Vietnam can reduce emissions and save $2.3 billion with changes in agriculture and land use
Through cost-saving practices for coffee, rice, maize, and livestock production, Vietnam can increase its Paris Agreement commitments, says a study that highlights climate action potential for agriculture in Southeast Asia.
Looking toward 2020, as nations take stock of their actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the 2015 Paris Agreement, many are seeking ways to increase their nationally determined contributions, or NDCs, to global emissions reduction. Vietnam is one of the fortunate nations to have a suite of untapped options that, if undertaken, can save the country an estimated $2.3 billion by 2030, substantially decrease emissions, increase agricultural productivity, and benefit coastal and forest ecosystems.
These actions include agroforestry in coffee plantations, intermittently watering rice paddies instead of maintaining them permanently flooded, and providing cattle with improved feed. The study, which examines 41 measures to reduce emissions in the agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU) sector in Vietnam, was published in April in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems by researchers at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD) in Vietnam.
Sean Mattson
