Development of Better Management Practices for Catfish Aquaculture in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam CARD Project 001/07/VIE Evaluation Plan August 2010 A draft evaluation plan, incorporating aspects of BMP communication and risk management planning and monitoring of BMP compliance and perfomance has been prepared by the CARD project. This plan will be reviewed and finalised at the National BMP Workshop (scheduled for November 2010), for implementation at the completion of the CARD project itself. For monitoring and evaluation purposes specifically, this plan identifies roles for: • Provincial Departments of Agriculture & Rural Development o Providing support for developing aquaculture capacity in the provinces through advisory and technical services and strategic planning o District authorities in maintaining records of farm locations, operations and production; to be enhanced with additional data collection and reporting on BMP adoption, compliance and performance. o District level BMP data to be consolidated and fed into strategic industry development planning at provincial level o BMP data and associated strategic planning and development to be communicated to farmers via clusters/associations, as part of periodic BMP review and amendment process. • Vietnam Association for Seafood Export Producers (VASEP) o Promoting seafood exports, including farmed catfish o Collate and report statistics on seafood exports, including data from processors o Potentially to include validation data on BMP compliance by small- scale producers which can then be communicated to provincial departments to enhance strategic planning and annual BMP review processes at District levels. Issues for Consideration Successful outcomes for development and implementation of BMPs at industry-wide scale extend beyond the documentation and communication of relevant SOPs. Compliance with BMP-based SOPs in itself does not guarantee practice change in farmers. If continuous improvement and innovation in farming practices are considered necessary imperatives for small-scale farmers to survive and prosper into the future, then a more comprehensive ‘systems’ approach to BMP adoption and implementation is required in the medium to longer term. Such a systems approach needs to factor in the requirement for new business models, monitoring of BMP performance and evaluation of impacts, together with an ongoing BMP review process to capture and implement learnings and new technologies, and to address new and emerging risks and opportunities. Industry trends anecdotally at least suggest that influence of the large scale farmers and associated processors in the operational structure and economic performance of the catfish market chain is increasing, and that conversely, the influence of small- scale farmers is declining. Nonetheless, small-scale farmers are expected to have a significant role to play in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the industry going forward, on the assumption that there is widespread and effective adoption of BMPs. It is further assumed that such BMP adoption by small-scale farmers needs to be cluster (or farmer association) based, along the lines of the successful NACSA shrimp farming BMP experience in the Andra Pradesh region of India. Such an arrangement will provide practical, cost- effective means of adoption and implementation in the absence of adequate resources for farmers operating individually. The cluster-based approach also provides the potential for individual farmers to establish commercial cooperative or joint venture partnership type agribusiness units with adequate critical mass and capability to participate cost-effectively in existing catfish market chains. In the longer term, the industry requires a strategic development plan to enable the existing market chains to evolve into more functional value chains in the future. These value chains need to be designed to meet the increased market/consumer expectations on food safety, credence characteristics and associated standards-based certification and traceability systems. Farmers lack the resources and technical capacity and capability in isolation to comply with BMPs and to meet emerging challenges and impacts from market globalisation, climate change, changing consumer preferences and the global financial crisis. Cluster-based, small-scale farmer business units are expected to be able to achieve BMP compliance by offsetting transactional and operational costs for adopting and maintaining BMPs. Such business units will also contribute and compete successfully in emerging value chains in the future, as long as they are appropriately established sooner rather than later as part of a ‘through chain’, whole of industry strategic approach. BMP System – A Conceptual Framework As part of the BMP communication, implementation and evaluation plan being prepared as part of the CARD project, a new, ‘BMP System’ conceptual framework has been developed. This framework is designed to facilitate effective: • communication on the BMPs (what, why, where, how etc… ) • adoption and implementation of BMPs (extension, training and technical support etc), and • monitoring and evaluation (compliance, performance, impact etc). With further development, the framework will also provide preliminary guidelines on processes for formation of clusters and associations, as well as suitable business models for ‘commercialisation’ of the clusters/associations into functional business enterprises consistent with the ‘value chain’ approach mentioned previously. This framework is to be based on the draft Evaluation Plan and associated Theory of Action (see following) for the CARD project. Enhanced long-term sustainability of the catfish farming sector in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam Secure export market access compliant with all requisite standards Global recognition of Vietnam commitment to product quality, food safety and environmental management Value chain approach to catfish industry development Practice Change Knowledge Attitude Skills Aspiration s Next users Outputs Project Resources & activities AusAid CARD Project Funding 001/07/VIE CARD Project team – RIA2, CTU, NACA, DPI Catfish farmers and processors Baseline survey & risk assessment Provincial & national workshops Demonstration trials & Evaluation survey Draft BMPs BMP publications & website BMP training & extension BMP Evaluation & Implementation Plan Farmers & processors Extension officers Researchers Policy makers Buyers, consumers & local communities New technical capabilties Improved access to information Greater confidence in future investment decisions & long term Sustainability Enhanced marketing strategies & opportunity Access to new & enhanced databases Science-based policy decisions R&D to support continuous improvement & innovation Improved industry stakeholder relationships Better understanding of issues Greater confidence in product quality & environmental sustainability of industry Appreciation of broader industry benefits & issues • Farmers routinely apply BMPs to achieve improved performance in terms of production outputs, profitability and environmental management • Farmers organised into functional associations which facilitate information sharing, training and BMP adoption & implementation • Farmers & processors establish new market chain relationships to harmonise production and secure new market access • Policy makers develop science-based policy to facilitate sustainable long-term development of industry • Buyers support BMP compliant farmers to develop new purchasing contracts and to facilitate appropriate standards for traceability-based certification • Consumers confidently purchase and consume catfish products and local communities support industry development Outcomes • Enhanced long-term sustainability of the catfish farming sector in the Delta • Enhanced international reputation for Vietnamese commitment to seafood product safety and quality and sustainable environmental management • Value chain driven approach to industry development and more equitable ‘through chain sharing of information and product value • Increased productivity and profitability for farmers and processors alike, and harmonised production levels • Local community support for industry and consumer satisfaction with products . Development of Better Management Practices for Catfish Aquaculture in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam CARD Project 001/07/VIE Evaluation Plan August 2010 A draft evaluation plan, incorporating. that influence of the large scale farmers and associated processors in the operational structure and economic performance of the catfish market chain is increasing, and that conversely, the influence. influence of small- scale farmers is declining. Nonetheless, small-scale farmers are expected to have a significant role to play in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the industry going forward,