FARM-MANAGEMENT AND FARMING SYSTEMS-DEVELOPMENT IN VIETNAM

By some significant institutional incentives and technological improve ments, agriculture in Vietnam has made a remarkable progress in its in tensity and productivity for the last decade. It resulted in a signifi cant change in agricultural production and rural economy. Nowadays, al though Vietnam becomes the third largest rice exporting-country in the world, the farmer's living standards have not much been improved due to the present unfavorable price condition of rice and relatively high price of input materials. Environmental problems also become to be a new issue particularly in the advanced areas in the Mekong delta regio n where a highly intensive cultivation of rice in continuous triple cr opping system has been practiced. Recent researches showed that divers ified farming seems to be better for small-scale farmers, and through integrated farming systems development approaches rice-based agro -eco systems can be turned to more profitable farming for a sustainable agr iculture and rural development. Introduction of appropriate farming pr actices can make better uses of lands, water and other resources at lo wer costs and maintain the sustainability of the environment. Integrat ion of non-rice clops, livestock, aquaculture and other activities int o rice systems can become a new approach to farmers. The present paper is aimed to review the outlines of the recent activities in research, extension and training for sustainable agriculture and rural developm ent in Vietnam.