Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Prioritizing Adaptation Measures Using Climate-Smart Agriculture Rapid Appraisal (CSA-RA): A Case Study in Thuong Bang La Commune, Van Chan District, Yen Bai Province

Vu Thanh Bien 1 , Natalie Cunningham 2 , Nguyen Duc Trung 3 , Peter McKeown 4 , Charles Spillane 4 and Bui Le Vinh 1

1Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Hanoi 131000, Vietnam
2Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG), Galway, Ireland; School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork (UCC), Cork, Ireland
3Independent expert in climate change research, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
4Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG), Galway, Ireland
Received: Jan 12, 2021 /
Revised: Oct 30, 2021 /
Published: Oct 29, 2021

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Abstract

Overwhelming scientific evidence shows agriculture is heavily impacted by negative climate change effects. While agriculture is affected, the sector is also the second-largest contributor to climate change, creating challenges in adaptation and mitigation strategies. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is a holistic approach to managing landscapes, utilized to guide farmers in the context of a changing climate. CSA is an attractive option for Vietnam, an agricultural country extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Farmers and communities in Vietnam are facing significant risks. Changes in farming conditions, climate, and productivity threaten agriculture and livelihoods. The aim of the current study was to assess the effects of climate change on the people and agricultural systems in Thuong Bang La (TBL) commune, Vietnam, utilizing climate-smart agriculture rapid appraisal (CSA-RA) tools. The results indicated that agricultural production has been negatively impacted, with erratic and varied weather patterns causing outbreaks of disease, and reductions in the yield and productivity of livestock and cropping systems. Disasters including flooding, storms, and droughts are a prominent threat, leaving farmers unsure of how to cope. Through a showcase of CSA technologies, farmers were able to highlight their preferences for practices including mulching, drip irrigation and conservation agriculture in orange groves, bio-fertilizers and integrated pest management (IPM) in rice production, and using biological bedding in chicken raising. The study showed immediate openings to initiate context-specific CSA interventions and building the resilience of the agricultural systems in the development of one of the first climate-smart communes in Vietnam.

Keywords: Climate change, Vietnam, Agriculture, Resilience, CSA – RA

Article Details

How to Cite
Bien, V., Cunningham, N., Trung, N., McKeown, P., Spillane, C., & Vinh, B. (2021). Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Prioritizing Adaptation Measures Using Climate-Smart Agriculture Rapid Appraisal (CSA-RA): A Case Study in Thuong Bang La Commune, Van Chan District, Yen Bai Province. Vietnam Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 4(3), 1151-1167. https://doi.org/10.31817/vjas.2021.4.3.06

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