Project Progress Report:Establish nurseries and training to effectively propagate high quality trees and trial plantation models of Macadamia in 3 provinces of North Vietnam - MS2 " doc

Institute Information Project Name Establish nurseries and training to effectively propagate high quality trees and trial plantation models of Macadamia in 3 provinces of North Vietnam

Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development

Collaboration for Agriculture & Rural Development

Project Completion Report

Milestone 13

January 2006 to August 2010

Macadamia Project 037/05VIE

Prepared by Martin Novak Assisted by Prof Hoang Hoe

6 Report on Cross-Cutting Issues 10

6.1 Environment _ 10 6.2 Gender and Social Issues _ 10

7 Implementation & Sustainability Issues _ 10

7.1 Issues and Constraints _ 10 7.2 Sustainability _ 11

8 Next Critical Steps _ 11

9 Conclusion _ 12

10 Statuatory Declaration _ Error! Bookmark not defined

10.1 Personnel Inputs 13 10.1 Equipment and other services _ 14 10.1 Equipment and other services hand over 15

11 Project Progress Against Objectives, Outputs, Activities And Inputs _ 16

12 Attachments 1-7 _ separate attachments

A Macadamia in Vietnam - Visual Report

A1 Farmer Thu Dak lak Workshop presentation

A2 Table of growers and trees planted in Vietnam

A3 Climate and macadamia in Thailand

A4 Climatic comparisons between Australian and Vietnamese regions

A5 South African nursery certification guide

A6 Final report review notes 2010

1 Institute Information

Project Name Establish nurseries and training to

effectively propagate high quality trees and trial plantation models of Macadamia in 3 provinces of North Vietnam

Vietnamese Institution Center for Environment, Tourism and

Development (CETD),

Vietnamese Project Team Leader Prof Hoang Hoe

Australian Organisation Subtropical Farm Forestry Association

Australian Personnel Martin Novak, Kim Wilson

Completion date (original) 15 December 2008

Completion date (revised) December 2010

Reporting period January 2006 - December 2010

Contact Officer(s)

In Australia: Team Leader

Name: Martin Novak Telephone: 61 2 66895027

Position: President Fax: 61 2 66895227

Organisation Subtropical Farm Forestry

Association

Email: martinnovak@bigpond.com

In Australia: Administrative contact

Name: Valda Mitchell Telephone: 61 2 66284372

Position: Administrative Officer Fax: 61 2 66284386

Organisation Subtropical Farm Forestry

Organisation CETD Email: hoehoang2@gmail.com

2 Project Abstract

3 Executive Summary

The project, spanning 5 years has helped to bring all the stakeholders together to work toward a sustainable high value macadamia industry for Vietnam Beneficiaries have included farmers, nursery and farm staff and workers, technicians, extension staff, state and private companies, government agencies, other businesses and households

The activities of the project have gained support from the Provincial governments and Peoples Committees of 5 provinces of Vietnam including Hanoi, Hoa Binh, Lang son, Ba vi, and Daklak

5 Macadamia training workshops have been held in these 5 provinces There has also been training and new technology presented to field staff in all of the relevant agencies in these provinces

This has also been complemented by research and training planning sessions in Australia with Australian collaborators, including the Australian Macadamia Society chairman, the past Industry Development Officer and a key CSIRO macadamia researcher

Ongoing regular communication with all known stakeholders has been undertaken throughout the 5 years

A focus to strengthen the capacity of a new nursery and 3 existing nurseries involved in growing macadamia by way of participatory workshops and infield training, has been maintained throughout the duration of the project In addition to this technical assistance has been provided to FSI and WASI also

This capacity building has been achieved by way of:

• Collaborative preparation of technical information and training material

During to past 5 years this project has support the propagation in the new macadamia nursery and in the three existing nurseries Also 4 principal variety trials of macadamias have been established, of about 1 ha each involving 14 suitable macadamias varieties, in 4 provinces of north Vietnam In addition the project is involved with 3 organizations with nurseries and undertaking 18 other trials Training has continued to be conducted in aspects of propagation, grafting, site design and preparation, planting, maintenance and plantation management

at the nurseries and trial sites This has involved the distribution of CD, DVD and power point presentations as well as hands on training at 5 formal training workshops, as well as training in the field 1340 kg of seed nut from Australia and China have been provided to the nurseries along with 7000 sticks of Scion wood of the selected varieties and samples of nursery equipment between 2006 and 2010

