PlantwisePlus: Growing Knowledge, Skills And Resilience Across Vietnam
29 October 2025, Vietnam: Across Vietnam’s rice paddies, coffee farms, and pepper plantations, CABI, in partnership with the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS), is helping farmers protect their crops through the PlantwisePlus programme.
In Vietnam, the programme supports smallholder farmers through plant clinics, digital tools, and advisory services, directly reaching over 51,500 farmers. Additionally, 2,946 enrolments in CABI Academy courses and PlantwisePlus digital tools have reached over 27,600 users. By building knowledge networks and strengthening extension systems, PlantwisePlus helps smallholders boost crop health and productivity.
PlantwisePlus strengthens plant health systems and delivers practical, science-based solutions. Globally, since 2021, the programme has reached 44.6 million farmers, including 2.2 million with increased incomes, 2.6 million with higher yields, 6.5 million adopting sustainable crop production practices, and 2.7 million female farmers empowered.
Empowering knowledge beyond the field
PlantwisePlus has helped to strengthen plant health expertise across Vietnam. The programme works with major universities, including the Viet Nam National University of Agriculture (VNUA), An Giang University (VNU-HCM), and Can Tho University (CTU), to embed advanced training into their curricula. Through CABI Academy online courses in plant pest diagnosis and Integrated Pest Management (IPM), students gain practical, science-based skills to tackle agricultural challenges.
According to Dr Muhammad Faheem, Integrated Crop Management Advisor for CABI, the impact of this training goes far beyond the classroom. He emphasized that “Many of the participating students are future researchers, extension officers, advisors, and policymakers, the next generation of plant health professionals. Their growing expertise strengthens Vietnam’s agricultural innovation, contributing to long-term food security and sustainable farming practices.”
Digital tools driving safer and smarter pest management
The CABI Bioprotection Portal has been integrated into the VietPlant mobile app, developed by WeatherPlus. Now farmers and advisors can quickly access information on biological control and pest management.
“CABI, through the PlantwisePlus programme, is supporting farmers in multiple ways, including strengthening advisory services, introducing digital tools, and raising awareness on safe and sustainable pest management,” said Dr Dao The Anh, former Vice President of VAAS. “These efforts are empowering communities and enhancing resilience against invasive pests like the South American tomato leafminer.”
These efforts help farmers use fewer chemical pesticides and build stronger, more resilient agricultural systems.
Strengthening Vietnam’s agricultural advisory ecosystem
PlantwisePlus has expanded plant clinics across the Mekong Delta, including Dong Thap. The programme has also developed locally relevant pest factsheets in collaboration with the Southern Fruit Research Institute (SOFRI).
To tackle the invasive pests, PlantwisePlus is running field trials in Duc Trong, Lam Dong province. The team is with sub PPPD Lam Dong and BioPro Ltd to implement Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approaches for the South American Tomato leafminer. These demonstrations show farmers safe and effective ways to manage invasive pests.
The impact of this extends beyond the clinics themselves. Better advisory services help more farmers improve crop health and productivity, even those who don’t visit clinics directly.
Reviewing progress and setting priorities
In September 2025, PlantwisePlus held its Annual Forum Meeting in Hanoi. The event brought together key national stakeholders to review the year’s progress and plan for 2026.
Participants included representatives from VAAS, Plant Protection Research Institute (PPRI), SOFRI, Plant Production and Protection Department (PPPD), and Plant Production and Protection sub-Department (Sub-PPPD) from Lam Dong and Dong Thap. Universities like VNUA, VNU-HCM joined alongside private sector partners WeatherPlus, ALiSEA, and BioPro Ltd. The diverse group demonstrates the programme’s collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach.
Looking ahead, PlantwisePlus will expand training in IPM, biological control, and nature-based solutions. At the same time, it will also develop early warning systems for insect pests and diseases.
Other priorities include strengthening plant clinics and other advisory services, supporting PhD training, scientific publications, and piloting One Health approaches.
The programme will also feed into Vietnam’s Food System Transformation initiative. The goal is to ensure lasting benefits for researchers, policymakers, and farming communities.
Partnerships at the heart of impact
“PlantwisePlus promotes sustainable crop production and serves as a model of partnership, bringing together CABI, VAAS, universities, and farmers to achieve long-term impact in plant health and food security,” said Ms Chin Sing Yun, Country Director, CABI Malaysia.
CABI and VAAS continue to collaborate closely. Their goal is to get knowledge, tools, and digital innovations into the hands of farmers, students, and researchers.
The benefits of PlantwisePlus reach far beyond the programme’s core activities. From classrooms to crop fields and from research to real-world practice. PlantwisePlus shows how targeted interventions can create tangible spillover effects, helping communities become more resilient, improving food security, and promoting sustainable agricultural growth.
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