Vietnam/Green Climate Fund funds agricultural resilience project in Central Vietnam

A climate change adaptation project was launched on Friday 15 October to strengthen the resilience of smallholder farms to climate change-induced water insecurity in the Central Highlands and Southern Coastal region.

Funded with USD 30 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), it was launched by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), covering the five provinces of Dak Lak, Dak Nông, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuân and Binh Thuân.

More than 500,000 people, more than 50% of whom are women, will directly and indirectly benefit from the project, which will be implemented from 2021 to 2026.

The project is designed to empower vulnerable smallholders in the target provinces - especially women and ethnic minority farmers - to manage increasing climate risks to agricultural production by ensuring the availability water availability, adopting climate-resilient farming practices and increasing access to actionable agro-climatic information, credit and markets.

To address water insecurity, the project will support smallholder farmers, whose incomes do not allow them to invest in climate resilient inputs, technologies or infrastructure to effectively cope with the impacts of droughts, to directly address the need for water and sanitation.The project will support small-scale farmers, whose incomes do not allow them to invest in inputs, technologies or infrastructure that improve climate resilience to cope effectively with the impacts of droughts, to directly address the need for investments in the latest connections to the larger irrigation infrastructure invested by the government with funding from the Asian Development Bank. Similarly, farmers in rainfed areas will benefit from the upgrading and construction of 1,159 climate-resilient ponds.

Farmers will receive training on climate risk management for their agro-ecosystems by applying climate-resilient soil and crop management and planning practices to enhance water security investments. They will also receive technical advice and financial support on climate smart and resilient farming practices to improve production and increase yields.

Farmers will be engaged in the co-development of localized agro-climatic information in the form of advisories, through which they will be able to synthesize traditional knowledge with contemporary scientific information to manage risks at the local level.

The project will enable farmers to address production problems and bottlenecks, access credit, negotiate contractual arrangements and easily access existing markets through the promotion of value chain partnerships.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyên Hoàng Hiêp said the project reflected the strong commitment and efforts of the Government of Vietnam, one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, to support the development of a sustainable agriculture sector.The project reflects the strong commitment and efforts of the Government of Vietnam, one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, to support vulnerable communities, ethnic minority groups, poor farmers, women and men to be resilient to climate change in the new situation with the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This new project is in addition to the ongoing GCF project that UNDP is supporting in 28 coastal provinces to build the resilience of poor communities vulnerable to floods and storms. Vietnam," said Terence D. Jones, acting UNDP Resident Representative.

Source: www.lecourrier.vn