The Research Report on the ‘Agricultural transformation model adapting to climate change in the Mekong Delta’ was carried out within the framework of the project ‘Engaging the private sector in Viet Nam in resilience building against compounding risks’ with the collaboration of the Connecting Business Initiative (CBi), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).

The Research Report, developed by the Can Tho Branch of VCCI, uses secondary data sources to present the current status and challenges faced by the agricultural sector in the Mekong Delta (MD). In addition, the Report also consulted leading enterprises in the sector on the production models being applied. Since then, the Report has made appropriate recommendations to shift the agricultural production model of the MD in the direction of “favorable nature”.

In general, agricultural transformation models need to focus on the value of agricultural products and food safety, based on natural and environmental factors in the spirit of “favorable nature”. This helps reduce regretful decisions and lead to greater economic, environmental and social performance. Besides some orientations and typical agricultural models, the study also proposes some specific solutions that CBi can support in the coming time to move towards sustainable agriculture.

• The development of a convenient and flexible land use conversion mechanism that has some preferential policies on land, income tax and interest.
• Planning for regional linkages and creating opportunities for enterprises/cooperatives to produce and do business in the direction of chain linkage as the circular economy model.
• Investing in infrastructure for electricity, water, transportation and information technology to support and attract investments in agricultural projects on climate change adaptation.
• Attracting talent and retaining a young workforce to develop the MD. Training human resources to serve the transition to high-tech agriculture.
• Co-ordinating with the Mekong Delta Resilient Business Network to provide information on climate change for businesses, as well as update and support the application of climate change adaptation production methods.
• Participating in and supporting the implementation of the Annual Economic Report Mekong Delta in order to conduct in-depth research and assessments on climate change adaptation in the region to have a basis for promoting appropriate policies towards the sustainable development of the MD.
• Actively integrating information on risks of saltwater intrusion and drought into agricultural, forestry and fishery development plans in ecological sub-regions.
• Building and operating a system of environmental monitoring, warming for irrigation water in estuaries and canals to monitor saline intrusion and salinity level to inform people and cooperatives.
• Organizing and engaging farmers in production chains through cooperatives. This is an appropriate model in the context of small farming areas and the lack of investment resources in the MD.
• Supporting cooperatives and farmer households to develop models of circular economy on agriculture and ecological agriculture in rice and fruit production, animal husbandry and aquaculture.
• Building large-scale agricultural production areas associated with the application of science and technology to adapt to climate change, applying innovative and creative solutions to improve product quality and support deep processing.