Since 1989, rice production in Vietnam has made much progress. Yield and production increase each year, providing about 2 million t annually for export. Most of the progress in rice production, however, is in the fertile deltas with good irrigation systems and high input investments where modern rice varieties are used. However, due to poor transport infrastructure, the highland areas which occupy 72% of the land area remains under food shortage. Upland farmers resort to a slash-and-burn system in growing upland rice, but this has caused increasing loss of forest resources. It is concluded that there is an urgent need to develop appropriate technologies for upland rice production within a sustainable agroforestry system.