A study tour to China was undertaken covering all the major nurseries and some key plantations in southern China Reports of this tour including photos and a DVD video have been presented to the key stakeholders in Vietnam and Australia A number of 2 way visits have been made since by way of follow up

A growing select group of small-holder farmers have been chosen to be involved with project activities in the provinces of Lang Son, Ba vi, Hoa Binh and Dak Lak provinces In addition the project continues to involve all known key government agencies involved with Macadamias in Vietnam including MARD, FSI, WASI, RCFTI, RIFA and RIFV A number of private sector companies have become increasingly involved, as was the Macca Club of Vietnam which is now being substituted by the Macadamia Association of Vietnam

Significant progress has been made with regard to the capacity building of farmers, extension and technical staff since the commencement of the project in January 2006.

• Delivery of information, and training at workshops and in the field

• Delivery of seed and graft stock of at least 17 best bet Varieties

• Delivery samples of nursery equipment, including grafting planes, tape, wounds dressing, propagation and potting mix, and potting bags

• Establishment of a new demonstration nursery based on Australian nursery practice Encouraging investment from the private sector and by ensure adequate supply of quality grafting stock of suitable varieties

• Preparation and delivery of nursery business plans, records and monitoring systems (Attachment A Project report presentation.)

The project has facilitated the trial of 14 varieties of macadamia in 4 different provinces including Ba vi, Hoa binh, Daklak and Lang son This has involved the design and planting

of 4 trials plots in these provinces

The project has provide seed and graft wood of 17 varieties, to the demonstration nursery, the

4 project partnered research nurseries, as well to FSI and WASI A select 14 of these varieties have been used in the variety trials In addition to this the project has provided nursery equipment including grafting planes, graft wounds dressing, samples of potting bags and information via video, CD and hardcopy

Craig Hardener (CSIRO) and Kim Wilson (AMS) principally undertook the design of the trials Both have extensive experience with varietal trials in Australia Dr Kha FSI and Prof Hoang Hoe provided review of the design Because of the limited time frame of the project, data to fully evaluate the varieties is insufficient to date It takes 6 to 7 years before meaningful data is available and 15 to 20 years before varieties can be fully assessed as to sustainable production of good quality kernel

Data sheets have been developed and distributed to project participants to utilize so as the industry has comparative data sets Results to date have been made available to all the participating stakeholders and published where appropriate

Data has been collect for existing and new trial plots, commercial plantations and nurseries for evaluation and analysis Spreadsheet models have been developed, provided to participants, and used by the project team to record and analysis nursery and plantation enterprises

A fact finding study tour of South China involving 12 key project participants, including trainers and researchers was undertaken resulting in the development of collaborative arrangements with Chinese researchers A China Tour Report was prepared and delivered to stakeholders with the first year of the project Since then there has been an exchange of visits

by project participants, including the project team leaders and their Chinese counterparts Chinese researchers have made 7 presentations at 4 training workshops at Lang son, Ba vi Hanoi and Daklak Substantial amounts of Chinese select scion-wood and seed nut have been obtained from some of the Chinese researchers

The 2 project team leaders as well as Dr Kha and Director Minh have visited Thailand to assess macadamia developments there A report on the assessment covering the new development of the Thai macadamia industry including lessons and opportunities for Vietnam has been delivered to project participants The visit established points of contact for the sourcing of seed and graft material and resulted in 4 Thai researchers delivering a comprehensive presentation at the Daklak workshop and gifting WASI researchers with select scion wood

Training and technology has been delivered to all 5-project partner organizations, including their technicians, extension officers, nursery staff and workers, farmers and farm workers, twice a year by the Australian team The 5 workshops have contributed significantly to this training and technology transfer Additional training has occurred within each organization and to interested farmers

Information was delivered on site assessment, plantation design, establishment, management, and maintenance for small and larger farms The varietal trials were use for some of this on-site training

The project leadership has provided support towards the formalisation of a Macadamia industry network, based on the successful Australian model (AMS) and other models in Vietnam and elsewhere In the first 2 years of the projects activities a number of meetings were held with Macadamia Club of Vietnam (Mr Tan and associates and other stakeholders) The unfortunate and untimely death of Mr Loc, the chairman of the time, put a stop to the planned formation of the Macadamia Association of Vietnam Since then the formation of the Daklak Macadamia Association has progressed significantly It is envisaged that this association will become the model for other associations, which together will join to form a national body representing all the stakeholders The aim will be for this body to assist and share information, experience and data with existing Macadamia researchers in Vietnam such

as FSI and WASI and work towards a sustainable development of a commercial macadamia industry

