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| Smallholder farming households affected by floods in Quang Binh Province receive aid from Belgium – PHOTO: COURTESY OF EMBASSY OF BELGIUM |
The Embassy of Belgium and the FAO on December 29 jointly held a cash handover ceremony to support vulnerable smallholder farming households affected by the recent floods in Vietnam.
The support is in the form of cash transfers and each affected household will receive the support to purchase livestock breeders, feed and other farming supplies.
Since October 2020, the central region of Vietnam has experienced prolonged heavy rains along with three tropical storms as well as typhoons. The combined storms have caused severe and widespread flooding and landslides, severely damaging the crops and livestock of the farmers.
“It is very important that smallholder farmer families who lost their livestock are able to resume their livelihoods as soon as possible, so they don’t face poverty and food insecurity. With today’s cash transfers, we hope to give the farmers the necessary quick support to overcome the impact of the floods,” said Ivo Hooghe, Chargé d’affaires of the Belgian Embassy.
The provincial Red Cross Chapters has helped select the beneficiaries for the project. The cash is channelled through the provinces’ post offices to be delivered to the selected beneficiaries.
“This support is vital to help farmers get back on their feet to not only rebuild and recover but to safeguard their livelihoods and food security,” said Rana Flowers, FAO Representative ad interim.
As long-standing partners in development cooperation, Belgium and Vietnam have been nurturing bilateral ties in different sectors. This immediate action is an occasion for Belgium to reiterate its support toward sustainable development and to continue its support for Vietnam to respond effectively to the challenges of climate change.
