Agricultural News
Class XVII of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program Continues Their Studies in Vietnam
Mon, 22 Feb 2016 06:20:21 CST
Agricultural leaders from Oklahoma that are participants in Class XVII of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program have been in Vietnam for over a week now- and have traveled from Hanoi in the northern part of this southeastern Asian country to Danang and then on to Saigon- or Ho Chi Minh City as it is now known.
In Vietnam, 65% depend on agriculture for their livelihood, and 74% live in rural areas. Most rice farms are small, about 1 hactare(2.2 acres), with a total cultivated area of 7.9 million ha. The yield is 5.6 tons/ha. Most exports go to Asia and Africa.
Poultry with 314.7 million head and pigs with 26.3 million head are the largest segments of the livestock industry in Vietnam. Cattle numbers in Vietnam total 5.2 million head- with cattle numbers limited in southern parts of the country- most cattle are found in the central and north. Most of the cattle production is dairy.
In the southern portion of the travels, the class spent time in and around the Mekong River Delta, which has a population of 18 million, 83% being rural. It's provides 27% GDP of the country.
One of the Universities found in this region is Can Tho University, which was established in 1966 and is one of the 14 key Universities in Vietnam out of 379 Higher Ed Institutes. The College of Ag was established in 1968, and renamed the College of Agriculture and Applied Biology in 2005.
This university plays an important role in socio-economic development in the Mekong Delta region. They have three major research programs: plant and animal production genetics and breeding; sustainable production of tropical plants and animals; and food technology and post-harvest technology.
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director has an audio overview of some of the highlights of the travel thus far- courtesy of Craig Woods with the Ag Communications Department of the OSU Division of Agriculture. Click on the LISTEN BAR below to hear this special report.
The picture at the top of this story shows the class at a stop at a museum in front of a helicopter from the Vietnam War era- left behind by the US. Below, we have additional pictures of some of the sights and sounds seen by the class thus far.
Still to come- a stop by Class XVII in The Phillipines, where they will be spending time with the former head of the Plant and Soil Science Department of Oklahoma State University, Dr. David Porter. Dr. Porter will be showing the Class some of the agricultural research being conducted in that part of the world.
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