Rikolto's Good Food for Cities Programme in Vietnam: Reflecting on 2024 and Shaping 2025

On December 19-20, 2024, Rikolto, in collaboration with the Ha Nam Department of Quality, Processing, and Market Development, successfully hosted the Partner Meeting for the Good Food for Cities (GF4C) Programme. The event gathered over 50 partners to review key achievements from 2024 and outline the action plans for 2025.

The meeting welcomed representatives from the Ha Nam Department of Quality, Processing, and Market Development of Ha Nam; Tuyen Quang Agricultural Extension Center; Plantation and Plant Protection Departments of Vinh Phuc and Hanoi; the Center for Development of Community Initiatives and Environment (C&E); safe vegetable cooperatives and businesses; and market management boards from key markets in Hanoi, Ha Nam, Tuyen Quang, and Vinh Phuc.

Key Achievements in 2024

The GF4C programme delivered significant progress across three strategic pillars: sustainable production, inclusive market development, and fostering an enabling environment for sustainable food systems.

• Sustainable Production: Over 1,270 farmers adopted sustainable farming practices aligned with safety standards, including the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS), circular agriculture, ecological farming, and agri-tourism.
• ‍Inclusive Market: Farmer cooperatives improved their market access capacity. Major traditional markets, such as Hom Duc Vien and My Dinh (Hanoi); Bau and Hoa Mac (Ha Nam); Tam Co (Tuyen Quang); and Vinh Yen (Vinh Phuc), upgraded infrastructure and promoted traceable products. Vendors and consumers received food safety awareness training, while market management boards and local officials strengthened their management and monitoring skills. The GoodFood@School project in Hanoi has implemented a balanced nutrition menu for over 2,200 students at two secondary schools: Nam Trung Yen and Yen Hoa. Reference materials on food and nutrition have been developed for students and teachers, along with nutrition education activities conducted for over 3,200 students, teachers, and parents.‍
• Enabling Environment: Rikolto worked with local Food Safety Coordination Boards to enhance monitoring and ensure food safety. Board members participated in training sessions on management practices and relevant legal regulations.

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Action Plans for 2025

In 2025, Rikolto will expand its interventions, tailoring activities to meet the unique structures and needs of each locality. Notably, the GoodFood@School project will be extended to two new pilot schools, Mai Dich and Nghia Tan secondary schools, and start to implement in selected primary schools in Vinh Phuc. Additionally, the programme will further promote urban agriculture models integrating circular farming, enhance trade promotion, strengthen market linkages, and scale safe food market models to boost the consumption of safe products.  

The meeting concluded with a field visit to Bao An Safe Agricultural Cooperative (Ha Nam), where partners and Rikolto shared best practices in safe vegetable production and marketing. This sets the foundation for Rikolto and its partners to advance towards more resilient and sustainable food systems in 2025.