1 CENTRE FOR SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT STRENGTHENING AND DEVELOPING LOCAL RICE SEED SYSTEMS TO HELP ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE Pham Thi Bich Ngoc Climate Change Manager Centre for Sustainable Rural Development Sharing experiences from a model activity

Contents Agriculture – a sector that contributes to global warming. Impacts of climate change on agricultural production. Reasons for using traditional local rice varieties. SRD’s model of improving and conserving local rice seeds to help adapt to climate change in Bac Kan. Results, outcomes and conclusions.

Agriculture: A sector that contributes to global warming Agriculture contributes 15% of total greenhouse gas emissions Using chemical fertilizers and pesticides increases nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions (40% of emissions from agriculture) Cultivating wet rice emits methane (CH % of emissions from agriculture) (source: EPA, 2004)

Impacts of climate change on agriculture Rising sea levels will result in the inundation of large areas of the Red River Delta and Mekong River Delta. Changes in temperature (e.g. extreme cold spell of ) and rainfall (more extreme heavy rain and storms) Spread of pests in crops and epidemic diseases in animals. Resulting in: Loss of agricultural land Decrease in agricultural productivity, loss of livelihoods Changes in employment opportunities; migration of people …33000 buffalos and cows died …34,000 ha of rice planted and thousands of ha of rice seedlings died In Vietnam in …

Conserving and developing traditional rice varieties, using Plant Genetic Resources (PGR), combining this with applying System of Rice Intensification (SRI), and applying Integrated Pest Management (IPM) will help: –Diversify local rice varieties, avoiding the risks of pests and diseases that can damage crops. –Reduce farmers’ dependence on imported rice varieties, and to control the quality of seeds, particularly significant to poor farmers doing small-scale production. –Selecting the rice varieties which are suitable for local area: (i) resistant to unusual changes of weather and droughts and floods (ii) less likely to collapse, and (iii) well suited to the local terrain and conditions. Conserving local traditional rice varieties to help adapt to climate change

Model of strengthening and developing local rice seeds system General information: Location: Bac Kan province Time: 6 years –Phase 1: from 2005 to 2007 –Phase 2: from 2008 to 2011 Purpose: To develop and strengthen traditional rice seed systems to help farmers adapt to climate change and to support sustainable agriculture in Vietnam.

Stakeholders Coordinating organization: SRD Main local partner: Sub-Department of Plant Protection of Bac Kan province Direct beneficiaries: Farmers Others: Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Bac Kan, the Centre of Crop Seeds and Agricultural Materials, Agricultural Extensionists and Scientists

Main activities implemented Capacity building for farmer groups and support for application of: –Techniques for PGR, SRI, IPM, making organic fertilizers –Business plan and value chain methods, in order to help farmer groups sign contracts for producing rice seeds –Planning and supervising activities at different levels Sharing experience and expanding –Disseminating PGR techniques through media, interactive groups and in-the-field sharing workshops on seed rehabilitation, variety comparison, seed production and line selection –Organizing study tours and field conferences –Documenting, printing and publishing technical manuals and leaflets about PGR –Organizing rice seed fairs for farmers Policy advocacy –Joining related national and regional networks –Organizing domestic and overseas study tours –Encouraging provincial and district agencies to certify the varieties created and selected by the farmers, integrate them into the Bac Kan seed system and reduce the percentage of hybrid varieties planted in the locality

Main results Two varieties (mutated Khang Dan and DV108) selected by farmers and produced over many harvests have been officially recognized for integration into Bac Kan’s seed system. 4 other varieties are currently going through the approval process. More than 10 tons of rice seeds have been produced and exchanged among farmer groups inside and outside the project. Initially, a farmer group of 18 households signed a contract and sold 8 tons of rice seeds to Bac Kan Seed Materials JSC., increasing these households’ income by 40%.

Significant outcomes Farmers’ capacity on PGR, IPM and SRI has improved, enabling them to cultivate rice more sustainably. The use of hybrid rice has decreased considerably from 60% to 40%, or even 20%. Farmers’ business and management skills have been strengthened, enabling them to participate better in local rice seed production and marketing. Community cooperation has been enhanced through exchanging seeds among farmer groups. Local authorities have realized the importance of local traditional rice varieties in addressing climate change, and the role of farmers in rice seed conservation and production.

Significant outcomes By applying PGR with IPM principles (using fewer chemical fertilizers and pesticides)  nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions have reduced By applying PGR with SRI principles  demand for water for irrigation has been reduced  reduce methane (CH 4 ) emissions  less likely to fall over  harvest time has been shortened (to 5-7 days) By using organic compost  methane (CH 4 ) emissions have been reduced

Conclusions Supporting farmers to conserve and develop traditional local rice varieties can help achieve: Climate change mitigation – by reducing greenhouse gas emissions Climate change adaptation – by reducing vulnerability to water shortages and extreme weather events More sustainable livelihoods – by reducing costs for farmers of input materials, reducing labour required for harvesting, improving the environment and health, improving productivity

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