The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR and World Agroforestry (ICRAF) joined forces in 2019, leveraging a combined 65 years’ experience in research on the role of forests and trees in solving critical global challenges.
Introduction of climate-smart agriculture in a vulnerable province has improved incomes and the environment and contributed to the Paris Agreement.
The Government of Viet Nam confirmed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change on 3 November 2016, indicating the country’s willingness to make ‘nationally determined contributions’ to achieving the agreed reductions in emission of greenhouse gases.
To assist the Government, the German Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety through its International Climate Initiative approved funding of a new project, Support the Implementation of the Paris Agreement in Viet Nam, co-funded by the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
As part of this project, the province of Ha Tinh was selected as a test site for a sub-project to implement ecosystem-based adaptation through climate-smart agriculture and climate-risk management for poor households in vulnerable districts. Ha Tinh features some of the most difficult climatic conditions in the country. The sub-project is led by World Agroforestry (ICRAF), October 2019–June 2022.
‘We worked with farmers and Government agencies to test five different types of climate-smart agriculture that had potential for wider uptake,’ said Le Thi Tam, the manager of the sub-project and a researcher with ICRAF Viet Nam. ‘These aim to reduce emissions and make farmers more resilient to climatic changes, both of which are targets of the Paris Agreement. We had 2039 households with more than 9000 individuals, roughly 50/50 women and men, in Huong Son, Huong Khe, Ky Anh and Can Loc districts involved in tests of five new practices on their farms, a homegarden improvement programme in collaboration with the Farmers Union, development of agro-climatic information services, expansion of village savings and loans for agriculture groups, attending technical training and learning how to market their products.’
Le and her team worked with farmers to develop the five new practices, including improved production of honey, achieving an average of 6 litres per beehive per year, which was 1.5 times higher than from the usual practices in the area, at an average sale price of USD 10.90 per litre, generating more than USD 14,000 for the participating households.
‘We used biological pest-control methods rather than chemical ones, diversified with more crops and trees so as to have more flowers throughout the year for honey production and pollination and improve honey quality and income,’ said Nguyen Thi Thanh, a farmer in Can Loc District.
The second climate-smart agricultural practice introduced to farmers was rotation of the local ‘tam’ onion and mung bean, leading to increased yields and income. In one cropping season during 2020–2021, onion yielded an average 11 tonnes per hectare and mung bean an average 1.4 tonnes. Total income was about USD 3422 per hectare per year.
The team also helped improve prawn and fish rotation, incorporating fruit and timber trees to block wind and dust, reduce air pollution, provide shade and increase incomes. Support available to farmers, as well as technical training in the rotation method, included provision of fingerlings, feed, probiotics if required, oxygen fan, and pH measurement tool. Farmers were able to harvest more than 3000 kg of prawns between October and December 2021, sold at the farm-gate price of USD 11.40 per kg, realizing revenue per hectare of USD 17,739. New income will come from sale of the fish, fruit and timber when the fish and trees reach harvestable ages.
Guinea grass for livestock feed and sale has also been introduced. One hectare of the grass can provide enough feed for 10 adult cattle per year, based on a daily intake of 40 kg of fresh grass per head. The grass can be intercropped in agroforestry systems, on farm borders and homegardens. Total revenue from sale by the participating households was about USD 2435 per hectare per year.
‘We abandoned this field due to hot spells and drought during the summer season but now the grass grows well even under the multiple climatic hazards that occurred during 2020–2021, such as hot spells, drought, cold spells and whirlwinds, and produces enough fodder for our five cattle’, said Nguyen Ke Hoach, a farmer in Huong Son District.
With the homegarden programme with the Farmers Union, farmers planted fruit trees, such as orange, pomelo, guava and jackfruit, intercropped with various high-value crops, such as pineapple and pinto peanut (Arachis pintoi). They received training in specialized subjects, such as tree management. Many farmers have expanded the area of pinto peanut to use as fodder for livestock. Pinto peanut also reduces the need for irrigation owing to its ground-covering quality that restricts soil-water loss, controls growth of weeds, provides ‘green manure’ and attracts biological pest predators. Pineapple and fruit trees planted along contour lines and on terraces helped reduce soil erosion caused by heavy rain.
