Vietnam is also considering rice to release methane within the climate crisis | Agricultural Issues

Mekong Delta, Vietnam – At the United Nations COP26 summit in Scotland, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh joined 109 countries with a promise to reduce methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030.

To achieve this commitment, Southeast Asia needs to focus on rice – one of the world’s most important sources of food and sustainable food – and the second most important source of greenhouse gas emissions.

The heart of Vietnam’s rice is located in the Mekong Delta region of the country known as the country’s “rice dish”. More than 50 percent of the country’s total rice and 95 percent of its exports are grown here, in an area equal to the Netherlands.

But rice farming in the Mekong faces two challenges – not only does it produce air but also sea level is associated with climate change, as well as man-made products, which make it difficult to cultivate in low-lying areas. region.

Tran Dung Nhan grew up on a rice farm in Tra Vinh province off the coast of the southern Mekong Delta.

Drought, floods, rising sea levels, and salty infiltration in the paddy fields required of his paddy fields have ruined his meager income.

The family farm managed to produce three crops a year. Now, it is difficult to produce even one – and even then, the yield is less certain.

“I can clearly see the effects of climate change on our fields. “The water is becoming salty, our soil is dry and barren,” the 31-year-old told Al Jazeera.

Unlike other crops, rice is grown in an irrigated field.

As water rises to the surface, there is no exchange of oxygen between the earth and the atmosphere, meaning that methane-producing bacteria can thrive.

When released into the atmosphere, the air is about 25 times stronger than carbon dioxide, which blocks heat in the atmosphere.

Bjoern Ole Sander, Vietnam’s ambassador to the International Rice Research Institute, says that rice farming contributes significantly to the production of methane gas worldwide. In Vietnam, the amount of gas released from the plant is much higher than the global average.

“Globally, about 1.3 percent of man-made carbon dioxide, which appears to be small, but the total emissions of humans are about 2 percent,” he said. “In terms of the greenhouse gas emissions of Vietnam, 15 percent comes from rice, so it is a major source and certainly something that has also been recognized in global programs.”

No more ‘rice first’

By the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, the United States was one of the world’s poorest nations and food was scarce.

The economic reforms known as Doi Moi, as well as the “first” government-led policy led to the cultivation of rice, raising income. By 2020, Vietnam was the second largest exporter of rice in the world, exporting 3.9 million tons overseas last year.

But when the Mekong region stops growing more rice, it is not clear how the farmers will be affected.

Like Nhan, many are already suffering from the destruction of the Mekong ecosystem.

Farmers in the Mekong Delta are suffering from drought and floods, as seawater enters low-lying areas. [File: Kham/Reuters]

Dang Kieu Nhan, director of the Mekong Delta Development Research Institute at Can Tho University, says farmers are particularly affected by the volatile climate in the region.

“El Niño has occurred more frequently and more frequently in recent years,” he said, referring to the climate when extreme temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean are causing drought in Southeast Asia. “In 2016 and 2020 there were two cases of drought and its aftermath … Once the Mekong River reaches the bottom and as the sea level rises, salt infiltration enters the upper Mekong Delta.”

The drought of 2020 led to an increase in salinity levels.

About 33,000 hectares (81,545 acres) of rice were destroyed during the drought and 70,000 families did not have enough water to grow rice or meet their daily needs.

Environmental pressures have prompted the Vietnamese government to devise alternatives to the “first rice” program, and it is now encouraging people to cultivate or cultivate fish and fish farms.

By 2030, the government expects to have reduced the size of rice paddies in the Delta by 300,000 hectares (741,315 acres), and 20 percent less than 1.5 million hectares (3.7 million acres) planted this year.

“When it comes to the Mekong Delta, people start thinking about rice, but not here,” Nhan said. “Government policy has changed a lot since 2017, and we can’t imagine rice like that [being] first. ”

Fewer choices for farmers

While the government is making important changes, Bernard Kervyn, director general of the Mekong Plus charity, says rice farmers have fewer options and an uncertain future.

“Expectations of the Mekong Delta are not good. It is said that in 20 or 30 years it can be flooded and it is not advisable for people to live there, “he told Al Jazeera. that? ”

Below, researchers and growers are experimenting with new production methods to address environmental problems and reduce crop emissions.

Researchers are experimenting with new production methods that can reduce crop damage [File: Kham/Reuters]

Sander of the Rice Research Institute says one of the most effective ways to reduce weight is to apply a good moisturizer and drying agent. If done properly, they can reduce the production of methane-causing bacteria by up to 50 percent. On top of that, it has the added benefit of reducing the amount of water needed without compromising productivity.

To use this method, farmers allow water to descend to a depth of between 10 and 15 inches (4 and 6 inches). When the water recedes, the soil can be re-irrigated and the fields transformed into wet and dry.

“You can reduce methane emissions in the middle … When you remove the water layer, you allow the exchange of air between the soil and the air, then the methane contains oxygen and the bacteria do not grow and the methane content is very low,” Sander said. he said.

Needed financial support

In light of Vietnam’s commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement, the country intends to use another method of wetting and drying over 700,000 hectares (1.7 million acres) of rice across the country.

Although effective in reducing methane, this system may not work for all farmers. For those in the lower Mekong, where saltwater is a major concern, paddy fields need a lot of fresh water to keep the salt in place.

Nhan of Can Tho University says more needs to be done to make the best use of this new technology.

“Doing so requires a lot of support from agricultural agencies and the government to rehabilitate farmers, connect farmers with jobs, and build irrigation equipment,” he said.

Part of Vietnam’s rice reduction strategy encourages farmers to focus more on the production of other foods, such as seafood. But when some farmers notice that their rice crops have been damaged due to encroachment, they find that the source of the water has not been salty enough to sustain the animals.

In the Mekong Delta region of Hau Giang, a 64-year-old farmer in Ut Khuong says that although rice cultivation has been unpredictable due to salt water, he cannot grow prawns.

“Salt salts change every year and you can’t predict … We can’t have a shrimp farm because the water here doesn’t have enough salt,” he told Al Jazeera. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what we will change so far.”

To help farmers cope with the challenges of climate change and the humanitarian causes of environmental degradation in Mekong, Nhan says more funding and a more sustainable approach are needed.

Rice growers are also encouraged to immerse themselves in water, grow prawns and shrimp in increasing saline waters. [File: Julian Abram Wainwright/EPA]

He cites a recent incident in An Giang province where the Australian government provided $ 650 million for economic development projects in the Mekong region.

The money went to building barns, irrigation and transportation, promoting cooperation among farmers, promoting other economic activities, and promoting sectors such as health and education. Although various such methods are expensive, Nhan believes such methods are the most important in the Mekong Delta.

“Compared to other parts of Vietnam the people here have a greater responsibility that the government has placed on them to produce food for the people of Vietnam,” he said.

In the face of climate change, farmers themselves may be able to access this assistance.

“Becoming a farmer is a hard work that requires knowledge, experience, and patience, as well as a desire to continue to innovate and planting methods,” farmer Ong Ba Muoi told Al Jazeera. “I hope the government will also assist many of our farmers in agricultural activities.”