ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ofINTENSIVE RICE CULTIVATION In Mekong River Delta

OUTLINE1. Current situation

2. Why intensive rice cultivation is a problem

4. Solutions

3. What intensive rice cultivation can result in

1. Current situation

What isINTENSIVE RICE CULTIVATION?

Area, Productivity and Yield of Rice in Vietnam from 1995 to 2010

Year Area (mil.ha)

Productivity (tons/ha)

Yield (mil.tons)

1995 6.77 3.69 24.962000 7.67 4.24 32.532005 7.33 4.89 35.792010 7.49 5.34 39.99

Areas, Productivity and Yield distributed by Regions in Vietnam (2009)

Region Area(mil ha)

Productivity (tons/ha)

Yield (mil tons)

TOTAL 7.44 5.23 38.89Red River

Delta 1.16 5.88 6.8

Northern mountain 0.67 4.55 3.05

Northern central 1.22 5.12 6.25

Central highland 0.21 4.65 0.99

East Southern 0.31 4.31 1.32Mekong Delta 3.87 5.29 20.48

2. Why intensive rice cultivation is a problem

Mekong Delta: Dykes, Rice and Flood

WHY INTENSIVE RICE CULTIVATION BECOMES A PROBLEM?

Overexploitation Improper management

3. What intensive rice cultivation can result in

IMPACTS OF INTENSIVE RICE CULTIVATION

Ecological system

Soil

Water

Greenhouse emission

Ecological system

• Decline in fish populations and loss of biodiversity.• Die-offs of nypa palm, threatens large swaths of

coastal mangroves Vietnam would be more vulnerable to intensifying storms and rising sea levels linked to climate change.

• Block natural flood pulse and deprive stream• Chemicals • Restricted the transfer of organic material between

freshwater and saline aquatic environments.

Coastal mangroves in Mekong Delta

Nypa palms

Soil

• Prevent adequate drainage• Waterlogging and soil

salinization • Reduces yields in the short-

term• Cause micro-nutrient

deficiencies and increased soil toxicities

• Increased soil toxicities decline in the capacity of soils

• Inadequate drainage• Poorly designed

irrigation systems• Increased soil salinity• Water saturation• Continuous flooding

Water

• Deplete of water supplies• Lethal to fish in downstream ecosystems• Cause water pollution and negative impacts on local

people’s health and on the quantity and diversity of insects and wildlife near rice paddies

• Require much water and leach chemicals• Escape Nitrogen from rice system• Leach pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers

Natural fertilizers used in farming

Greenhouse emission

Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions

• Low-oxygen conditions

• Warm, waterlogged soils

• Continuously flooded

rice production is a significant emitter of methane

Economy

Human’s living standards

4. Solutions

SOIL SALINIZATION

Treatment: leaching (flushing) of the soil with pure water

Magnesium deficiency in rice

Treatment: Invest some quality bone meal and rock phosphate into the soil

Treatment: the addition of manure and organic compost mixes.

Potassium deficiency in

rice

GM rice plants:–Bt rice: has a Cry

toxin used in fight against pests

–GM rice cultivar (LL62) acts as an herbicide

Adapt the System of Rice Intensification, known as SRI, an agro-ecological methodology

System of Rice Intensification (SRI)

Summary &

Conclusion

The Mekong River Delta is Vietnam’s most important rice growing region. However, its intensive rice systems have long-term impacts on the natural resource base

Due to overexploitation and improper management, intensive rice cultivation has become a big concern. However, the situation can be improved by• leaching the soil• adding more nutrient

• applying GMO• practicing SRI

With enough finance and the help of modern technologies, it is possible to produce rice intensively and minimize the bad effects on environment at the same time.

REFERENCES• http://www.pecad.fas.usda.gov/highlights/2012/12/Vietnam/• http://www.agriculturesnetwork.org/.../sustainability-of...• http://ricepedia.org/vietnam• http://e360.yale.edu/feature/

in_mekong_delta_rice_boom_has_steep_environmental_cost/2670/• http://pdf.wri.org/mekong_governence_mreg_minh.pdf• Environmental Change and Agricultural Sustainability in the Mekong Delta (Mart A.

SStewart, Peter A. Coclanis)• http://www.extension.org/pages/63502/solutions-to-soil-problems:-high-

salinity#.VZ_6WaX-LqA• http://compostbin.org/nutrient-deficiencies-in-soil-symptoms-and-how-to-treat-them-with-

compost/• http://www.knowledgebank.irri.org/ericeproduction/IV.1_Essential_nutrients.html (figure

of rice essential elements)• http://www.gmocompass.org/eng/grocery_shopping/crops/

24.genetically_modified_rice.html (GM rice plant)• http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210784314000400• Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia 2 ( 2014 ) 272 – 279 : "Comparison of

Methane Emission from Conventional and Modified Paddy Cultivation in Malaysia"

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