The project has been promoted via the public media, including national and regional TV, magazines, newspapers and a media seminar This has helped to promote the objectives of the project specifically and the benefits of a macadamia industry for Vietnam in general Specific information has been delivered to stakeholders and others via the proceedings of the workshops, a newsletter, Video, training documentation and hard copy fact sheets

The project has helped to strengthen extension capacity by linking it to research and the practitioners Meetings have been held throughout the project with all of the research organization and their staff A protocol has been developed and put in place to ensure responsibility in capacity building is shared between extension staff, researchers, trainers and practitioners

All of the activities outlined above have been made possible though the support of the Australian and Vietnamese government through Ausaide and the CARD program (http://www.card.com.vn) and by the hard work and collaboration of all of those involved Thanks must go to the hardworking and enthusiastic farmers, to the agency partners and their excellent staff, to the CARD program team for their professional and friendly assistance and also to the private enterprises who have contributed greatly of their time and funds Also the Australian experts contribution has been invaluable, especially the efforts of Kim Wilson The enthusiastic and far sighted support from key members of the Vietnamese government particularly that of Vice Prime minister of the time Mr Cong Tan and Minister Bong contributed greatly to the overall success of the project and the developments in the industry

to date

Special thanks must go to the Vietnamese project team leader Prof Hoang Hoe, for his vision and dedication to bring the project to a successful conclusion Several years of careful planning and preparation and 5 years of project implementation by the professor, with

assistance from the Australian team leader Martin Novak have culminated in outcomes that significantly enhance the development of a macadamia industry in Vietnam

4 Introduction & Background

This projects principal aim was to assist the start of a commercial macadamia industry in Vietnam in order to improve the income flow of the farmer and the rural sector The general feeling is that it has been successful in achieving this aim

Vietnam now has a macadamia industry in its early phase of development There are over 350,000 macadamia trees of suitable quality and varieties, in the nurseries Most of these nurseries now have the capacity to expand their production of quality trees There are a range

of macadamia trials in 12 provinces and several hundred hectares of commercial plantations being established by smaller farmers and large commercial enterprises, with preparations under way for hundreds more to be established Financial modelling undertaken by the project indicates good returns for both nurseries and plantations In addition to all this the country now has a large commercial processing plant near Ho Chi Minh city and another planned for Thai binh in the north of the country

The project is concluding its fifth year of activities Originally it was designed to run for 3 years however with the extension of the CARD Program and careful budgeting it has been able to continue for another 2 years This has made it possible to meet its commitment to achieve its ambitious goals to be the main driving force behind the establishment of a new horticultural industry for Vietnam In doing so it has also delivered on its commitment to meet the aims and goals of the CARD program

Through the introduction of macadamia tree crops the project has presented opportunities for farmers to diversify and potentially raise incomes and address environmental problems in the medium to longer term Also by working with the strategic partners it has also help them to build upon their capacity to support the rural sector

The Project has contributed towards the following CARD framework strategies including the following:

- Strategy 1: improved productivity and competition of small and medium farms

- Strategy 4: improved management skills of natural resources management and

sustainable development

- Strategy 5: strengthening the participation of partners to management and services the

needs of the rural sector

The project has also contributed to all of the following results expected from the CARD Program including:

• Innovations adopted by smallholder agriculture

• Improved productivity and competitiveness of the agricultural sector

• Stability through agricultural diversification

• Knowledge products developed to support agricultural information

• Further research capacity development of Vietnamese agricultural and rural development institutions

It has also contributed to the following Priorities of Vietnams Government:

a Poverty reduction and food security

b Raise employment and income of rural people

c Ameliorate infrastructure in rural, health care and education

d Help eliminate differences between regions and the cities

e Increase values of export commodities

f Increase forest cover rate

The project specifically relates and contributes to the following CARD Framework Strategy Objectives:

Strategic Objective 2: Improved productivity and links to markets for the rural poor

