Mekong - U.S. Partnership
A team of specialists from Vietnam’s Can Tho University, the United States Agency for International Development’s Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change project (USAID Mekong ARCC) and other USAID Mekong ARCC partners conducted a gap analysis of rice/shrimp aquaculture systems in the Thuan Hoa commune in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta.
They assessed farming practices and interviewed farmers cultivating rice and shrimp as well as government officials from the province, district and commune. The team is working to refine the adaptation options previously identified in a livelihood and vulnerability assessment conducted by the Asian Management and Development Institute and Vietnam Red Cross.
Initial results from the gap assessment reveal that farming techniques, such as alternating cultivation of rice and shrimp culture in the same fields, are being affected by shifting rainfall and temperature patterns and, in particular, increases in salinity from sea level rise associated with climate change. The assessment identified simple adjustments to existing practices that can help farmers better manage the rice/shrimp production cycle.
USAID Mekong ARCC will continue to work with these farmers and with Thuan Hoa commune officials to pilot adaptation options that help address climate change impacts on local livelihoods.
Source: USAID/RDMA Regional Environment Office Weekly Update
