Rikolto in Vietnam (previously VECO Vietnam) is a member of Rikolto, an international NGO with its International Office in Leuven, Belgium.

The incredible variety of food on their plates is not to be taken for granted. To keep up with the ever-growing world population in a changing climate, the food sector needs more stable supply chains to provide affordable food for all, today and tomorrow.

This challenge is critical:

• -By 2050, the global population is projected to exceed 9.6 billion. Global food production will need to increase by 50 percent to meet this challenge, which will be particularly acute in rapidly expanding urban areas.
• -Soil quality and water resources are already depleting and the impact of climate change is further aggravating this development.
• -Low prices and poverty are forcing farmers from the land and young people are turning their backs on a future in agriculture.

Rikolto believes family farms are a big part of the solution. Together they produce 70% of their food worldwide, but individually they're often cut out of the trade, ending up in poverty and leaving their huge potential untapped. Change on a global scale demands that food markets become more inclusive and offer value to all actors in the food chain. Smallholder farmers must be offered a fair deal.

They empower farmer groups to become solid business partners and implement future-proof, sustainable practices. They support them so that their products meet quality standards. They connect them with innovators in the food industry to explore new ways of doing business.

Rikolto builds bridges of trust and trade, between the food industry, governments, research institutions, banks and farmer organisations around this one central question: ‘What will they eat tomorrow?’. They plant and harvest new solutions, making the food system more transparent, so consumers are able to make a sustainable choice.