Improving the adaptive capacity to climate change
of rice production systems in the Mekong Delta Region
The rice production community in the Mekong Delta Region (MDR) will gain long term benefits from a new agricultural research project funded by the Australian Government, which will be carried out in this important food production region of Vietnam from today, 22nd February 2011.
This A$4 million project funded through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) will run for four years (2011–14). The research is a partnership between the International Rice Research Institute, Vietnamese and Australian Research centres and local authorities and farmers. The project is aiming to improving the adaptive capacity of rice production systems in the MDR, by providing farmers and management agencies with new technologies and practices that will provide resilience in the rice cropping system under the likely climatic changes faced from climate change.
A set of clear research objectives and methods have been designed by project partners building on previous research results and local knowledge and paying attention to the participation of all stakeholders, including farmers. The expected outputs from the research are:
• Improvement of rice germplasm for higher tolerance to stagnant flooding, salinity stress and anaerobic conditions during germination,
• Land use alternatives to sole rice systems that may either replace or be implemented in rotation with the rice crop for better income,
• Decision tools for farmers and key institutions,
• Soil management guidelines for nutrient cycling and inundation of acid sulphate soils,
• Evaluation of the extent of adaptive capacity and other benefits likely to result from a range of climate change adaptation options,
• Response strategies through land use planning for the predicted salinity and flooding changes, and
• Technologies and knowledge to improve food security in the Mekong Delta.
“The Australian Government is committed to supporting developing countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change. This is a high priority for the Australian Government and is one of the five priority areas of the Australia-Vietnam Development Co-operation Strategy. We understand how important the Mekong is to rice production not only in Vietnam but for the region, so this project is just one part of the Australian Government’s efforts to support global food security”, said Mr Graeme Swift, Australian Consul General.
“We anticipate this project to provide farmers with a set of new tools to help them modify their farming systems and have a greater selection of rice varieties and information to choose the right crop for the right year and minimise the risk of low yield and thus low income.” said Prof. Le Quang Tri, Vice Rector of CTU, the Director of Research Institute for Climate Change (DRAGON Institute-Mekong) and Vietnamese Project Leader.
About 80 participants are attending the inception workshop of the project held at Can Tho University on 22nd February. They are representatives of the project partners from Vietnam (Can Tho University, Institute of Agricultural Science for Southern Vietnam, Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute, and Southern Institute for Water Resource Planning); from Australia (Yanko Agricultural Institute, NSW and Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation—CSIRO); and from the International Rice Research Institute, the project leading agency. Additionally, there are leaders of four provinces, Can Tho, An Giang, Bac Lieu and Hau Giang, where project activities will be implemented; representatives from the related ministries (Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, and Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment), and representatives of the Australian Government from the Australian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and ACIAR also participate in the workshop.
ACIAR has funded more than 110 collaborative research projects in Vietnam since 1993 across different sectors in Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Agricultural Policy. There are 14 active projects under the ACIAR Vietnam program, focusing mostly in three regions: the Mekong Delta, South Central Coast and North West highlands, with current disbursement of about A$3.5 million/year.
Apart from the above mentioned project, ACIAR has supported a number of research projects related to rice in Vietnam, including: ‘Research on biofertilizer for rice production in Vietnam’ (2004–08); ‘Improving the efficiency and predictability of biological inhibitors to reduce nitrogen losses and enhance flooded rice productivity’ (1995–97); ‘Rodent control for rice production systems’ (1996–2009); ‘Research and implementation issues related to management of the brown planthopper / virus problem in rice in Vietnam’ (2007–08); ‘Rice-shrimp farming in the Mekong Delta: biophysical and socioeconomic issues’ (1997–2002); and ‘Effective Rice Drying and Storage methods with safe and reduced chemical use’.