200,000 beneficiaries from the Agro-climatic Bulletins

The Department of Crop Production (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), in collaboration with the Alliance ofBioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), recently organized a workshop to review the results of the implementation of the Agro-climatic Bulletins for the summer-autumn crop of 2023.

This is an activity within the framework of the CGIAR Initiative on “Securing the Food Systems of Asian Mega‐Deltas for Climate and Livelihood Resilience – Deriskingdelta-oriented value chains" (AMD-WP3).

The workshop was attended by 57 delegates, including 40 men and 17 women, who are representatives of the Department of Crop Production, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, and Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting of 13 provinces of Mekong Delta provinces and cities, as well as the Southern Regional Hydrometeorological Station.

The Agro-climatic Bulletins are built based on the approach piloted by the DeRISK Southeast Asia Project since 2020. It continues to be inherited and improved within the framework of the AMD Project. The bulletins provide weather forecastsand seasonal, monthly and 10-days agricultural advisories, which are co-developed by representatives of agricultural, extensions, hydrometeorological and irrigational staff and considering farmers’ feedback.

Throughout the implementation process, the Department of Crop Production organized activities such as consultation meetings and technical training to promote the application of the approach to develop the bulletin as a new technical advance.

From its initial deployment in one province in 2021, the bulletin has expanded to cover 7 provinces in 2022. It is now available in all 13 provinces in the Mekong River Delta, involving 54 districts and 544 communes. A total of 557 copies were distributed between May and December 2023.

The Agro-climatic Bulletins are disseminated to farmers through many platforms, such as Zalo groups, loudspeakers, posters, training, and community meetings. To date, 34,906 farmers have joined Zalo groups and received all types of bulletins. In total, more than 200,000 people benefited from receiving the bulletins directly through these Zalo groups and indirectly through sharing by these group members.

Mrs. Tran Thi My Hanh from the Department of Crop Production emphasized, "Providing weather forecasts and agricultural recommendations not only helps farmers decide when and how to cultivate but also reduces the number of spraying sessions, minimizes fertilizer usage, and mitigates damage caused by adverse weather conditions and pests."

An independent survey by CIAT in Tien Giang showed that applying bulletins helps increase productivity and revenue from rice farming, with an average increase in rice yield of 266 kg/ha and an average income of VND 1.83 million/ha.

Local partners and farmers also confirmed the advantages of the bulletins, including their role in helping farmers determine the appropriate time for sowing seeds and planning farming seasons. The monthly and 10-day bulletins provide valuable farming recommendations and specific updates on crop growth stages corresponding to the timing of notifications.

Despite achieving certain achievements, implementing theAgro-climatic Bulletin also faces several challenges. Main issues include a lack of input data information, limitations in weather forecasting capabilities, human resource constraints for implementation, and especially a lack of budget resources, policy mechanisms and guidance on agricultural climate services to develop and disseminate the bulletins.

A representative of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of An Giang province highlighted some dificulties, including resource constraints, and the challengeof explaining hydrometeorological terms to farmers. This person proposed more training sessions to improve the expertise and bulletin production skills of technical staff, and to increase cooperation for broader dissemination and more effective use of the bulletins.

Mr. Kees Swaans, Asia Lead for Climate Action at CIAT, and Mr. Le Thanh Tung, Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production, commended the spirit of developing the best Agro-climatic Bulletins based on workshop participants’votes. This motivates the provinces to develop and improve bulletins more effectively, especially for new localities.

In addition to providing technical and financial support to improve the quality and support the scaling of the bulletins, Mr. Kees Swaans believes that digitalization will contribute to optimizing the bulletin production process, saving time and resources, and ensuring consistent quality.

"We aim to promote two-way interaction with farmers on digital platforms, especially vulnerable groups, and todisseminate advisory on low emissions, nutrition-sensitive, and conservation agriculture interventions to farmers reached through the program. CIAT believes that, with support and cooperation from relevant parties, the Agro-climatic Bulletins will bring practical benefits and contribute to the sustainable development of Mekong Delta agriculture," he said.

The CGIAR Initiative on Asian Mega-Deltas aims to create resilient, inclusive and productive deltas that maintain socio-ecological integrity, adapt to climatic and other stressors and support human prosperity and wellbeing.

The work package 3 (WP3) on De-risking delta-oriented value chains under the AMD aims to reduce climate risks among smallholder farmers and facilitate investment in deltaic value chains through digital climate advisory and complementary services (DCAS+).