Climate change impacts in the Mekong Delta and adaptation of rice production systems

By Reiner Wassmann
Coordinator, Climate Change Research
Crop and Environmental Sciences Division
IRRI

and

Ngo Dang Phong
Postdoctoral Fellow (based in Vietnam as Project Facilitator, CLUES Project),
Crop and Environmental Sciences Division
IRRI

16 October 2014, Thursday
1:15-2:15 p.m.
Havener Auditorium
IRRI

Abstract:

This presentation reviews the overall concept and available results of the CLUES (Climate Change affecting Land Use in the Mekong Delta: Adaptation of Rice-based Cropping Systems) Project, an inter-disciplinary research effort conducted by IRRI in collaboration with Vietnamese and Australian partners (funded by ACIAR). Based on a hydrological impact assessment of sea level rise in the Mekong Delta, the project assesses adaptation through cultivar selection and breeding, alongside improved crop management options. Socioeconomic studies reveal vulnerabilities of different farmer groups and their perception of distinct adaptation strategies. The project also provides guidelines for spatial adaptation planning, with a focus on one province (Bac Lieu) as a case study. While the concept of CLUES has been conceived for the Mekong Delta, the research approach and some of the basic lessons learned can also be applied to other mega-deltas of Asia.