With the topic “Roles of rice in community livings”, the rice seed fair attracted exhibition of over 10  stores including local pure rice seeds, daily diversified products, foods processed from rice (such as traditional local rice cakes and sticky rice) provided by farmers from different villages of 8 districts of the province. This is also a chance for farmer groups, the Department of Plantation and Plant Projection and Centres of Learning Community of Thuong Giao and Xuat Hoa communes to introduce and promote local rice seeds which adapt well with different ecological sub-regions and have been opted by local people. The fair then attracted attention of local authorities, scientists, provincial and external decision-makers to enhance recognition of the role of farmers on households’ seeds system to ensure conservation and diversified development of local rice genetic resources.

Apart from participation of farmers and officials of Bac Kan, representatives of farmers and local leaders of neighbouring provinces (Hoa Binh, Thai Nguyen and Phu Tho) also joined to the event to exchange rice seeds with Bac Kan farmers. Their presence at the fair is a strong statement of the role of farmers in conservation and recovering local pure rice seeds. The reports presented by farmers and scientist have also reaffirm the importance of rice as a crucial food crop of the country and the main livelihood of over 80% Vietnamese farmers as well.

Besides exhibitions, an exciting competition “Best rice grower” was organized among farmers to honour the farmers with full knowledge on conservation, selection, plant projection skills. Participants of the fair also visited 3,000 m2 of experimenting field with over 13 sorts of rice seed currently selected, conservated and multiplicated by local farmers. There was also a fantastic music performance with contribution of staff of PPPSD and farmers.

With active and highly enthusiastic participation of farmers and local agencies, the Farmer’s Rice Seed Fair” has created opportunities for exchanges and discussion on rice seed development among farmers, local authorities (PPPSD, Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, People committees, People councils), provincial and external seed companies. In addition, with support of Insitutie for Agricultural and Forestry Research in Northern mountainous areas, perspective for cooperation, application of technologies on conservation of rice genetic resources would promisingly be expanded.  The contract of rice seed production among the Joint Stock Company of Agricultural Materials of Bac Kan and 18 farmers of different groups of the project is a basis to enhance cooperation of farmers and business-undertakers.

The successfully-organized fair is also a catalyst for SRD and PPPSD in mobilizing supports of local leaders on development of the system of household seeds which aims at empowering farmers to self-manage diversifed rice seed resources, in particular respond to climate change at each specific local ecological subregion.