| Abstract: |
Poverty, food security and climate change are central global issues and Viet Nam is no exception. The country's efforts to open its economy to foreign trade and investment have contributed to high GDP per capita growth rates over the past two decades and a drastic reduction in poverty: from nearly 70 percent of the population in the 1990s to less than 10 percent in 20152 . However, the multi-sector economic growth has also had unfavourable impacts on the environment, in particular deteriorating quality of land and water, and decreasing natural forest cover and biodiversity.
About 65% of Viet Nam's population lives in rural areas, with livelihoods highly reliant on the agricultural and forestry sectors. Thanks to the Đổi Mới reform, the agricultural sector has provided important contributions to the economy. Exports of major agricultural products such as rice, rubber, coffee, cashew nuts, and fishery products have steadily increased, resulting in substantial poverty reduction, at an impressive rate of 2% per year. Globally, Viet Nam is the biggest exporter of pepper, among the top-five rice exporters, and second only to Brazil for coffee. This achievement reflects the country's potential contribution to global food supply. |
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