Mekong Delta promotes clean agricultural production to achieve Net Zero

In fact, in recent years, Vietnam has experienced the severe impact of climate change more than many other countries globally and ranks among the top five most vulnerable nations to climate change. The agricultural sector, highly dependent on climate and natural conditions, thus plays a crucial role in mitigating climate change and environmental impacts through green production and growth. Developing a clean agriculture sector is essential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and minimising impacts to the environment.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said that to maintain ecological stability and balance, and to mitigate the environmental and human impacts of climate change, nations must be responsible for protecting the environment.

In particular, agriculture is the sector most heavily impacted by climate change. Therefore, it is crucial for the Vietnamese agricultural sector to reassess the value of its products.

Currently, both domestic and international customers and consumers are not just purchasing products but also the values associated with those products. Therefore, the global trend toward greening is irreversible, Hoan stressed.

Following this trend, the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang has identified the development of ecological and clean agriculture through value chains. Ngo Minh Long, Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, stated that many local farmers are shifting from a purely agricultural production mindset, primarily focused on rice cultivation, to a diversified agricultural economic model that meets market demands.

They are shifting from quantity-based to quality-based development by using new models such as alternating shrimp farming with rice cultivation to create a variety of ecological agricultural products, said Long.

Similarly, in Ca Mau province, clean agricultural production following the shrimp - rice model has brought positive results.

Last month, the rice-shrimp cultivation area of Thoi Binh district received Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification of the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), marking the first presented to an aquatic farming establishment in Vietnam.

Vice Chairman of the district People’s Committee Nguyen Hoang Boa said that Thoi Binh boasts high potential for shrimp-rice cultivation models. The BAP will help the locality ensure sustainable farming for small-scale facilities, thus minimising negative impacts on the environment, ensuring social benefits, and contributing to changing production habits and mindset of farmers and businesses.

By achieving BAP certification, Ca Mau shrimp in particular and Vietnamese shrimp in general will enjoy a wider door to most demanding countries in the world, the representative said, explaining that GAA currently has more than 1,100 members in 70 countries and has become the most prominent organisation representing the global seafood industry.