ផ្សាយថ្ងៃទី 24 Jan 2025
(National Independent Newspaper, social media)
The Mekong River Delta (MRD) contributes 56% to Vietnam’s total domestic rice production and over 90% to Vietnam’s rice exports. More than 1.5 million hectares, more than half of the region’s total arable land, are used for rice production. Almost 80% of its 17 million people rely heavily on rice cultivation for their livelihoods. With this importance in the agricultural economy, the region’s rice production sector should be prepared for the challenges of climate change.
In recent years, the region has experienced salinity intrusion and droughts in the winter-spring season and floods in the autumn-winter season. El Niño and La Niña events have worsened the situation in the region. For example, in 2016, El Niño intensified the drought in the region, resulting in a loss of 700,000 tons of rice production.
To address these issues, the Department of Crop Production (DCP) together with the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) held a workshop on developing a response plan to cope with drought, salinity intrusion, and flooding in MRD’s agricultural areas. Using a regional integration perspective, participants developed an action plan on how to strengthen the rice production sector to respond to the impacts of climate change.
More than one hundred participants, including government officials from provincial and local government offices from each of the 13 provinces in the MRD region, representatives from key national institutions, and experts from national and international academic and research centers, attended the workshop held in Can Tho, Vietnam on 21 July 2017. This was a follow-up to related activities held in the MRD, such as: the 2016 El Niño Assessment Study; the first workshop on climate risk mapping held in November 2016; and separate provincial workshops held from March to May 2017.
The participatory development of a climate-smart risk map and adaptation plan (Climate-Smart MAP) for rice cropping systems was developed by CCAFS SEA to: seek a common understanding of flood and salinity risks; see how local knowledge can be used in developing risk maps; and identify gaps in methodology for further improvement.
Climate-Smart MAP was implemented in 13 provinces of the MRD from November 2016 to May 2017. Based on the input of researchers and experts, and indigenous knowledge about the topography, current infrastructure, hydrological management schemes, and provincial land use plans, risk maps on saltwater intrusion, drought, and flooding were created. Using these maps, each province developed an adaptation plan for their rice production system.
Dr. Leo Sebastian, Regional Leader of CCAFS-SEA, emphasized the role of using maps in addressing the impacts of climate change. He emphasized to the participants:
Maps open up many possibilities when adapting to climate change. Mapping may be simple, but it is a good starting point for a complex response that will evolve in the future.
He urged everyone to continue to improve the maps and use them, not only to address climate change issues, but most importantly to improve rice productivity.
Mapping the Issues
In the workshop, participants were divided into three groups based on the agro-ecological conditions of the provinces to discuss and revise the maps produced under the Climate-Smart MAP implementation. Several issues were identified by participants regarding the accuracy and relevance of the maps, the appropriateness of adaptation measures, and the impact of each provincial plan on each province and the region as a whole.
Regarding the maps, participants recognized the importance of updating some of the information. For example, the most recent land use map should be used as the base map for rice-based systems. They also suggested adding other risks besides crop yield reduction and including other climate change impacts, such as sea level rise. Water resource management and crop calendar adjustment were the most common action plans among the 13 provinces. Participants suggested the establishment of regional coordination committees to harmonize all proposed actions. Sharing resources and infrastructure (e.g. water, irrigation facilities) and information (e.g. planting schedules, water release schedules) would reduce conflicts among provinces.
Participants also called for improved forecasting systems, especially for weather-related events such as El Niño and La Niña. Weather information should be updated, relevant, and increasingly accessible to local governments and farmers.
Market information should also be included in the planning process. Participants emphasized that farmer income is also an important consideration in climate change adaptation actions.
Workshop participants formed small groups to discuss issues related to specific areas of the MRD. The group discussed the appropriateness of the adaptation measures and the implications of each provincial plan for each province and the region as a whole. Photo: Eisen Bernardo (CCAFS SEA)
Walking the right path
The DCP and provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development officials recognized the importance of risk mapping in preparing short, medium and long-term agricultural land use plans for each province, as well as for the MRD as a whole. In fact, in February 2017, the DCP issued an official directive requesting the MRD to develop an action plan for the practical implementation of the rice adaptation-based system and crop calendar.
In response to the DCP’s guidance, several provinces have implemented their proposed plans. For example, Tien Giang province has incorporated an adaptive rice system into its land use plan. To address the problems of saltwater intrusion and increased flooding, the province has begun to cut and change the crop system and calendar for its eastern districts. On the other hand, An Giang province decided to change the autumn-winter rice season earlier to ensure a safe harvest before the annual flood from October to November.
