The ILO has launched a new three-year, US$600,000 project to improve the health and safety of farmers in Viet Nam. The programme, launched in May, is funded by the Japanese Government, and will run in four provinces. About 67 per cent of Viet Nam's working population is involved in agriculture and agricultural production. Modernizing the sector and increasing productivity, therefore, plays a vital role in poverty alleviation and the social and economic development of the country. The new scheme will help the Government develop policies for occupational safety and health in agriculture, and to prepare to ratify the relevant ILO Convention, No. 184. It will also help develop effective safety and health training networks for farmers by bringing together different Government departments and ministries.
The project will be based on the ILO's proven WIND (Work Improvement in Neighborhood Development) programme, which has been operating in Can Tho Province since 1992. This grass-roots initiative relies on local self-help initiatives, and examples of good health and safety practices to get its message across. Since its introduction, even the poorest farmers in the scheme have been able to produce real improvements in their living and working conditions, using only simple, low-cost methods.
For further information, please contact the ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, in Bangkok, phone: +662/288-2202 or 288-1664, fax: +662/288-1076, e-mail: bangkok@ilo.org