The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) of Vietnam awarded a Certificate of Merit to the CGIAR Initiative on Asian Mega-Deltas (AMD) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) for their outstanding performance in implementing AMD, contributing to the sustainable development of the country’s agriculture and rural development sector.
During the inaugural session of the AMD’s Annual Meeting and Pause, Reflect, and Plan Workshop in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 27 February 2024, a special awarding ceremony was held to present the award.
Dr. Dao The Anh, Vice President of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences-MARD, presented the award to IRRI and AMD through Dr. Bjoern Ole Sander and Dr. Khondker Murshed-e-Jahan, lead and co-lead of AMD, respectively.
Dr. Anh highlighted that the implementation of AMD is very timely as the government, especially MARD, needs support in finding solutions to address the challenges towards an integrated and sustainable management of the Mekong River Delta (MRD).
He stressed that “For almost 3 years of AMD in Vietnam, we appreciate the work that AMD has done, particularly the collaboration and coordination among the various CGIAR Centers, international and local partners, and other relevant stakeholders, including farmers.”
In his acceptance speech, Dr. Sander expressed AMD and IRRI’s gratitude to MARD for the recognition. “With a long history of working with our partners in Vietnam, we are very happy that we are working together on programs that are delivering more impact to our farmers on the ground,” Dr. Sander said.
Recently, IRRI and AMD worked with MARD to develop the principles of the “Sustainable Development of One Million Hectares of High Quality and Low-Emission Rice Associated with Green Growth in The Mekong River Delta By 2030” program. This program aims for the rice sector to adapt to climate change, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and contribute to fulfilling Vietnam’s international mitigation commitments, including achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
IRRI and AMD contributed significantly to the development of the 1M Hectare Rice Program by providing technical inputs and organizing related events such as the Regional Workshop on High-Quality and Low-Emission Rice Transformation, program launch, and field demonstrations.
Dr. Sander added that the award comes with expectations saying that “we are not walking away, but we will continue our support to our partners in Vietnam, particularly, in view of the 1M Hectares program”. He shared the award with all the CGIAR centers working under AMD and encouraged the commitment of “continuing the work in Vietnam, for the Vietnamese farmers.”
Additionally, the Department of Crop Production (DCP) launched the DCP-MARD Decision on the National Technical Innovation on Mechanized Rice Straw Management towards Low Emission and Circular Economy and the hands-on manual on this AMD innovation. which is to support the adoption and scaling of rice straw management technology across the MRD region. Mr. Nguyen Van Vuong, Head of the Food and Crop Division, DCP-MARD led the launching ceremony of the MARD’s Decision and manual.
The manual, which was published by DCP and IRRI and supported by the AMD Initiative, introduces readers to the characteristics of rice straw, the current status of its treatment, and the management process for using rice straw in a circular way to reduce GHG emissions in rice production. The manual will be a handbook for farmers, extension officers, cooperatives, and others who are interested in rice production that is associated with circular greenhouse gas emission reduction.
Copies of the manual were also handed over to representatives of government agencies, international organizations, and CGIAR centers who were present at the event.
DOWNLOAD the manual here.
