The pilot project, covering 1 hectare of coffee in Son La, aims to optimize irrigation and fertilization, improve resource efficiency, and advance sustainable coffee production in Viet Nam.
On August 19, at Thiskyhall Sala Convention Center in Ho Chi Minh City, Priva Horticulture B.V. of the Netherlands, Golden Gate BCE GLOBAL Group of the Netherlands, and the Natural Sciences Company (HUSCO) under the University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, signed a Cooperation Agreement (CA) to pilot a precision irrigation and fertilization model for sustainable coffee production in Viet Nam.
Under the agreement, the project is expected to be implemented on approximately 1 hectare of coffee in Son La, one of Viet Nam’s key Arabica coffee-growing regions. The project aims to monitor water resources and nutrient status, thereby enabling precise control of the amount of water and nutrients delivered to the plant root zone, improving resource-use efficiency and establishing a technical basis for scaling up the model.
Representatives of the three parties sign the cooperation agreement to pilot a precision irrigation and fertilization model for sustainable coffee production in Viet Nam. Photo: HUSCO.Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Ngoc Anh, Director of HUSCO, said the cooperation agreement is significant as it concretizes the contents of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by HUSCO and Golden Gate BCE GLOBAL in early July. It also demonstrates the parties’ capacity and proactive efforts to identify opportunities for joint project development.
Amid climate change, declining water resources, and the need to transition to precision, resource-efficient agriculture, the technology system is expected to optimize water and fertilizer use while improving coffee quality. Precise control of moisture and nutrients in the root zone could improve bean quality, support a shift from volume-oriented to quality-focused production, increase product value, and better meet the requirements of international markets.
Notably, the system will also support the monitoring and control of carbon emissions during cultivation and will be piloted to assess the water footprint - indicators that are receiving increasing attention from European markets in sustainable agricultural supply chains.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Ngoc Anh, proactively integrating and testing these monitoring tools will help the parties anticipate trends in the European market, where requirements for environmental transparency, emissions reduction, and efficient resource use are increasingly becoming important conditions for market access.
Under the partnership, Priva Horticulture B.V. will serve as the technology partner, providing precision irrigation and fertilization solutions, control systems, sensors, and monitoring equipment, while also providing technical and agronomic support throughout the project. Golden Gate BCE GLOBAL will coordinate and manage the project and connect relevant stakeholders. HUSCO will oversee implementation, coordinate the provision of the project site and technical personnel, conduct research, develop evaluation indicators, collect data, and assess the potential for scaling up the model.
The agreement is expected to create opportunities to bring advanced European agricultural technologies into coffee production in Viet Nam, supporting more efficient resource use, climate change adaptation, and greater sustainability in the coffee sector.