On January 27, 2021, the Centre for Marine Life Conservation and Community Development (MCD) in collaboration with Ca Mau Sub-Department of Fisheries and OXFAM had successfully organized the “Consultation Workshop on Promoting Sustainable Rice-Shrimp Farming Practices in Adaptation to Climate Change in the Coastal Provinces of the Mekong Delta”. The workshop was aimed to get consultations to verify and complete research on rice-shrimp farming model and promote the development of collaborative plan to replicate this sustainable model in Ca Mau province and the Mekong Delta region in 2021.

Fig 1. Mr. Nguyen Van Trung – Deputy Director of Ca Mau Sub-Department of Fisheries was delivering an opening speech

The workshop was held in Ca Mau city, with the participation of more than 30 delegates from the Sub-Departments of Fisheries in Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Soc Trang and Kien Giang provinces; local agencies, representatives of the rice-shrimp cooperatives in Ca Mau, experts/research institutions, Non-Governmental organizations (i.e. MCD, OXFAM, WWF) and agencies in press releasing and media in Ca Mau province.

On behalf of the evaluation team, Mr. Trinh Quang Tu – Expert from the Vietnam Institute of Fisheries Economics and Planning (VIFEP) presented and shared the key findings of Synthesized Research Report of Rice Shrimp Models in improving economic, social and the environmental efficiency that are currently being practiced in a number of provinces in the Mekong Delta. A number of useful technical inputs and experiences were gathered from delegates and experts. Following that, Ms. Than Thi Hien – Deputy Director of MCD presented the practices and some lessons learned from the model in Thoi Binh district, Ca Mau. The evaluation of these practices and recommendations were discussed among the parties to improve its efficiency regarding economic, social and environmental dimensions towards sustainable development and climate change adaptation.

Fig 2. Representatives of management agencies, NGOs and experts were discussing the difficulties and opportunities of practicing the rice-shrimp model in different provinces

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Huy, an expert on climate change from OXFAM shared about the Climate Change (CC) risks including saline intrusion and extreme weather, which are affecting rice-shrimp production, and suggested a transforming on production practices toward CC adaptation and mitigation.

Fig 3. Mr. Nguyen Tran Thuc – Director of Ca Mau Department of Crop Production proposed to improve the sustainability of the rice shrimp model

At the workshop, a representative of Ca Mau Sub-Department of Fisheries provided the technical guidance on the community organic rice shrimp farming practices in Ca Mau province through a Technical Manual published with the support of MCD and OXFAM. Representatives from cooperatives in Ca Mau province and the Sub-Department of Fisheries in Soc Trang, Bac Lieu and Kien Giang provinces shared their practical experiences in the process of practicing sustainable rice-shrimp farming as well as the difficulties and challenges that need to be addressed in the Mekong Delta region.

Fig 4. The workshop finished successfully with the sharing and recommendations from participants on developing a sustainable rice-shrimp model in the context of climate change

The workshop achieved certain results with suggestions to complete the report on the sustainable rice-shrimp model in the climate change adaptation in the Mekong Delta region; The technical capacity of the cooperatives have been improved and strengthened on rice-shrimp farming techniques through the detailed technical guidance based on international standards, with the aim of improving the quality, productivity and market access for farmers; Recommendations to develop rice-shrimp policies to policy makers and collaborative plans for the upcoming activities in 2021 for the development of a sustainable rice-shrimp model adapting to climate change in the Mekong Delta.

The workshop is under the project “ Gender Transformative and Responsible Agribusiness Investments in Southeast Asia” – GRAISEA 2 that is implemented by MCD in cooperation with partners in Ca Mau with the support of OXFAM. The project aims to strengthen the capacity of small-scale producers, especially women, to have equal opportunities and benefits, and support enterprises to increase their business efficiency in applying and implementing the social responsibility standards in the shrimp value chain adapting to climate change.

#MCD #GRAISEA2 #CCADAPTATION

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Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD) is a Vietnamese non-governmental organization pioneering in the field of marine and coastal environmental protection and ecosystem conservation, striving for the coastal areas of Vietnam with a clean and safe environment, sustainable marine ecosystems, and good quality of life for coastal communities.

Web: http://mcdvietnam.org

Email: mcd@mcdvietnam.org