The proliferating utilization of plastic and its derivate in agricultural, forestry, and fisheries production, transportation, processing, storage and commercialization systems is increasingly posing a global threat to the environment, the natural resources sustainability, and the eco-systems around the world, be it terrestrial or aquatic and marine eco-systems, and thereby also to human and animal health. This is no different in Vietnam as a predominantly agricultural country in which up to 75 percent of the population depend either directly or indirectly on the agriculture-food sector, and where agriculture and fisheries/aquaculture systems are intensive. For contributing to the development of true ecologically sustainable farming and fisheries/aquaculture systems it is pivotal to embark on a process to gradually achieve a pollutant and plastic free sector environment. As a starting point it is fundamental (a) to generate an in-depth understanding on the specific types of plastic/derivatives utilized at the various levels/areas of the farming and fisheries systems, (b) to quantify their utilization using specific parameters, (c) to verify and quantify the related impacts/damages caused to terrestrial and aquatic/marine ecosystems, and (d) to search for strategies, concepts and pragmatic alternatives to replace those plastic/derivatives by eco-friendly alternatives and through systems changes (including circular/recycling systems).
