A new project led by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and other partners including the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), WorldFish and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is aiming to estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture in Vietnam.

Farmers winnowing rice straw (photo credit: ILRI)

The ‘Identification and implementation support of GHG mitigation priorities and opportunities in rice-dominated landscapes’ project will use of state-of-the-art models and new spatial and temporal information from national partners and other projects to identify emission hotspots for different agricultural sources, such as lowland and upland production systems and livestock systems. It will also identify potential sinks for GHGs such as afforestation of degraded land and mitigation options for different agricultural GHG sources through spatially explicit evaluation.

The projects aims to provide evidence that will allow policymakers including the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) in Vietnam, private sector and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to set priorities and realistic targets for emissions reductions from intensifying rice, livestock and aquaculture systems.

Burning off rice straw in the field (photo credit: ILRI)

The project, which is funded by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), held its first kick-off meeting in Hanoi on 10-12 March 2015. Participants in the meeting included partners and officials from MARD, which has demonstrated keen interest in the project.

The inception meeting discussed the status of GHG reporting and Vietnamese strategies/plans for identifying mitigation options at national and regional scale. Discussions were also held on how to align CGIAR Centres’ work in the project and to ensure close cooperation with Vietnam partners in response to identified needs. The meeting also reviewed a draft work plan for 2015 including responsibilities and expected outcomes from partners.

This project is part of ILRI’s Livestock Systems and Environment program and is coordinated by Klaus Butterbach-Bahl (ILRI; project leader), Mariana Rufino (CIFOR), Suan Pheng Kam (WorldFish) and Reiner Wassmann (IRRI).

For more information on the project, read the project summary on ILRI’s website.

Read about efforts to lower emissions from agriculture on CCAFS’ website.