Phase I of the Vietnam GHG Emissions Reduction Pilot Surfaces Innovative Tech for Reducing GHG Emissions in Rice Farming

AgResults has approved 11 applications to join Phase I of the Vietnam GHG Emissions Reduction Pilot. In total, AgResults received 24 applications from private sector, public sector, cooperatives, and other organizations, as well as partnerships between them and 11 were ultimately accepted. Applications were wide-ranging and proposed a wide variety of technologies to reduce GHG emissions in rice farming.

Applications were accepted based on strict criteria of:

• Feasibility of the efficacy of the proposed rice cultivation technology for reducing GHG emissions and increasing yields, the potential for voluntary adoption and uptake by smallholder farmers, and the potential for uptake in large-scale rice production areas;
• Sustainability via strength of proposed partnerships with key stakeholders of the rice value chain in Thai Binh;
• Demonstrated past performance, commercial viability, financial capacity to pre-finance costs of testing technology, and capacity and commitment to practice and promote low-carbon rice farming practices.

In addition to being reviewed by the AgResults review panel, the 11 accepted applicants have all been reviewed and approved by the Vietnam Government and its technical advisory committee counterparts including the Crop Production Division (CPD), Thai Binh Agriculture Extension Center (AEC), and Global Affairs Canada.

The AgResults Vietnam GHG Emissions Pilot is a five-year pull mechanism to promote the uptake of innovative technologies to reduce GHG emissions in rice farming. The pilot is separated into two phases. In Phase I, which commenced in June 2017, lasts for a year and a half, organizations and/or partnerships apply to participate in the first year of the pilot to test their proposed GHG emissions reduction solution (tools, products, alternate wetting and drying, agronomic techniques, or controlled plots, to name a few). Applicants will then compete to win proportional milestone prizes on progress against a baseline of GHG emissions and yields. Prizes will be provided at the end of each growing season and at the end of the phase.

Phase II of the pilot, which lasts for two and a half years, focuses on scaling selected technologies to as many smallholder farmers as possible. Organizations will work to increase the number of smallholder farmers that adopt their solutions. Prizes will be provided at the end of each growing season and at the end of the phase. Only participating organizations that participated in Phase I are eligible to continue engagement in Phase II.

Once agreements to participate in Phase I are signed, the accepted organizations/partnerships will be able to begin to prepare land for the summer crop in July 2017.