PRIORIZING CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE (CSA) PRACTICES IN VIETNAM

The study was carried out in the country wide, down to the provincial level. The result showed a potential of more than 807 CSA practices performing from 30/63 local provinces over the 8 ecological zones of Vietnam (including 776 CSA practices from crop production, 31 practices from livestock and a few from aquaculture). Through participatory approach (PA) with assessment of three pillars (productivity, adaptation and mitigation), 13 promising CSA were screened and selected from statistical 807 CSA practices, including 11 CSA practices from crop production and 2 practices from animal livestock) for in-depth survey. The filtering and priorizing result showed that relevant CSA practices for country should be in the following orders: in crop production: (1) 1 must 5 reductions (1M5R); (2) saving water irrigation for upland crop; (3) mushroom from rice straw; (3) shifting to early rice sowing in spring season; (4) rice-shrimp rotation; (5) 3 reductions 3 gains (3G3T); (6) shifting from two rice to rice and upland crop cultivation in upland area; (7) salt tolerance rice varieties; (8) shifting rice with low income and drought to Vietnamese apple; (9) shifting from two rice seasons to one rice and fish; (10) shifting from tobacco to Vietnamese apple and sheep raising. In animal livestock, (1) biogas from swine; and (2) biological bed for chicken. The study recommended that it needs further test of CSA within local provinces and ecological regions through field CSA performances and diversity fairs; measuring potential of GHG reduction prior CSA; develop guidelines of investment for CSA expansions and integrate CSA in restructuring programs, action plans and climate change response projects.