The homegarden farmers regularly followed the weather forecasts from the agro-climatic information service to adjust management during hot and cold spells, such as irrigating early in the morning, mulching with crop residues and palm leaves, and ensuring good ground cover. They also use biological control of pests and diseases, such as lime, insect traps, and covering trees with nets and fruit with paper bags. Incomes improved from sale of the fruit and annual crops.
The practices have now been formally integrated into the Ha Tinh Farmers Union’s 2022 plan and the Ha Tinh Extension Centre’s provincial digital transformation programme.
Improvement in management of all five introduced practices has been aided by the agro-climatic information service, which was developed participatorily with households, Farmers Union, the research team, local government agencies and the provincial Ha Tinh Hydro-meteorological Centre.
’We used agro-advisories and 10-day weather forecasts to time our crop planting and pomelo pollination during the winter–spring season, which helped avoid damages due to long cold spells and rain’, said Nguyen Duy Toan and Phan Thi Thuy, farmers in Can Loc District.
All of these activities were supported by building the capacity of everyone involved to manage the new practices. ICRAF, Ha Tinh Extension Centre and the Ha Tinh Farmers Union held 55 technical training sessions, training in PhotoVoice (a form of feedback and monitoring) and also sessions on orientation to ecosystem-based adaptation, climate-smart agriculture and agro-climatic information services. Nearly 3000 people attended (about 50/50 women and men).
A critical component in the sub-project has been the establishment of village savings and loans for agriculture groups. As of January 2022, 24 groups were up and running with 592 members (about 51% women and 49% men). These groups have saved a total of USD 11,800, of which USD 10,117 serves as loans to 58 members to implement climate-smart agriculture, primarily for establishing fruit-tree agroforestry and livestock raising, such as chickens, buffaloes and pigs, in homegardens, using the waste for composting. The groups use online messaging to share information between members and technical staff.
As for marketing, between September and December 2021, over 900 households were assisted in selling 527.50 tonnes of products, mainly pomelos and oranges, to 16 agricultural stores; 70 cooperatives, government departments, banks and universities; and 1200 individual consumers and traders through several promotional activities. The average selling prices were at least 30% higher than without the sub-project’s support. For example, the average selling prices of orange and pomelo with sub-project support were USD 0.95 and USD 1.05 per kg, respectively, compared to USD 0.43 and USD 0.65 per kg without support.
Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Le and team have made remarkable steps toward improving the incomes and environment of large numbers of farmers in the province.
Read more
NEWSLETTER: Support the Implementation of the Paris Agreement in Viet Nam
NEWSLETTER: Bản tin dự án SIPA
Climate-smart Agriculture in Ha Tinh province, Vietnam
Portfolio of climate-smart agriculture practices from nos 5–9
Standard designs for fruit-tree-based agroforestry systems on flat land and sloping land
Technical guide on local beekeeping (in Vietnamese)
Technical guide on planting and management of local ‘tam’ onion (in Vietnamese)
Technical guide on planting and management of orange (in Vietnamese)
Technical guide on raising ‘male’ giant freshwater prawn (in Vietnamese)
Diversity of agroforestry practices in Viet Nam
We can forecast weather and prepare our farm better
Gender, labor migration and changes in small-scale farming on Vietnam's north-central coast
World Agroforestry (ICRAF) is a centre of scientific and development excellence that harnesses the benefits of trees for people and the environment. Knowledge produced by ICRAF enables governments, development agencies and farmers to utilize the power of trees to make farming and livelihoods more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable at multiple scales. ICRAF is one of the 15 members of the CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future. We thank all donors who support research in development through their contributions to the CGIAR Fund.