Danish Supports Vietnam Towards Sustainable Development of Aquaculture

Key technical papers and training material are being produced with Danish support to help train poor Vietnamese farmers in sustainable aquaculture practices and techniques, which are important to the overall sustainability of the Vietnamese fisheries sector.
    Through the Fisheries Sector Programme (FSPS) Denmark supports training of poor farmers in sustainable techniques within capture fisheries and in good aquaculture practices. Training is supported by the production and publication of several manuals and training materials, including on training based on participatory methods that are used across the country.
    The training of farmers is to promote and increase aquaculture production in environmentally sustainable ways. In addition to practical manuals and guidelines, support has also been provided to the publishing of an illustrated book on “Common Freshwater Fish Species of Vietnam” in both Vietnamese and English, which will shortly be distributed to fisheries authorities, universities and research institutions.
    Partly due to Danish assistance since 1993, the fisheries sector in Vietnam has seen a huge growth in exports from 550 million USD in 1995 to 3,3 billion USD in 2006. Among other priorities, Danish assistance is focused on strengthening the sustainable development of aquaculture. The growth in the fisheries sector is creating new jobs and improving the livelihoods of the poor and enhancing economic opportunities, not least for Vietnamese women. Through its assistance to the fisheries sector Denmark is contributing to a sustainable improvement of the livelihoods of poor people in in-land and costal areas.