Two projects funded by United Nations Development Program - Global Environment Facility – Small Grants Programme (UNDP-GEF SGP) in Binh Dinh are considered successes in many aspects. They help reduce potential losses caused by natural disasters, protect environment and increase production efficiency of local people.
With funds from the UNP-GEF SGP and other sources, Binh Dinh Union of Science and Technology Associations (BUSTA) has implemented project “Alleviate harmful effects of floods and saltwater invasion caused by sea level rise to ensure sustainable development and food security at Phuoc Hoa commune, Tuy Phuoc district”.
The project aims to push up community-based models of sustainable agricultural production in order to lessen damages caused by the floods and the sea level rise, adapt to climate change, ensure the food security and stable incomes for the local people.
Within the project’s framework, BUSTA performed model of flood-resistant rice cultivation at 2 hamlets of Tan Gian and Kim Dong, Phuoc Hoa commune in 2009-2010 Winter/Spring season and 2010-2011 Winter/Spring season. In 2010 Fall season, BUSTA performed model of alum-tolerant rice cultivation.
Each of the model was experimented over 10 hectares with participation of 77 farmer households, use of various rice varieties of IR 64 Sub1, ASS 96, SH2, 24SS, DV108 and application of guided techniques. As a result, rice output of the Winter/Spring reached 69-70 quintals/hectare, 2-2.5 quintals higher than output of control rice-fields; output of the Summer/Fall was 60.4 quintals/hectare, 2.2 quintals higher than the control fields.
After the experiments, the local people selected 2 rice varieties of SH2 and ĐV108, which had high and stable yield, suitable to the localities’ flooded and alum-contaminated fields. The suitable varieties together with right techniques of cultivation led to seed and labour saving, less losses caused by insects or rice fall down. Farmers who joined the models got knowledge of variety selection, of family-scale seed multiplication, of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), etc.
Encouraged by the results, Tuy Phuoc district decided to apply the model of SH2 rice cultivation in 2010 Fall season in larger scale and also gained satisfactory achievements. Binh Dinh now adds SH2 rice to its list of rice varieties for cultivation.
Another project “Build up policies on assist local farmers in expanding areas of sustainable cassava cultivation” which has been implemented by Binh Dinh Gardening Association gained satisfactory results, too.
The association set up model of peanut-cassava combined cultivation, developed policies for sustainable cassava cultivation. After two years of operation, the project completed most of its targets. Outputs of the cassava increased by 25.4-29% in comparison to control fields and were 37% higher than planned targets.
Output of the peanuts reached 31.82-36.33 quintals/hectare, 1.17-1.39 times higher than the control fields, net benefit 5.1-6.2 times than the planned targets. Thus, the area of the combined cultivation increased from 15 hectares with participation of 69 households to over 349 hectares with participation of 698 households.
This year, Binh Dinh People’s Committee issued policies on sustainable development of cassava cultivation on basis of the association’s proposed solutions for cassava cultivation development by 2020.
The National Steering Committee of UNDP-GEF SGP and Project Management Units (PMUs) of the two projects have just co-organized a workshop on evaluation of the projects in Quy Nhon city. Most of the workshop’s participants highly appraised effectiveness and positive impacts of the projects.
Agricultural authorities of the province would direct its branches to expand the models of the two successful projects with aims to mitigate potential damages caused by natural disasters, reduce investment costs and increase the local farmers’ incomes.
The GEF SGP was launched in 1991 by United Nations Development Program (UNDP) with 182 member countries. It is an independently financial organization who has partnerships with other international organizations, non-governmental organizations and private sectors.
The GEF SGP supports activities in fields of bio-diversification, climate change, international waters, land degradation, ozone degradation, and persistent organic contaminants…in developing and emerging countries.
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