Despite the success in some provinces’ implementation, there are still many areas for improvement. In his message, Dr. Nguyen Hong Son, Director of DCP, believes that there are still ways to make the map better and more useful. (National Independent Newspaper, published on social media, for you to read for free. If you want to support our publication, please contact our ABA account, Khmer money number: 500 708 383, US dollar number: 003 662 119
(National Independent Newspaper, social media)
The Mekong River Delta (MRD) contributes 56% to Vietnam’s total domestic rice production and over 90% to Vietnam’s rice exports. More than 1.5 million hectares, more than half of the region’s total arable land, are used for rice production. Almost 80% of its 17 million people rely heavily on rice cultivation for their livelihoods. With this importance in the agricultural economy, the region’s rice production sector should be prepared for the challenges of climate change.
In recent years, the region has experienced salinity intrusion and droughts in the winter-spring season and floods in the autumn-winter season. El Niño and La Niña events have worsened the situation in the region. For example, in 2016, El Niño intensified the drought in the region, resulting in a loss of 700,000 tons of rice production.
To address these issues, the Department of Crop Production (DCP) together with the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) held a workshop on developing a response plan to cope with drought, salinity intrusion, and flooding in MRD’s agricultural areas. Using a regional integration perspective, participants developed an action plan on how to strengthen the rice production sector to respond to the impacts of climate change.
More than one hundred participants, including government officials from provincial and local government offices from each of the 13 provinces in the MRD region, representatives from key national institutions, and experts from national and international academic and research centers, attended the workshop held in Can Tho, Vietnam on 21 July 2017. This was a follow-up to related activities held in the MRD, such as: the 2016 El Niño Assessment Study; the first workshop on climate risk mapping held in November 2016; and separate provincial workshops held from March to May 2017.
The participatory development of a climate-smart risk map and adaptation plan (Climate-Smart MAP) for rice cropping systems was developed by CCAFS SEA to: seek a common understanding of flood and salinity risks; see how local knowledge can be used in developing risk maps; and identify gaps in methodology for further improvement.
Climate-Smart MAP was implemented in 13 provinces of the MRD from November 2016 to May 2017. Based on the input of researchers and experts, and indigenous knowledge about the topography, current infrastructure, hydrological management schemes, and provincial land use plans, risk maps on saltwater intrusion, drought, and flooding were created. Using these maps, each province developed an adaptation plan for their rice production system.
Dr. Leo Sebastian, Regional Leader of CCAFS-SEA, emphasized the role of using maps in addressing the impacts of climate change. He emphasized to the participants:
Maps open up many possibilities when adapting to climate change. Mapping may be simple, but it is a good starting point for a complex response that will evolve in the future.
He urged everyone to continue to improve the maps and use them, not only to address climate change issues, but most importantly to improve rice productivity.
Mapping the Issues
In the workshop, participants were divided into three groups based on the agro-ecological conditions of the provinces to discuss and revise the maps produced under the Climate-Smart MAP implementation. Several issues were identified by participants regarding the accuracy and relevance of the maps, the appropriateness of adaptation measures, and the impact of each provincial plan on each province and the region as a whole.
Regarding the maps, participants recognized the importance of updating some of the information. For example, the most recent land use map should be used as the base map for rice-based systems. They also suggested adding other risks besides crop yield reduction and including other climate change impacts, such as sea level rise. Water resource management and crop calendar adjustment were the most common action plans among the 13 provinces. Participants suggested the establishment of regional coordination committees to harmonize all proposed actions. Sharing resources and infrastructure (e.g. water, irrigation facilities) and information (e.g. planting schedules, water release schedules) would reduce conflicts among provinces.
Participants also called for improved forecasting systems, especially for weather-related events such as El Niño and La Niña. Weather information should be updated, relevant, and increasingly accessible to local governments and farmers.
Market information should also be included in the planning process. Participants emphasized that farmer income is also an important consideration in climate change adaptation actions.
Workshop participants formed small groups to discuss issues related to specific areas of the MRD. The group discussed the appropriateness of the adaptation measures and the implications of each provincial plan for each province and the region as a whole. Photo: Eisen Bernardo (CCAFS SEA)
Walking the right path
The DCP and provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development officials recognized the importance of risk mapping in preparing short, medium and long-term agricultural land use plans for each province, as well as for the MRD as a whole. In fact, in February 2017, the DCP issued an official directive requesting the MRD to develop an action plan for the practical implementation of the rice adaptation-based system and crop calendar.
In response to the DCP’s guidance, several provinces have implemented their proposed plans. For example, Tien Giang province has incorporated an adaptive rice system into its land use plan. To address the problems of saltwater intrusion and increased flooding, the province has begun to cut and change the crop system and calendar for its eastern districts. On the other hand, An Giang province decided to change the autumn-winter rice season earlier to ensure a safe harvest before the annual flood from October to November.
Despite the success in some provinces’ implementation, there are still many areas for improvement. In his message, Dr. Nguyen Hong Son, Director of DCP, believes that there are still ways to make the map better and more useful. (National Independent Newspaper, published on social media, for you to read for free. If you want to support our publication, please contact our ABA account, Khmer money number: 500 708 383, US dollar number: 003 662 119
Implementing climate-smart agriculture activities in the Mekong Delta
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