Strategic Objective 2.1 Increase rural productivity

Intermediate Objectives

2.1.1 Increase agricultural efficiency and competitiveness

Strategic Objective 2.2 Improve the efficiency of on and off farm markets

Intermediate Objectives

2.2.1 Improve the policy environment for agricultural market

2.2.3 Increase access to market information

Strategic Objective 2.4 Reduce vulnerability to environmental and economic shocks

Intermediate Objective

2.4.2 Increase stability of household income through encouraging diversification of

production and marketing

5 Progress to Date

5.1 Implementation Highlights

5 successful workshops were held, one each year of the project with increasing attendance from 40 to over 100 attending the Daklak workshop in 2009 Participants included farmer’s technicians, research agency staff and management; all had representatives that delivered highly informative presentations reporting on their various achievements They included international presenters representing 4 countries, from Australia, China, Thailand as well as the Vietnamese contingent Proceedings have been submitted to CARD as attachments to the milestone reports and copies are available on the CARD website: http://www.card.com.vn

they are also available from the CETD office

In addition to this there is now a substantial body of translated information on macadamia generated by the project, particularly for nurseries and for smaller and larger growers All this information has been delivered to project partners, and participants of workshops More general information has been presented through TV and magazines

Vietnams national TV has run several promotional programs on macadamia compared by Mr Hung Macadamia snack food products are now available in a number of outlets in Hanoi and

Ho Chi Minh city

A comprehensive publication on Macadamia for Vietnam based on technology from Australia, China and South Africa, is being prepared by the Vietnamese project leader and should be completed by the end of the year

Success of nurseries especially Long Phong Co., Vinamaca Co and Ba vi in scaling up the production of good quality grafted trees of a selection of best bet varieties has been an admirable achievement Long Phong established the new demonstration nursery at Yen Thuy, demonstrating the Australian techniques of macadamia tree production In the last 2 years focus has shifted to Daklak where a new company was formed involving Long Phong directors and investors This company has built upon the experiences of Yen Thuy and now

is demonstrating innovation in adapting the Australian technology to more cost effective and

faster production methodology without compromising the quality Younger trees are being grafted and grown more quickly

A strong relationship is developing between Vinamaca and WASI collaborating on research projects and gaining the support of the Peoples Committee of Daklak and the provincial government This has given Vinamaca investors confidence to invest resulting in several nurseries with over 250,000 quality macadamia trees It has also provided a commercial partner for WASI to help prioritise and progress with research

5.2 Smallholder Benefits

Direct beneficiaries include over 40 smaller farmers, their households and workers who have attended workshops and training sessions or have made requests for information Many of these have also been involved with the variety trials and nurseries as landholders or workers Whole villages have benefited also such as those at Yen Thuy where roads were improved, toilets were built and people trained in new skills

In Daklak and to a lesser extent Lang son, Ba vi and Hoa Binh, hundreds of farmers have made enquires about growing macadamia and some have already purchased trees and started plantings Unfortunately the project team is not able to get a list of all these, however copies

of fact sheets will be made available to all the relevant enterprises that have indicated that they have received enquiries

A training workshop specifically for farmers is planned in Daklak for November This is now possible because the project has provided support and training for technicians and extension staff and because a large number of quality trees of select varieties will be available The project through the additional CARD small grant will provide fact sheets designed specifically for the new small grower and other education material to the participants Numbers of participants per session, will need be limited to 100 in order to maintain quality

of delivery However it is expected that the Daklak Macadamia Association, WASI, Vinamaca and other agencies and enterprises will pick up this training role into the future The project team will attempt to provide some support in 2011 and on if possible

5.3 Capacity Building

The capacity of the nursery project partners to produce quality macadamia trees has significantly increased over the five-year life of the project This is partly due to the project but also to the nurseries themselves by increasing their efforts in innovation and adopting new technology

The project has delivered 17 varieties of select scion wood including 10 best bet varieties from Australia and 4 from China They include 264, 344, 741, 849, 816, 842, 814, A4, A38, A16, A203, A268 and Daddow from Australia Guy Yan1, 695, 788, Own Choice (OC) were selected from China The nurseries themselves have also sourced additional varieties from China and Thailand including 508, 660, 900 and 800

All of the nurseries have attended the project training sessions and workshops and trialed many of the Australian techniques adopting those that best suited them, such as improved seed beds, grafting methods using the plane, and better potting mix They have in most case involved the staff in training by the project, with follow up training by their own trainers A comprehensive range of educational and extension material has been produced and

distributed by the project team This includes publications, training notes, and video and photo reports (Attachment A)

