Can Tho launches new project to improve low-emission rice cultivation

The project focuses on assessing greenhouse gas emissions and rice yields under three water management regimes: continuous flooding, mid-season drainage, and alternate wetting and drying (AWD). At the same time, the research team will collect field data to refine the measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) system for emissions.

AWD is a water-saving irrigation technique widely promoted across rice-growing regions in Asia because it reduces methane emissions by limiting the prolonged flooding that creates anaerobic soil conditions, while also cutting irrigation water use compared with conventional continuous flooding.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Cong, the project director, presented some of the main contents of the project to improve low-emission rice cultivation in Southeast Asia.

According to the plan, the project will be carried out over three consecutive rice crops in Thanh An commune, Can Tho City: autumn-winter 2026, winter-spring 2026-2027, and summer-autumn 2027. During this time, experts will monitor water regimes and cultivation practices; changes in soil physical and chemical indicators, field meteorological parameters, rice growth and yield for each crop, and CH4 and N2O emission levels; and the effectiveness of post-harvest straw management.

The project will also collect soil samples, weather data, water level records, images of the rice plants, and information on farmers' cultivation practices. This data will serve as an important resource for research and for refining the MRV system for low-emission rice cultivation.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Cong, Dean of the Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources and the project's director, said the project aims to build a comprehensive field dataset on greenhouse gas emissions, soil, biomass, and rice yield across the three production cycles. Based on this dataset, the research team will propose effective cultivation models to recommend to farmers, publish the research results, and expand cooperation with partners at home and abroad.

The project's results are expected to provide a reliable scientific foundation for the MRV reference system and practical evidence to support the implementation of the One Million Hectares of High-Quality, Low-Emission Rice program.

That program, formally approved by the Vietnamese government in 2023, aims to establish one million hectares of specialized, high-quality, low-emission rice cultivation across the Mekong Delta by 2030, and is considered one of the country's flagship efforts to align its rice sector with its broader Net Zero commitments.

The project to improve low-emission rice cultivation in Can Tho is expected to provide a scientific foundation for the MRV system.

In Can Tho City, the One Million Hectares of High-Quality, Low-Emission Rice program has achieved positive results in recent years. During the 2024-2025 period, the city established a specialized cultivation zone covering about 104,500 hectares and set a target to expand it to 170,877 hectares by 2030. Of that area, about 76,000 hectares are linked to businesses for the supply of inputs and the consumption of products.

However, implementation of the program still faces several challenges. According to Tran Thi Kim Thuy, Deputy Head of the Can Tho City Sub-Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, the pace of expanding specialized cultivation zones has varied unevenly among localities, and in some areas consumption linkages have not created sufficient incentive for farmers and cooperatives to participate.

Tran Thi Kim Thuy, Deputy Head of the Can Tho City Sub-Department of Plant Production and Protection, shared initial results from implementation of the One Million Hectares of High-Quality Rice program.

In addition, mechanization services and straw collection remain limited, particularly in areas that produce three rice crops per year, and straw burning after harvest still occurs in some places. Cooperative management, the keeping of production logs, and consistent compliance with technical procedures remain unstable in some areas. Some localities still lack the human resources and technical capacity to fully carry out the measurement, reporting, and verification activities required under the MRV system.

The Can Tho City crop production and plant protection sector affirmed its continued support for the project to improve low-emission rice cultivation in Southeast Asia, with the aim of completing a digital data and production log system that can accurately determine the amount of emissions reduced in each field.