go to brochure (in pdf)

The Agroforestry Support Project for Vietnam and Lao PDR (ASP-V& L) is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). The project enables the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) to progressively engage partner institutions and colleagues in Vietnam and Lao PDR in collaborative activities related to agroforestry research and development, as well as to support further linkages and collaboration within the Montane Mainland Southeast Asia (MMSEA) eco-region. Commencing in July 2001, the ASP-V&L activities build upon the foundation and informal network of partners established through the Vietnam Agroforestry Capacity-Building (VACB) project, which was supported by Sida from May 1998 to June 2001.

Project focus
Networking, collaborative research and development, and strengthening the capacity of institutions – from grasslands to national level – are the main focus of the project. Through these points, the project will support sustainable agroforestry development that will directly benefit poor households as well as enhance agroecosystem resiliency in the upland areas of Vietnam and Lao PDR.

Objectives
	Enhance capacity in agroforestry R&D, especially on practices and processes that can contribute to sustainable management of upland systems
	Support the development and delivery of appropriate agroforestry training, information dissemination and extension activities that can effectively reach and benefit grassroots institutions and farmer households
	Improve the understanding and capacity to analyze key policies and factors affecting agroforestry development, particularly in poor, mountainous areas
	Facilitate useful collaboration among relevant Vietnamese and Lao institutions and ICRAF partners on participatory watershed management, and relationships between agroforestry and watershed services

.
Components and activity thrusts The project has three major components:
	Vietnam Agroforestry Capacity-Building – Phase II
	Lao agroforestry collaboration
	Regional linkages and collaboration

.
Collaboration areas For each component, activities are grouped under the following four thrusts to support:
	Field-based upland agroforestry systems R&D
	Participatory watershed management
	Policy analysis and dialogue
	Training activities and information exchange

.
Synergies with other initiatives At present, ASP-V&L works with several other programs and projects to provide complementarity, synergy and funding for collaborative activities. These include:
	The Sida-supported Southeast Asian Network for Agroforestry Education (SEANAFE), which works with member institutions in Vietnam, Lao PDR, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia.
	The Lao-IRRI Rice Research and Training Project - Phase IV, wherein SDC provides funds to ICRAF for technical and capacity building assistance for the Integrated Upland Agricultural Research Project in Luang Prabang, major partners being NAFRI, IRRI, ICRAF and CIAT.
	The ICRAF/IFAD regional innovations project, particularly in providing assistance to the Ha Giang Project for Ethnic Minorities in northern Vietnam.
	The new SLU/ICRAF/Rockefeller Foundation project on Sustainable Land Use Practices for the Uplands of Vietnam and Laos: Science and Local Knowledge for Food Security.
	The Sida-funded bilateral NRM projects in Vietnam and Lao PDR, including the Mountain Rural Development Programme (MRDP) and its successor program in Vietnam, and the Lao-Swedish Forestry Programme and its successor Lao-Swedish Upland Agriculture and Forestry Research Programme.
	The recent bilateral cooperation agreement and new initiatives between the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Lao Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry (MAF), in which ICRAF is providing support – together with other international partners such as CIRAD - for selected collaborative and exchange activities on upland R&D between the two countries.

Key contact persons

Project coordination and contacts
ASP-V&L emphasizes a ‘network of equals’ as the principle modality for collaboration. The Vietnam Agricultural Sciences Institute (VASI) hosts the VACB Project Office, plays a vital coordination role among partners in Vietnam, and takes the lead for areas such as conservation farming and agroforestry R&D on sloping lands. In Lao PDR, the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI) plays the major coordinating role with Lao partners involved in ASP-V&L, and is interested to develop more effective networking and information sharing mechanisms for upland agroforestry R&D. The ICRAF-Chiang Mai office provides support for ASP-V&L by facilitating MMSEA research collaboration, as well as by linking Vietnamese and Lao institutions with Thai and Chinese partners and the WRI/REPSI Program. Support for capacity building and information services is provided by the ICRAF-Philippines office in Los Baños.