Consumers increasingly care about where food comes from and how safe it is, while export markets impose ever stricter requirements. In this context, good agricultural practice standards such as VietGAP and GlobalGAP have become key tools that help producers demonstrate their produce is safe, traceable and responsibly grown.
What is GAP and why it matters
GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) is a set of principles, procedures and criteria that safeguard food safety, the environment, worker health and traceability in farming. Adopting GAP not only reduces pesticide residues and harmful microorganisms but also builds trust with buyers. For farmers and cooperatives, GAP certification marks the shift from habit-based production to documented, controlled processes.
How VietGAP and GlobalGAP differ
The two standards share a philosophy but differ in scope and rigour.
- VietGAP: a Vietnamese standard suited to domestic conditions and markets, and a convenient starting point.
- GlobalGAP: an international standard recognised by many importers and global retail chains, with more detailed and stringent requirements.
- Shared goals: food safety, record-keeping and traceability.
- Common path: many operators begin with VietGAP and upgrade to GlobalGAP when targeting exports.
Core criteria groups
Despite differences in detail, GAP standards focus on the same core areas.
- Food safety: management of pesticides, fertilisers, irrigation water and pre-harvest intervals.
- Traceability: batch coding, record-keeping and document retention.
- Environment: management of soil, water, waste and biodiversity.
- Worker health, safety and welfare.
Certification process and record-keeping
Certification usually begins with a gap assessment, followed by training, process development, implementation and thorough documentation. Once ready, an independent certification body audits the operation and issues a time-limited certificate with periodic surveillance. Throughout, field record-keeping is the backbone: every activity from planting and fertilising to spraying and harvest must be recorded honestly and systematically as evidence of compliance and the basis for traceability.
GAP certification is not a certificate to hang on the wall; it is a commitment to maintain production discipline in the field every day.
Market benefits and cooperative support
Applying and maintaining GAP raises product value and reputation, opens access to supermarkets, retail chains and export markets, and lowers food-safety risk. Cost and paperwork can, however, be barriers for smallholders. Group certification through cooperatives is often recommended to share costs and knowledge, with technical-support organisations playing a vital role in training, record systems and documentation.
Committed to helping farmers and cooperatives strengthen their production capacity, ASTRI Institute prioritises training and advisory work on good agricultural practices, supporting process design, record systems and certification readiness so that Vietnamese produce becomes safer and reaches further in the market.