The state owned research centres, have focused more on experimental work, where as the private enterprises, including Long Phong Co, Ba vi Co, and Vinamaca Co have focused on cost effective expanded production The quality of stock produced by Long Phong and Vinamaca has been excellent

Research centres particularly WASI and FSI have excelled in their macadamia trials Both with input from the project and by their own efforts and innovation, they have developed research strategies that will provide significant information to help take the industry forward

on a sound footing Together with the private sector growers, they have demonstrated that macadamia can grow well in a number of regions of Vietnam, and they are well on the way

to identifying suitable varieties for these regions Details of this work are in the other project Milestone reports particularly MS11 and 12, submitted to CARD and available on the website http://www.card.com.vn and hard copies through the CETD office

It is too early to assess the efforts of the growers, however there are promising examples of successful young plantings undertaken by small farmers and larger plantation owners Small farmers such as Mr Thu, who gave a power point presentation at the Daklak workshop (Attachment A1) and Mr Dinh who spoke at the Hanoi workshop are good examples of what

is to come as the industry develops The new industry now has a significant number of growers and trees planted to be consider having important commercial potential (Table of growers and trees planted in Vietnam Attachment A2)

5.4 Publicity

There has been excellent TV and newspaper coverage of all of the workshops There have also been a number of national TV programs on which Mr Hung has promoted the macadamia industry and its potential This has enabled the general public in Vietnam to hear about the “delicious nut from Australia.”

There have been 2 Issues of the “Forest and life Magazine” that have comprehensively featured the macadamia nut

The highlight of project publicity was the Seminar and Press meeting held 23rd May in Hanoi

in the VIFA Head Office The Special Issue of the Magazine “Forest and Life” on Macadamia was launched at this meeting The meeting was attend by Vietnam Television

(VTV 2, VCTV), Vietnam Radio (Rural Program), News Bulletin of Vietnams Agriculture, Magazine Commerce, Magazine Rural Economics, Department Science & Technology , MARD, National Center for Agriculture Extension, MARD Prof Hoang Hoe and Kim

Wilson gave briefings followed by a question and answer session

Further media coverage is planned for the farmers training workshops in Daklak in November 2010

5.5 Project Management

Prof Hoang Hoe the Vietnamese project director, continues to communicate and involve the government and private sector project partners and others in the activities of the project particularly in the workshops, planning meetings and in overseeing the trial and nursery training sites He is also instrumental in bring together the interim macadamia association

members introducing constitutional options and concepts for the macadamia industry strategy In addition to this he is involved in research planning sessions with WASI and developing proposals for research priorities to MARD He has become key advisor to the private sector companies particularly Long Phong Co and Vinamaca Co

Martin Novak, the Australian project director has coordinated the activities with partners abroad and ensured project objectives are achieved He has involved the Australian partners

in project planning sessions and ensured delivery of technical information from Australia and Thailand He is principally involved, along with support from Prof Hoang Hoe, in the delivery of the project Milestones and all reports associated with these

It is envisaged that as this project comes to an end there will be a need for the formation of a body which will play a key role in managing developmental issues particularly in helping to balance the interests of all the stakeholders A Macadamia Association of Vietnam should be such a body and the project team has worked towards the formation of such a body

Now that the Macca Club, is no longer active since the death of its chairperson Mr Loc, focus has sifted to form an association in Daklak, where an interim committee has been formed whose membership includes the Vietnamese project director Prof Hoang Hoe, Mr Y Ly Chairman of the Ethic Union and representatives of WASI and Vinamaca Co

The Australian Constitution of the Macadamia Society has been translated into Vietnamese and sent it to the Mobilizing Board for the formation of Daklak Macadamia Association as a principal reference This committee has also collected other Constitutions including that of the Macadamia Club and related associations

The committee has also involved Mr Dinh Van Khiet, Vice – Chairman of the Dak Lak People’s Committee in the formation of Daklak Macadamia Association and received his support An official letter has been sent to the Dak Lak People’s Committee and DARD requesting approval for the formation of Dak Lak Macadamia Association Representatives

of the Interim committee including Mr Y Ly, representatives of Vinamaca Co, and WASI have met with the Mobilizing Board to discuss preparatory tasks for the formation of Daklak Macadamia Association

