Environmental research

Phuoc Hoa is a coastal commune in Tuy Phuoc District, Binh Dinh Province located in the South Central Coast of Viet Nam. It is located at the confluence of two branches of Kon river pouring into Thi Nai Coastal Lagoon. It is a low lying and narrow delta with elevations from sea level in the range of 0.5-1.2 m and therefore has been subject to salt water intrusion and frequent flooding during rainy seasons (4 months in flooding). Rice production is the main income activity with 2 crops per year. Phuoc Hoa is mainly agricultural. The natural area is 2,001 ha, including 662 ha of agricultural area and most of which is for rice cultivation (Annual cultivation area is 994 ha) and 350 ponds of aquaculture. The commune population is 13,613 people. Income per capita is low, unstable and lower than 500,000 VND per month because rice is the main crop, other jobs are not available, and also environment pollution has affected the aquaculture. The rate of poor households is about 10% (compared to 5% as an average of the province). During the flood from the end of November 2008 to the beginning of Jannuary 2009, 520 ha of rice field; 317 ponds of aquaculture and 2,350 houses were waterlogged and damaged ; 70 houses were completely collapsed; 1,600 households needed aids; dyke and drainage system and irrigation works were badly damaged. According to forecasts from relevant national authorities, the commune will be among the area subject to serious flooding and salt water intrusion due to sea level rise. According to the forecast, by the end of this century, with 1m sea level rise, more than 80% of the agriculture and aquaculture area of the commune will be flooded. Life and food security of the community will be badly affected. In encountering those conditions described above, Phuoc Hoa commune community have to develop an adaptation plan and strategies to secure their livelihoods, in particular for sustainable rice production since this is the major source of food and income. In the light of the issues analyzed above, and taking into account climate change scenarios for the Central Coast in the coming years, it is crucial to test innovative ways in rice production to limit impacts of flooding and salt water intrusion, which pose immediate and long-term threats to rice production. Project approaches The project approach to strengthen the local adaptive capacity in rice production: 1. Raise awareness and understanding of the local governments and community about climate change, its impacts and adaptation strategies. 2. Test demonstration models for solutions to adapt to increasingly severely flooding and salt intrusion at the locality due to global climate change impacts. Results of the models are expected to prevent land degradation, increase land use efficiency, increase income, create more jobs and ensure food security. Issues related to the demonstration models that need to be taken into account are as follows: Give priority to crop recomposition models that have immediate and long term impacts of climate change on national and local agriculture and water and land resources. The models developed should be based on scientific information, which utilize results of previous research results and suit the local conditions. To support efforts to ensure food security and adapt to potential flooding threats caused by climate change to plain areas in Asian countries JICA has funded the IRRI to develop a research programme to select and create high yielding flood tolerant rice varieties. The research programme has been carried out at IRRI in cooperation with national research institutes from Bangladesh, India, Viet Nam, Laos, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia. In Viet Nam both Institute for Mekong River Delta Rice Research Institute and South and Central Coast Agriculture Science and Technology Institute are participating organizations to the programme. The programme basically collects genetic pool, carry out research, select and create flood tolerant rice varieties, and propose measures to manage flooded rice production and develop a methodology of participatory varieties selection (PVS) for testing in the field. Another activity associated with the programme will be participating nations and localities working together to develop models, based on the research results of IRRI and the participating national institutes, to help the farmers to actively participate in the process of rice variety selection for testing in the rice paddies, in order to rapidly apply the flood tolerant varieties that suit local conditions. These actions are ultimately aimed at secure self food supply when the land available for rice production has been flooded due to climate change. The objective of the project to be implemented at Phuoc Hoa Commune is to develop models applying flood tolerant rice varieties (4-5 varieties) that have been studied by IRRI in cooperation with the Binh Dinh-based South and Central Coastal Agriculture Science and Technology Institute (ASISOV). The demonstration models will be carried out utilizing the local farmers experiences in coping with flooding and after-flooding conditions. The models will use suitable rice varieties including 24SS, SH2, BM207, PC6, H43, H30 based on the results of province-level scientific research results implemented by the ASIVO during 2007-2009 in Binh Dinh Province. 3. On the basis of the results of the models, the project will distill lessons learnt and make recommendatio

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