Sharing lessons learned from implementing the project “Developing Nutrition-sensitive Agri-food Systems” (NSAF) under the national targeted programs

This presentation by the Department of Cooperative Economy and Rural Development (DCRD), Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Viet Nam, shares lessons learned from implementing nutrition-sensitive agri-food systems (NSAF) under Viet Nam's National Targeted Programs. It traces how the National Action Program "Zero Hunger" (Decision 712/QĐ-TTg, 2018) first introduced food systems and nutrition-sensitive approaches, followed by their institutionalization through training courses in 29 provinces, 28 pilot models in 21 provinces, and supporting legal documents including Circular 04/2022/TT-BNNPTNT. Eight lessons are presented in three groups: mindset and approach (moving from food security to comprehensive nutrition security, and treating nutrition poverty as a core dimension of multidimensional poverty); project design and implementation (adapting models to local ecology and culture, organizing livelihoods through community organizations, and linking production to markets and value chains); and governance, coordination and resources (cross-sectoral integration, balancing soft and hard investments, and using digital tools and data). The presentation concludes with strategic recommendations for 2026–2030, including making nutrition-sensitive agri-food systems a core pillar of the integrated National Targeted Program on sustainable poverty reduction and new rural development