They have also had a meeting with thee Leader of Union of Science & Technology Associations of Daklak province represented by Mr Nguyen An Vinh, President and Mr Nguyen Quoc Tri, Vice-president Both of them supported the formation of the association and affirmed that once the Dak Lak Macadamia Association is established, it will be accepted as a member of the Union

Recommendations, guidelines and priorities are being developed for the association by the Australian project team Recommendations include:

• Form a research and development committee to facilitate and priorities research and help coordinate research bodies and activities

• Development of a macadamia tree database

• Membership fee structure needs to be set

• The association needs to represent all stakeholders of the industry

• The association needs to develop guidelines for nursery accreditation such as that of the South African model

• Serious consideration needs to be given to the association being a national association

from the start, rather than just representing Daklak

6 Report on Cross-Cutting Issues

6.1 Environment

Project participants have been monitoring and reporting on any environmental impacts, however, so far in Vietnam there continue to be no significant negative environmental impacts

FSI has the longest history of research into macadamia in Vietnam So far they have not found any significant problems relating to the impact on the environment In fact where agricultural activities that have significant negative impacts, such as the clearing and cultivating of steep land for annual corn crops in Son la, tree crops such as macadamia with perennial intercropping or ground covers would help with the degradation

The Australian experience shows that soil erosion, chemical runoff and noise pollution can become problems in areas that have more mature orchards Vietnams macadamia industry needs to plan for these potential problems well ahead of time As in Australia, this can be the role of the Macadamia Association to ensure any immerging issues are identified and then develop strategies to address these

6.2 Gender and Social Issues

There have been no new gender or social issues throughout the 5 years of the project other that the inequitable spread of gender roles As stated in earlier reports approximately half of technicians and workers in the nurseries are women They play an equal role to that of the men both in terms of work and capacity building However leadership is still dominated by men

The project leaders continue to encourage participating organizations to utilize the role of women, on their staff and in their workforce where possible

7 Implementation & Sustainability Issues

7.1 Issues and Constraints

Climatic factors and water availability can place constraints as to where macadamias can be grown Macadamia require minimum temperatures between 14 and 18 degrees for several days to initiate flowering, otherwise trees can grow well but do not flower (Attachment 3) Also high humidity or rain during flowering can cause problems with fungus on the flowers inhibiting fruit set This was noted in the northern provinces such as Lang son On the other hand hot and dry conditions during flowering can also inhibit nut set and cause premature nut drop It appears that water availability for irrigation may be critical when growing macadamia, however the amount of water required may not be as much as that needed for a crop such as coffee Comparative climatic data between Australian regions and regions in Vietnam have been made and are attached (Attachment 4)

The issue confronting small farmers in terms of relatively high costs to start and long time frames for cash flow to become positive, has been raised at workshops and press meetings This highlights the need for government or investor support for small farmers and also incentives for bigger players in the developmental stages of the macadamia industry Tax incentives were the kick-start to the macadamia industry in Australia Vietnam also needs some type of mechanism to address this problem

Minister Bong raised the issue of certification of varieties during meetings with the project leaders It appears that it maybe a requirement before MARD can undertake extension and other support It was pointed out by the Australian team that Australia has never had or needed this type of certification nor does it exist anywhere else in the world for macadamia The minister was advised that perhaps certification of nurseries could address the issue This

is something that is done in South Africa and the AMS is considering the implications of it for Australia (Attachment 5)

The project team continues to work towards the formation of a Macadamia Association for Vietnam, which can lead the industry as it develops This association will play a critical role

in development of a sustainable industry for Vietnam The progress to date in the formation

of such a body has been detailed above in Section 5.4

Providing the issues and constraints detailed above are tackled constructively the industry should continue to develop into the future

8 Next Critical Steps

The project is coming to an end in its formal stage, however the project team intends to do all

in its power to continue to support the industry in whatever way possible Some project funds should be able to be carried forward into next year and continue some of the training activities for farmers and nurseries There should also be opportunities to assist the formation and early phase of the Macadamia Association

The next critical steps for the remainder of this year will be supported by the Small Projects grant They include the following:

• Publication of a macadamia growers hand book detailing establishment and early tree management This will include information relating to cost and returns of macadamia nut orchards

• Production of a strategy and action plan for improved varieties of macadamia suitable for Vietnam

• Production of guidelines for Vietnamese Macadamia Association and establish a steering committee in Daklak