From 12 to 17 April, 2013, the Department of Agriculture & Rural Development of Quang Tri Province, the People’s Committees of Hai Lang and Trieu Phong Districts , DPC and the Centre for Rural Development in Central Vietnam (CRD) established a working group and deployed their forces to build a development strategy for agricultural production integrating with climate change in the sandy area of Quang Tri province.
With an area of 30.000ha, the sandy area of Quang Tri has potential for agricultural production, however, it is also a vulnerable area due to natural disaster and climate change. Recognizing this issue, the local government and people have actively looked for optimal solutions to agricultural production development in the context of climate change.
The sandy area for production and cultivation in Hai Que, Hai Lang district
People in Kim Long Hamlet, Hai Que commune were stunned because a heavy rain damaged total area of watermelon and chillies from 11 to 13/4/2013. Estimated damage was about 2 billion VND.
In the framework of project “Enhancing capacity for climate change adaptation and mitigation in production at sandy area of Quang Tri province” (project FCL-12-01) funded by the Embassy of Finland, from 12-17 April, 2013, Quang Tri Department of Agriculture & Rural Development, Hai Lang DPC, Trieu Phong DPC and Centre for Rural Development in Central Vietnam (CRD) established a working group on surveying the actual state of production and the impacts of climate change on plants and livestocks to support Quang Tri province to draw up a development strategy for agricultural production integrating with climate change in sandy area.
The working group consisted of 15 people including experts from Institute for Agricultural Environment – Ministry of Agriculture, Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry, and some officials of Centre for Agricultural – Forestry Extension, Department of Animal Health Hai Lang DPC and Trieu Phong DPC, Quang Tri Province.
The working group divided into working teams and surveyed directly in Vinh Tu, Vinh Kim, Gio My, Gio Hai, Trieu Van, Trieu Thach, Hai Que, and Hai An communes. Besides field trips to the communes, some working teams conducted consultations with the leaders of Quang Tri Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Hai Lang DPC, Trieu Phong DPC and the Divisions of Agriculture in Vinh Linh, Gio Linh, Trieu Phong and Hai Lang communes.
The working group interviewed local people
Initial survey results showed that although such plants as melon, local onion, chillies, peanuts and other beans had the potential to produce in sandy area, theyre also vulnerable to weather conditions. Besides, it was also potential to increase the number and expand production scale of pig raising, a traditional livestock, through farm and farm composite of biogas cellar to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases for climate change mitigation.
In the coming time, the working group will continue collecting information, analyzing and processing data to have a firm scientific basis for development strategy of agricultural production in the context of climate change in the sandy area of Quang Tri province.
Vo Chi Tien (according to Project FLC 12-01)