Enabling Smallholder Farmers to Better Manage Water-related Climate Risks in the Central Highlands of Vietnam with Novel Nature-based Solutions Implemented by IWMI

This project focuses on creating more climate-resilient food systems in the Central Highlands – one of Vietnam’s poorest, yet most agriculturally important regions. Across the region, intensive irrigation combined with climate change, threatens water security and livelihoods of smallholder farmers who largely produce coffee. Ethnic minority groups are most at risk. An innovative, nature-based solution known as Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) was previously demonstrated to be effective at the pilot scale in the Central Highlands in building preparedness for climate change by increasing water availability and maintaining productivity.

Through the piloting, MAR received in-principal endorsement from the Government and the Vietnam coffee sector. Building on this initial success, this project will involve the implementation of a cluster of around 25 new MAR interventions to be co-designed and implemented with farmers. IWMI and partners will also engage with Government agencies and the private sector to strengthen the enabling environment to promote public and private investment into scaling MAR as an approach to mitigate water-related climate risks for agricultural production.

Project Status

While administrative processes in-country have not yet allowed for an official project implementation start, one EbA best practice case study has been selected in each of the five project districts based on desk research and interviews with VNFU staff engaged in supporting forest and farm producer organisations’ EbA activities in the project location. Future activities will include field research to document the case studies will commence in July 2023; A synthesis report of the case studies will be produced in September 2023 and; A knowledge exchange event to disseminate findings of the case studies is planned for 1st tier forest and farm producer organisations from the project area in November 2023.