Posted on March, 22 2024

On March 21, 2024, Ca Mau Province, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan chaired a National Conference on “Mobilisation of resources to implement agricultural Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in the Mekong Delta”. Approximately 300 delegates from various ministries and departments, 13 Mekong Delta provinces, domestic agencies, financial institutions, bilateral governments, international development partners, international and domestic corporations and private enterprises, and industry associations attended the conference. 

Speaking at the Conference, the Minister affirmed: 'Nature-based' is a process of adaptation and harmony between humans and nature in a controlled manner, following the natural rules to bring benefits to humans and protect the ecosystem. He also emphasized the importance of NbS in (i) improving the livelihoods of farmers and the resilience of agriculture, (ii) reducing and adapting to climate change through the carbon absorption process of soil, wetlands, and forests, and simultaneously (iii) conserving nature and biodiversity, maintaining the future of food systems. Agricultural producers need to be ready to switch to production methods that regenerate and restore nature while enhancing an efficient and sustainable food system.
 
The Minister calls for international partners to support the Government of Viet Nam in: (1) providing information, knowledge, experience, and assessment tools for the transition to agricultural NbS; (2) coordinating with the Government to review priority investment items through regret-free projects in the Mekong Delta; supporting the collection, evaluation, selection of NbS and to pilot NbS models and projects in agriculture, focusing on solutions that harmoniously and synchronously combine structural and non-structural measures - adapting to natural conditions, conserving biodiversity, social security solutions, and sustainable management of natural resources associated with digital transformation and institutional policy reform; (3) Supporting resources for the implementation of the 'Comprehensive Program for Sustainable Agricultural Development Adapting to Climate Change in the Mekong Delta Region by 2030, with a vision to 2045', the project on 'Sustainable development of 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission specialised rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta region by 2030”, the project on “Modernise the irrigation system serving the transformation and sustainable agricultural development in the ecological sub-regions of the Mekong Delta”, the project on “Prevent riverbank and coastal erosion by 2030'; Creating policy mechanisms for the Mekong Delta to develop sustainably, adapt to climate change and become one of the dynamic economic centres with high value and efficiency, optimizing ecosystem services for economic development commensurate with the potential and strategic location of the region; and at the same time, strengthening technical consultancy, proposing mechanisms, policies, and solutions to effectively implement these Programs/Projects. (4) Providing flexible financial solutions, green finance, easily accessible and specific to the Mekong Delta region, especially paying attention to interest rate incentives and loan conditions for public investment agricultural projects; (5) Connecting with localities and domestic enterprises to research and propose agricultural NbS, creating a chain link with farmer groups to develop production and business through the provision of flexible financial resources from investment funds, multilateral and bilateral financial institutions; (6) Strengthen technical support to enhance the capacity of officials at all levels, enterprises, and farmer groups, along with the deployment of pilot models with creative potential to develop nature-based agriculture to propose replicating solutions for the provinces in the Mekong Delta region.
   
Representative of WWF - the accompanying and sponsoring agency of the Conference, Dr. Van Ngoc Thinh, CEO of WWF-Viet Nam shared: “The Mekong Delta can avoid the risk of being narrowed and gradually shrunk by the end of this century if the ecological cycle of the delta and the connection between the river and the floodplain regions are maintained. The flood season is an important natural process for building and enriching the delta through sediment deposition. Restoring the flood season is crucial for the future of the delta. Floodwaters carry sediments and build up the delta, increasing soil fertility and land elevation, increasing resilience to climate change and rising sea levels, and supporting mangrove regeneration”.
 
WWF has been piloting several NbS in the Mekong Delta region, such as rice-fish, rice-shrimp, rice-lotus, shrimp-mangrove, and shrimp-rice rotation models, ... which have yielded concrete economic results while still conserving biodiversity and the ecological environment. From the initial results achieved, WWF is ready to share with partners about this model, to expand the scale to protect the environment, conserve biodiversity and protect forest ecology, contribute to sustainable agriculture development, and ensure health for both humans and nature.