The global warming leading to climate change causes direct impacts on climate resources, land resources, water resources and biological resources, thus, enormously influencing agriculture, aquaculture and livestock husbandry. Climate smart agriculture (CSA) is one of adaptation measures to climate change impacts on sustainability.
Many opportunities
CSA aims to enhance the resilience to climate change of agricultural systems to help stabilise food security, integrate with adaptability and mitigate climate change impacts as well as build sustainable agriculture.” (FAO, 2013)
To adapt to climate change and ensure food security and agricultural sustainability, the government adopted the “National Target Programme to Respond to Climate Change and Rising Sea Level” and “Green Growth Strategy in 2011-2020, with a vision to 2050″ as well as developed organic farming methods and safe agriculture in Vietnam together with international organisations. To develop green agriculture, sustainable agricultural development usually focuses on such technologies as preventing soil erosion, protecting soil and soil moisture, calculating farming possibility and terrace field methods for sloping terrains to increase vegetation covers; adopting active irrigation by building reservoirs and applying more effective methods like spraying and dripping; designing complete processes of fertilisation, nutrition and wastewater treatment.
Besides, smart climate agricultural development in Vietnam has a lot of advantages thanks to the development care of agricultural authorities as well as increased investment of international funds for environment and climate change adaptation. Vietnamese companies also have opportunities to take part in locally planned agricultural development as well as opportunities to access soft loans or non-refundable aids for agricultural practices towards environmental protection and adaptation to climate change from the UK Aid, the Australian Aid, the World Bank and the ADB through Vietnam Business Challenge Fund (VBCF), Vietnam Inclusive Innovation Project (VIIP ) and other projects financed by the World Bank and coordinated by the Ministry of Planning and Investment.
Challenges
However, developing climate smart agriculture in Vietnam is facing with numerous challenges. Climate smart agricultural development not only requires a full legal basis but also needs a synchronous technological development, raises risk management and risk forecast systems as well as strengthens international cooperation and promotes mass participation of the private sector in agricultural production through public – private partnership (PPP) to expand economic opportunities for the private sector to engage in agricultural supply chains to ensure an efficient agricultural production.
The cooperation pattern of authorities, scientists, enterprises and farmers is a typical example of public-private partnership that needs to be expanded in agricultural production. Although this pattern has been known for long, it has not been widely applied to agriculture because of following obstacles: There is not a favourable environment for the engagement of the private sector in agricultural production; agriculture requires huge investment capital but capital recovery is slow and profitability needs time.
Besides, the challenge comes from the lack of synchronization due to indefinite contracts. Farmers easily break contracts signed to sell their products to merchants who offer higher prices. Moreover, farming scientific and technical improvements in Vietnam are lagged behind advanced countries and the process of technology transfer from foreign counties to Vietnam is expensive.
Vietnam is one of the largest rice exporters in the world. Climate change impacts on food production in Vietnam affect not only Vietnam but also food security in the region and the world. The food security is becoming increasingly complex as the world population continues to rise (estimated to reach 8.2 billion in 2025 and nearly 9.6 billion in 2050- United Nations, 2013) while agricultural production worldwide is being affected by climate change. Vietnam should grasp every opportunity to promote regulation of green and adaptive agricultural economy as well as support small and medium-sized enterprises to take part in global value chains that look towards sustainable development.
PhD, Prof Nguyen Huu Ninh – Hoang Thi Bich Hop
Centre for Environment Research, Education and Development (CERED)
Đăng ký: VietNam News
