IFAD supports Vietnamese farmers in adapting to climate change and improving their livelihoods.

Through the international project "South-South Cooperation to Scal Up Climate Change Adaptation Value Chain Initiatives," the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) supports farmers in many mountainous provinces in Northern Vietnam and the Mekong Delta to achieve stable incomes and improve their livelihoods.

Cao Bo commune, Vi Xuyen district, Ha Giang province is famous for its Shan Tuyet tea trees – the oldest tea trees in Vietnam. Like many other farmers in the commune, the family of Mr. Hoang Tinh Kiem (Tham Ve village, Cao Bo commune) relies on tea cultivation as their main source of income, with three harvests per year. However, in recent years, increasingly harsh climate change, with erratic sunshine and rain, has reduced the value and quality of the tea.

Mr. Kiem received support and opportunities to participate in training courses on the transfer of advanced scientific and technical knowledge in tea production and processing, through which he gained knowledge about tea production adapted to climate change.

[caption id="attachment_431547" align="aligncenter" width="768"] Cao Bo commune, Vi Xuyen district, Ha Giang province currently has 1,000 hectares of Shan Tuyet tea. Photo: hagiang.gov.vn

In early 2019, he joined the Tham Ve 2 village tea processing cooperative. When the cooperative received 100 million VND in support from the "Poverty Reduction Based on Commodity Development Project of Ha Giang Province," Mr. Kiem built a drying house and purchased a tea roasting and drying machine. He also promoted the cooperative's tea products through various sales channels such as Facebook and Zalo, established relationships with tea shops inside and outside the province, and exported tea to China with the help of local authorities.

Also in Ha Giang, with the support of IFAD, the Phin Ho Tea Cooperative (in Thong Nguyen commune, Hoang Su Phu district) has been producing organic tea combined with deep processing to create high-quality, premium products.

The cooperative has also expanded its processing links with over 1,000 households through interest groups, strictly adhering to Vietnamese and European organic production and processing standards. In recent years, the cooperative has exported organic tea to Taiwan and Europe.

In Ha Giang, several other models have been selected for replication, such as: the model of raising carp in terraced rice fields in Hoang Su Phi district; the model of purchasing and processing peanut oil; the model of linking the cultivation, harvesting, and preliminary processing of medicinal herbs in Bac Quang district; the model of linking the production, processing, and consumption of products from wild bitter melon in Xin Man district; the model of beekeeping and preliminary processing and packaging of mint honey; the model of growing melons in greenhouses in Vi Xuyen district...

In Cao Bang, to cope with the harsh winter weather and proactively secure feed for cattle and other livestock, many farmers in Ha Quang district have switched from free-range farming to climate-adaptive farming. Cattle are kept in enclosures, and grass cultivation is combined to ensure a supply of both roughage and concentrate feed, preventing livestock from lacking food during the cold season.

To date, this model has been replicated in 30 communes across three mountainous districts of Cao Bang province. In addition, Cao Bang has many other models: processing black jelly; linking peanut seed production; products from bamboo poles; fermenting animal feed; organic tea production linked to ecotourism...

[caption id="attachment_431559" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Ben Tre develops organic coconut raw material area, increasing production value. Photo: VNA

In Ben Tre, with its ability to tolerate salinity levels of 4-5‰, coconut trees are less affected by saltwater intrusion compared to other perennial crops. The organic coconut production and processing model of Beinco Company is one of nine agricultural value chain models in Ben Tre province selected by the project.

Beinco Company is investing in a public-private partnership model to build a coconut processing plant, and is promoting trade activities to expand its market. This includes training farmers in organic coconut farming techniques and establishing linkages with cooperatives and associations in Mo Cay Bac and Giong Trom districts.

Besides the organic coconut farming model, Ben Tre has many other models selected by the project for replication, such as: drying bananas in greenhouses; digging ponds to store freshwater; raising sea ducks, breeding goats; sustainable clam farming supply chains, etc.

These models are part of the international project "South-South Cooperation to Scal Up Climate Change Adaptation Value Chain Initiatives," funded by IFAD, the United Nations agency for rural development, and implemented in four countries: China, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

With effective cooperation spanning over four decades, IFAD has actively supported poverty reduction and rural development in Vietnam, especially in mountainous and particularly disadvantaged areas, and is currently implementing numerous projects on smart agriculture and climate change adaptation.

Minh Thai