Building an extension network in Vietnam

Vietnam is a predominantly rural country on the Pacific Rim with a growing agricultural production and trade. It has a limited area for food production and has had to overcome the social and economic ravages of war over most of the last 50 years. In the past decade it has been in transition from a centralized economy to a more market oriented approach. In 1993 a new government extension service was created to provide expertise at provincial district and commune level. It is an ambitious undertaking in a country of which now has a population of 78 million. The structural component of the service has been put in place but there is a need, acknowledged by the Vietnamese Government, to improve both technical and social extension skills. International non-government organizations and multi-lateral agencies have contributed significantly to developing a more participatory approach to extension practice. Their assistance is still needed to support appropriate in-country training programs geared to local conditions and needs.