Status, challenges and opportunities of PGS (Participatory Guarantee Systems) organic vegetable production in Luong Son district, Hoa Binh province, Vietnam

PGS is a participatory guarantee system that has been practiced since 2008 in Vietnam through an IFOAM-supported project for the first farmer groups in Luong Son district, Hoa Binh province. This study examined the status, challenges, and opportunities of PGS organic vegetable production in Luong Son District, Hoa Binh Province, Vietnam. In Luong Son, PGS organic farming has been practiced for years, yet it occupies only a small fraction (0.27% in 2019) of the district’s agricultural land, with farmers facing challenges in production costs, infrastructure, technical capacity, and market access. Data were collected through the surveys of 78 PGS organic vegetable farmers across four communes. Findings revealed that while the total PGS organic vegetable area increased 15 times from 2009 to 2019, while average yields remained relatively unchanged, highlighting limitations in cultivation techniques. Low mechanization, reliance on manual labour, insufficient organic fertilizer sources, and limited access to bio-products constrained productivity. Farmers practiced crop rotation and intercropping, yet integration of legumes and green manure was limited, affecting soil fertility. Pest control largely relied on manual and preventive measures, with limited access to approved bio-pesticides. Despite these challenges, economic returns from PGS organic vegetable cultivation were significantly higher than traditional rice farming, indicating potential for income improvement. The study concludes that expanding the use of approved organic fertilizers and bio-products, enhancing biodiversity through crop diversification and green manures, improving pest management knowledge, and strengthening the PGS value chain are essential to increase yields, stabilize production, and promote the sustainable expansion of organic vegetable farming in Luong Son.