1) Integrated shrimp-rice farming is a widespread practice in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam that provides economic and environmental benefits as a strategy to cope with climate change. 2) The study found that shrimp-rice farming provides higher household incomes, food security, and resilience compared to mono-shrimp farming while reducing greenhouse gas emissions through lower chemical and fertilizer usage. 3) Farmers perceive shrimp-rice as an effective climate-smart agriculture practice that increases adaptation to climate change impacts through higher incomes, food production, and reduced risks from climate events and disease outbreaks.

1. Integrated rice-shrimp as a smart
strategy to cope with climate change in
the Mekong Delta, Vietnam
Montpellier
March 16-18, 2015
Trinh Q. Tu1, Tran V. Nhuong2, Phan T. Lam3
1Research Institute for Aquaculture No.1, Vietnam
2WorldFish, Penang, Malaysia
3Research Institute for Aquaculture No.2, Vietnam

2. Research Institute for
Aquaculture No1 (RIA1)
Outline
1. Introduction
2. Methodology
3. Results
4. Conclusions & recommendations

3. Research Institute for
Aquaculture No1 (RIA1)
Introduction
• The MD extents 4.0mil.ha, is the country’s
“rice bowl & fish baket”
• Rice & aqua. constitute a major part of diet
and livelihoods and for export.
 Rice : > 54 % of the country’s total
 Aqua: > 72 % (GSO 2011)
+ Shrimp: 94 %

4. Research Institute for
Aquaculture No1 (RIA1)
• Among three most vulnerable deltas to impacts
of CC & SLR (UNDP 2011; Francisco 2011)
o 1m SLR: flooding 39% of area; affecting 35% of
the pop.
The need for more sustainable approach:
o Increases productivity & resilience
o Reduces GHGs emission
o Enhances national food security & dev. goals
Introduction

5. Research Institute for
Aquaculture No1 (RIA1)
• Integrated agri-aqua are widespread in the MD
• SR started in 1960s, increased substantially since
the 1980s.
 Shrimp culture in dry season
 Rice cultivation in wet season
89.50
86.23
118.01
111.80
143.00
130.76
134.31
168.63
160.33
163.57
332.57
381.19
391.22
410.79
413.92
431.59
422.96
415.99
393.66
402.91
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Shrimp-rice area (ha) Other shrimp area (ha)
Introduction

6. Research Institute for
Aquaculture No1 (RIA1)
Study objectives:
Evaluate the potential of Integrated shrimp-
rice practice as a CSA to cope with CC.
Research questions:
• What is perforemace of SR production?;
• To what extent do SR contribute to rural
HH’s income/food security, resilience &
mitigation to to CC?
Introduction

7. Research Institute for
Aquaculture No1 (RIA1)
Methodology
My Xuyen
District
Study site:
My Xuyen dist., Soc
Trang prov.
• 2FGDs + 1 SW
• HH survey in 9
communes
(2014)

8. Research Institute for
Aquaculture No1 (RIA1)
Farming type
Shrimp-rice Mono-shrimp Total
Surveyedcommune
Gia Hoa 1 8 2 10
Gia Hoa 2 12 1 13
Hoa Tu 1 6 4 10
Hoa Tu 2 7 19 26
Ngoc Dong 14 9 23
Ngoc To 3 15 18
Tham Don 0 6 6
Thanh Phu 3 4 7
Thanh Quoi 11 2 13
Total 64 62 126
Methodology

9. Research Institute for
Aquaculture No1 (RIA1)
Results
Before 1982 2002 2004 2011 2013
1982 -2001 -2004 -2011 -2013 -2014
Mono rice
• Shrimp-rice practice
• Mono-shrimp & Rice
shrimp areas
• Intensified mono
shrimp (30%)
•Disease outbreak
•Move to shrimp
rice
• Keep shrimp-
rice system
•Species shifted
• Keep shrimp-rice
system
• Disease outbreak
Historical development of My Xuyen

10. Research Institute for
Aquaculture No1 (RIA1)
J F M A M J J A S O N D
Shrimp-rice
1S(T) + 1R
2S(W) + 1R
Mono-shrimp
2S (T)
3S (W)
RR R R
RR R R
Crop calendar
Results

