Agriculture ministers and top-level policymakers from 14 African countries will meet with their counterparts from three Asian countries in Hanoi on 15 July 2025 to discuss making agrifood production more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable to reduce high levels of hunger, malnutrition and poverty in both regions.
The High-Level Inter-regional Knowledge Exchange on One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) Models, co-organized by the Government of Viet Nam and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is the first intercontinental dialogue on agrifood systems transformation, guided by the FAO ‘Four Betters’ vision – Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment and a Better Life, leaving no one behind.
The dialogue is an initiative of FAO Director-General QU Dongyu to familiarize developing countries in Africa with Viet Nam’s success in agrifood systems transformation, which is helping reduce wide urban-rural economic disparities in the Southeast Asian nation.
The event includes an exchange of national experiences in implementing FAO’s flagship One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative, which was launched in 2021 to promote sustainable value chains of special agricultural products with unique geographical and cultural traits.
“We look forward to this exchange of knowledge and ideas, and to learn together how to transform agrifood systems for the benefit of all,” said Alue Dohong, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, in a video message ahead of the event.
“This special event in Viet Nam offers a critical opportunity for Africa and Asia to learn from one another. Sharing knowledge, exchanging experiences, and building partnerships are vital to overcoming the common challenges we face, building on each other’s successes, and ensuring no one is left behind,” said Abebe Haile-Gabriel, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa in his video message.
Ministers and top agriculture officials from Bhutan, Cameroon, Cote d‘Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tunisia, Viet Nam, Zambia and Zimbabwe, will share national perspectives on promoting the Four Betters through the OCOP initiative.
Producing more food with less inputs, making agriculture climate-resilient, sustainable and profitable for all, is critical for both Africa and Asia and the Pacific, the regions with the world’s highest levels of hunger, malnutrition and poverty.
Viet Nam’s agrifood transformation model
The inter-regional knowledge exchange will begin with a briefing on Viet Nam’s transformative One Commune One Product programme, a cornerstone of the country’s rural economic development strategy, and an inspiration for FAO’s OCOP initiative.
Launched nationwide in 2018, it has significantly increased rural incomes and jobs by developing sustainable value chains for local specialties and traditional products. The programme provides comprehensive support for capacity building, product development, quality management and market access, to the rural manufacturers of these special products.
The OCOP Four Betters Models
The agriculture ministers from Africa will also be briefed on how FAO is leveraging science and innovation to accelerate agrifood systems transformation through OCOP implementation in the Asia-Pacific region, in support of the Four Betters.
Strategic partnerships with leading science and innovation centres in the region are enhancing value chains of special agricultural products (SAPs) identified by member countries under the OCOP initiative. This includes the application of an innovative geographical and environmental traceability tool that will increase access of SAPs to high-end markets and incentivize sustainable production.
Nutrition science and technology is also being used for SAPs-based food product development, suited to different age groups and tastes. In addition, OCOP implementation is supporting Asia-Pacific countries with market intelligence to integrate SAPs into national, regional and international markets.
Strengthening the FAO-Viet Nam partnership
The inter-regional exchange further cements the FAO-Viet Nam partnership, anchored in Viet Nam’s active role in the FAO South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) framework. This was reaffirmed by the signing of an FAO-Viet Nam Memorandum of Understanding, during the FAO Director-General’s visit to Hanoi in February 2025, to promote the sharing of technical knowhow, and institutional and policy experiences under the SSTC framework.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): Regional Office for Africa.
