More Vietnamese households adopt integrated aquaculture systems as a climate-smart practice

cgiar.org

Coastal communities are learning about the benefits of climate-smart aquaculture and integrated coastal farming systems. More quantitative evidence of these practices is now being documented.

Many coastal communities in Vietnam’s North and North Central Coast (NNCC), one of the poorest regions in the country, rely on coastal aquaculture, particularly integrated aquaculture farming systems for their livelihoods and sustenance. However, climate change and its impacts have negatively affected coastal aquaculture recently by increasing the risks of disease outbreaks and crop failures.

For example, tiger shrimp, the major culture species of many farms in the NNCC, are sensitive to changes in the climate and the environment, such as the salinity level of the water. The shrimp crops are at high risk for failure when the salinity level of cultured pond drops below five parts per thousand (ppt). For farmers, depending solely on one type of crop could therefore be disastrous, especially in the context of increased extreme weather events. Integrated aquaculture systems ensure farmers have more diverse crops on which to depend and earn stable income to enhance their adaptive and resilient capacity to cope with climate change impacts. Tiếp tục đọc “More Vietnamese households adopt integrated aquaculture systems as a climate-smart practice”