Context
Bac Lieu Province is situated on the south-eastern edge of the Mekong Delta. The coast is extremely threatened by climate change due to its low-lying topography. Not only are agriculture and aquaculture at stake, the changes are also putting the lives of more than 100,000 inhabitants at risk.
Short-term economic interests, overuse of resources and population growth have brought about a vicious circle of declining local incomes and increasing dependency on coastal resources. The reduction of the mangrove forest is further diminishing the natural protection of the coast.
Objective
Resources are being used sustainably and biodiversity is promoted. As a result, the protective effect of coastal forests is increasing.
Approach
The project advises and supports the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Forest Protection Department and the Provincial People’s Committee of Bac Lieu Province.
The emphasis is on afforestation and diversifying the coastal protective forest, in order to increase its resilience to climate change and reduce the occurrence of erosion. In cooperation with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), support is being provided for adapted agricultural production methods, for example propagating salt-tolerant rice varieties and the practice of AWD (Alternate Wetting and Drying). The rice farming method adapted to climate change reduces demand for pesticides and fertiliser, and during the dry period lowers the need for irrigation by up to 30 per cent.
While IRRI pursues research and operates pilot sites, the project focuses on introducing and disseminating the new practices. The risks are lowered and the incomes of farmers increased by optimising and promoting mangrove (silvo) aquaculture along the coast.
To ensure the project's sustainability and encourage changes in behaviour, the project supports the integration of environmental education in classroom teaching, as well as training programmes for personnel of government authorities, cooperatives and municipalities.
Results achieved so far
More than 150 hectares have already been reforested, and a further 100 hectares diversified with rare species. A method has been developed for replanting badly degraded soil, and this has already been applied on trial sites; an arboretum will serve as a gene bank and be used for environmental education activities. Low-cost, minimally invasive bamboo breakwaters have been set up at three locations heavily exposed to erosion to encourage sedimentation and restore favourable conditions for mangrove rehabilitation.
The project has established pilot farms and encouraged the spread of exemplary management practices. Integrating mangroves into aquaculture ponds reduces the production risks for farmers, as they benefit from the trees’ filtering and buffering effects, and it increases the extent of the coastal protection forest.
So far, more than 1,800 farmers have used the AWD method which has led to income rises of USD 200 per hectare and harvest. Working together with the provincial authorities, the propagation of salt-tolerant rice varieties on contract farms has been introduced.
Teachers’ working groups are developing environmental education materials for grades seven to twelve. The teachers have incorporated climate change adaptation and biodiversity content into the curricula for biology, geography and social studies. The material has been approved by the Ministry of Education and is currently being distributed to all schools in Bac Lieu and the neighbouring provinces.