Pesticide distribution and use in vegetableproduction in the Red River Delta ofVietnam

For a long time pesticides attracted interest from the Vietnamese governments and farmers for their positive effects inprotecting crop yield losses resulting from pests and other plant diseases. Recently, the negative effects of pesticides onhuman health, natural food chains and the environment are increasingly being taken into account by both state and non-stateactors. Striking a balance between positive and negative effects is complicated as, most likely, pesticides will continue tomaintain their vital role in an agriculture-based country such as Vietnam. However, recently a shift can be noticed infarmers’ selection and application of pesticides, initiated mainly by farmers themselves and to a lesser extent also by otheractors such as the government, pesticide companies and distributors. This article provides an empirical insight into this shift,based on the results from research in four provinces in the Red River Delta. Possible implications for policies towardgreening pesticide handling practices in vegetable production are drawn, such as removing inexpensive pesticides (oftenassociated with high toxicity) from the market, giving technical training on pesticide selection and use to farmers, andreconsidering the role different actors can play in future safe vegetable production programs.