Vietnam is one of the countries with a high level of food self-sufficiency.

While many countries rely heavily on food imports, maintaining high levels of domestic production gives Vietnam an important advantage in food security in emergencies.

Harvesting rice. (Photo: Hong Dat/VNA)

As the risk of global trade disruption becomes a major concern, a new study published in the journal “Nature Food” shows that Vietnam is one of the few countries with a high level of food self-sufficiency, capable of coping if global food import and export activities suddenly stagnate.

The study was conducted by a group of scientists from the University of Göttingen (Germany) and the University of Edinburgh (Scotland), based on data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Researchers analyzed the self-sufficiency capacity of 186 countries and territories for seven major food groups, including cereals, vegetables, fruits, starchy foods, dairy products, meat and fish.

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According to the research results, only Guyana, a South American country with a population of about 800,000 people, is capable of providing all 7 food groups for its people without having to import. Following closely behind are China and Vietnam, two countries that can be self-sufficient in 6 of the 7 essential food groups mentioned above.

Vietnam's position in the leading group in terms of food self-sufficiency is assessed to be thanks to its traditional agricultural strengths, with stable output in many important products such as rice, vegetables, seafood, meat and starchy foods.

While many countries around the world rely heavily on food imports, maintaining high levels of domestic production gives Vietnam an important advantage in food security in emergency situations.

Notably, the study also shows that the majority of countries in the world have a rather limited level of food self-sufficiency. Of the 186 countries and territories surveyed, 154 countries can only meet 2-5 food groups, while many countries are completely self-sufficient in any food group.

Countries and territories with low levels of self-sufficiency include Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iraq, Macau (China), Qatar and Yemen, where import dependence amounts to over 50% of food supplies.

“High dependence on imports from a small number of trading partners can leave many countries vulnerable to global shocks,” said Jonas Stehl, a PhD student at the University of Göttingen and lead author of the study. “Therefore, building resilient food supply chains and increasing self-sufficiency are key to protecting public health and ensuring national food security.”

The study also emphasizes that in the context of increasingly complex climate change and geopolitical instability, ensuring food self-sufficiency becomes an issue of strategic significance for each country.

Vietnam is currently one of the world’s leading food exporters, while maintaining a diverse and sustainable agricultural production to serve domestic consumption needs. This is considered an important foundation to help Vietnam become more resilient in the face of unpredictable fluctuations in global trade in the future./.

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/viet-nam-la-mot-trong-cac-nuoc-co-kha-nang-tu-chu-luong-thuc-o-muc-cao-post1043774.vnp