International collaboration drives Vietnam’s low-emission rice program

SOC TRANG, Vietnam, 21 November 2024 – Co-organized by the Department of Crop Production-Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (DCP-MARD) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), a consultation meeting was held to discuss opportunities and cooperation to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Project for 1 Million Hectares of High-Quality and Low-Emission Rice in the Mekong Delta by 2030 (1mHa Program).

The event was held at Hung Loi Agricultural Cooperative, Long Duc Commune, Long Phu District in Soc Trang, where participants visited one of the 1mHa Program’s pilot fields.

Leading the discussions were representatives from various stakeholders, including Mr. Le Thanh Tung, Deputy Director of DCP-MARD, Mr. Tran Tan Phuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Soc Trang, leaders of the People’s Committee of Long Phu District, and Ms. Elizabeth Cameron, Senior Adviser on Agriculture – Climate Finance at the New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade (MFAT).

Mr. Tung reported on the 1mHa Program’s activities and accomplishments. Soc Trang piloted the model at Hung Loi Agricultural Cooperative on a 50-hectare area, implementing the certified ST25 seed variety with a 105-day growth period in the Summer-Autumn rice crop of 2024. Compared to traditional methods, the pilot model reduced production costs by over 5.3 million VND/ha and increased profits by over 5.2 million VND/ha. Additionally, greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by 3,996 kg CO2 equivalent/ha/crop, a 29.6% decrease.

Soc Trang province is expanding the model to various rice production areas. The province hopes for continued international support to successfully implement the 1mHa Program.

After the consultation meeting in Soc Trang, the participants visited the New Green Farm Cooperative in Can Tho City. There, they observed a successful pilot test of a rice straw-based circular economy model.

Under the CGIAR Initiative on Asian Mega-Deltas, supported by New Zealand’s MFAT, IRRI established this circular model in the cooperative. The model transforms rice straw into valuable products such as organic fertilizer, animal feed, and even mushrooms. The cooperative has successfully adopted mechanized rice straw composting and innovative indoor and outdoor mushroom cultivation techniques, which have already yielded direct benefits for the farmers.

Ms. Elizabeth Cameron of MFAT commended the pilot field’s and the circular model’s effectiveness and success, highlighting its potential for large-scale adoption in the 1mHa Program’s model of sustainable, high-quality, and low-emission rice production.

This work is part of the CGIAR Initiatives on Excellence in Agronomy and Asian Mega-Deltas.