VAC Eco-system and Micronutrient deficiencies control in Vietnam

BACKGROUND:

Vietnam is a developing country with about 80% of population living in rural areas. Food converted to paddy per capita increased 304.2 kg in 1985 to 324.4 kg in 1990 and 387.7 kg in 1997. While paddy per capita increase year by year but the prevalence of malnutrition is still 36.8% (1998). One of the main causes of the high prevalence of malnutrition, especially micronutrient deficiencies in Vietnam is poor dietary intake. The results of the available surveys in recent years showed that the Vietnamese diet is mainly based on rice and very little fat and meat. Rice contributes as much as 80% of the total the daily dietary energy intake of the Vietnamese population. The fat reaches only 50% of the RDA. The staple based diet places Vietnamese population at a risk of micronutrient deficiencies in the recent years. Micronutrient deficiencies have been a significant public health problem in Vietnam. A survey of 34,200 children under five year of age carried out during 1985-88 revealed that VAD affects 0.78 percent of this group in which 0.07 percent have significant corneal lesions, the data is 7 times higher than the WHO recommended criteria for public health significance. Another survey (1994) showed that Vitamin A status of children under five is still low. Their serum retinol level (<0.7mmol/L) is 12.8%. Dietary diversification is a promising and sustainable strategy to eliminate micronutrient deficiencies. To reach this goal, the strategies include Agriculture programs as well as program to promote VAC production (V=Vuon/Garden; A=Ao/Fish pond; C=Channuoi/Animal husbandry) are considered as solution not only to increase food availability at household and community levels especially protein and vitamin rich food include meats, eggs, fish, dark green vegetables fruits…but also increase in household income.

Based on the above analysis we carried out the project namely “Role of VAC Eco-system in control of micronutrient deficiencies in a commune of Red River Delta” in order to identify the role of VAC in the strategy of increasing both the availability and consumption of micronutrient rich food at household and in the diversification of diet and household income.

MATERIAL  AND  METHODS:

The Cross-sectional study focuses on 304 farming households was carried out during April to May 1996 in the commune of Cambinh district, Haihung province, a homogenous area in Red River Delta of Vietnam. The subjects were selected by systematic random sampling of farming household lists of commune with 5 persons (3-7 persons) per household. They consisted 105 households that developed VAC ecosystem [Developed VAC mean that capital investment, new technology, most species/cultivars (fish, animal, seeds…) used are those giving more products of high value] and 199 households undeveloped VAC production (group 2) [Undeveloped VAC mean VAC are exploited as usual]. A questionnaire was used to collect data from respondents who are responsible for control of household income and expenditure by. Household income, household expenditure, food expenditure, socio-economic data were obtained. Information of income sources, food production, expenditure patterns, food frequency of farmer household was collected.