11. Research Institute for
Aquaculture No1 (RIA1)
Tiger shrimp,
6.5%
White-leg
shrimp,
45.2%
Both, 48.4%
Mono-Shrimp
Tiger
shrimp,
23.4%
White-leg
shrimp,
25.0%
Both, 51.6%
Shrimp-rice
Results
Culture species

12. Research Institute for
Aquaculture No1 (RIA1)
Results
Production performance
Farming type
Shrimp-rice Mono-Shrimp
M Std. Dev M Std. Dev
Shrimp area (ha) 1.04 0.61 1.20 0.80
Rice area (are) 0.71 0.42 - -
Shrimp stocking
density (ind. m-2)
14.10 12.42 16.47 15.32
Shrimp yield (kg ha-1) 595.88 499.64 1,170.95 994.92
Rice yield (kg ha-1) 5,569.26 2,113.34 - -

13. Research Institute for
Aquaculture No1 (RIA1)
Results
Production income
Net profits (VND mil./HH/year) N Mean Std. Deviation
Shrimp Shrimp-rice 64 60.87 199.52
Mono-Shrimp 62 115.92 217.86
Rice Shrimp-rice 64 19.88 12.44
Mono-Shrimp 62 - -
Total Shrimp-rice 64 80.76 196.83
Mono-Shrimp 62 115.92 217.86
Total 126 98.06 207.36

14. Research Institute for
Aquaculture No1 (RIA1)
Results
HH’s income share
70.59
83.23
10.59
4.43
4.62
3.03
0.55
1.95
10.81
10.21
0
20
40
60
80
Shrimp-rice Mono-shrimp
Shrimp Rice
Livestock Hired labor
Crop Other

15. Research Institute for
Aquaculture No1 (RIA1)
Contribute to reduce GHG emission
Input use (vnd .000/kg) N Mean Std. Deviation
Petrol Shrimp-rice 43 4.32 4.67
Mono-shrimp 53 5.85 14.20
Chemicals
Shrimp-rice 52 12.47 10.75
Mono-shrimp 57 13.25 22.73
Electricity
Shrimp-rice 27 5.65 4.24
Mono-shrimp 46 6.41 4.64
Total 73 6.13 4.48
Results

16. Research Institute for
Aquaculture No1 (RIA1)
Contribution to reduce GHG emission
Results
RICE production
Estimated
by officer
(Mono rice)
Surveyd
(Shrimp-rice)
Total revenue (VND mil./ha) 42.00 33.88
Total costs (VND mil./ha) 23.58 11.55
- Chemicals/Fetilizers
(VND mil./ha)
12.09 4.09
Total benefits(VND mil./ha) 18.42 22.33

17. Research Institute for
Aquaculture No1 (RIA1)
Results
CSA perception
CSA_Q1 Increase HH’s income
CSA_Q2 Increase HH’s food production
CSA_Q3 Reduce risks from CC & disease outbreak
CSA_Q4 Increase resilience & reproduction
CSA_Q5 Reduce use of chemicals & fertilizers
CSA_Q6 Reduce soild degradation
CSA_Q7 Reduce water pollution
Q: Evaluate the SMART ability of the SR system to
response to impacts of CC (likert scale from 1-5) :
1= Not at all to 5 = Very much

18. Research Institute for
Aquaculture No1 (RIA1)
Results
CSA perception
Shrimp-rice Mono-shrimp Total
(N=64) (N=62) (N=126)
CSA_Q1 4.02 3.98 4.00
CSA_Q2 4.14 4.18 4.16
CSA_Q3 4.23 4.15 4.19
CSA_Q4 4.25 4.32 4.29
CSA_Q5 4.41 4.42 4.41
CSA_Q6 4.30 4.37 4.33
CSA_Q7 4.20 4.21 4.21
Cronbach's
Alpha
0.85 0.87 0.86

19. Research Institute for
Aquaculture No1 (RIA1)
Conclusions
Economics:
• Better financial security
• Food security for the farm HH
Environment:
• Less use of chemicals & fertilizers
• Reduce soil degradation & water pollution
Social issue:
• Reduce inequality

20. Research Institute for
Aquaculture No1 (RIA1)
Recommendations
• Detailed planning for SR area, including
infrastructure development.
• Research on high salinity tolerance rice
• Formation of associations/cooperatives
• Increase awareness on CC & its impacts

21. Research Institute for
Aquaculture No1 (RIA1)
Thank you !