatoes and

cucumbers grown by farmers (local varieties) varied between provinces, but were
similar to those reported in the baseline survey. Of particular interest was that in Da
Nang and Quang Nam, a local OP tomato, BOM, was the dominant variety grown.
None of the farmers surveyed in any province were using grafted tomatoes.

Compared to the baseline survey, the farmers had more confidence in nominating
their most important diseases. There were almost no farmers who said they did not
know about a nominated pest or disease, and the answers more closely reflected the
advice provided to us by the SPPD staff, and followed up, where possible, by
questions on examples in the field in the demonstration blocks. This provided
opportunities for “triangulation” of some of the survey data. The most interesting
outcome was that bacterial wilt was nominated in all provinces as the most important
disease, with all but one farmer respondent saying it was very important (the other
said it was important). This was different from the baseline study, and we believe the
elevation of the status of this disease was a result of using grafted (i.e. bacterial wilt-
resistant) seedlings in the FFS and demonstration plots. This enabled farmers to see
the losses they may have previously tolerated in the absence of this technology.

When farmers were asked which particular skills they had learned from the FFS,
they overwhelmingly responded that they had learned a lot, although this varied with
topic and province. A summary of responses is presented in Table 2. The skills that
were nominated as having been best learned (based on scores of “learned a lot”) were
selecting the best varieties to produce (81%), knowing some varieties are more

25
resistant to disease (81%), accurately recognising damage of pests and diseases
(75%), and safely applying pesticides (87.5%). The next most nominated skills were:
choosing the best pesticide for control of pests and disease (69%), keeping accurate
records of farm activities (63%) and using grafted tomatoes (57%). Those with the
lowest score were pruning tomatoes (44%) and applying GAP (25%).

These results are interesting, and probably reflect the skills and experience of SPPD
staff, and the design and implementation of the demonstration blocks. For example,
SPPD staff have extensive knowledge and experience in crop pests and diseases
(although some are specific to tomatoes or cucumbers), and safely applying
pesticides, two of the most highly scored tasks. Recognition of local pests and was
probably also reinforced in the field demonstration blocks. However, selecting the
best varieties to produce and knowing that some varieties are more resistant to disease
were, in our view, largely outcomes of the demonstration blocks where the project
team deliberately incorporated selected, superior disease-resistant varieties of tomato
and cucumber in a comparison with the commonly locally grown variety. It should be
noted that “selecting the best variety” did not always mean the most disease resistant
one. In several cases, the outcomes of the demonstration plots reinforced farmers to
retain their existing variety or select varieties other than the most disease-resistant
one, primarily because of market acceptability (e.g. tomatoes in Da Nang and Quang
Nam and cucumbers in Quang Nam).

The lower skill scores for using grafted tomatoes and pruning tomatoes probably
reflects the higher level of experience, understanding and skills in tomato production
required by the SPPD staff to both teach in the FFS and to facilitate in the
demonstration blocks. This is understandable, because none of the staff in the
provinces surveyed had previous experience in tomato or cucumber production, or in
conducting FFS with these crops. The higher score for grafting is probably an
outcome of this technology being clearly displayed as part of the demonstration
blocks, whereas maintenance of grafted plants in the field, pruning and other crop
management skills require extensive experience. However, the fact that the majority
of farmers responded that they had learned something (a little or a lot) in these areas
suggests that the TOTs were effective in providing the SPPD staff with sufficient
expertise to achieve a positive outcome in upgrading farmer skills.