November 9, 2021
Recent events like the Food Systems Summit and COP26 illustrate the growing importance of discussions around resilience and climate change. Cracking the Nut 2021 (#CTN21) continues these conversations over four days, focusing on how to build resilient food, water, and energy systems. As part of the fully virtual conference, AgResults is proud to lead a breakout session on November 16 that illustrates how its Pay-for-Results prize competition in Vietnam encouraged the private sector to design scalable rice farming technologies to increase yields and decrease GHG emissions in Thai Binh Province.
Cracking the Nut has always focused on the nexus of agricultural development, private sector engagement, and market systems. This year, it seeks to align perspectives and priorities to address the impacts of COVID-19 and climate change on countries experiencing rapid population growth and increasing food insecurity. Given ongoing travel restrictions, the entire conference will take place online over four half-days. Blending plenary sessions with hands-on workshops will provide participants with a range of methodologies and tools to tackle the biggest opportunities and threats facing food, water, and energy systems today.
AgResults’ session, which takes place at 9:40 a.m. ET on Tuesday, November 16, is titled “Incentivizing Climate-Smart Rice and Resilience in Vietnam.” The breakout session will explore how the Pay-for-Results prize competition engaged the private sector in Thai Binh Province and motivated them to create rice farming technology packages for smallholder farmers to use to mitigate GHGs, reduce water consumption, and increase productivity and farmer incomes. Dr. Tran Thu Ha, Project Manager Lead from SNV Vietnam, and Justin Kosoris of AgResults will lead the session.
After giving a project overview, the presenters will guide participants through mini case studies on real design and implementation issues to highlight lessons learned. Participants will gain practical insights into the power of leveraging private sector partners to invest in new solutions that can lead to improvements in food and water systems.
From 2016-2021, the Vietnam GHG Emissions Reduction Challenge Project worked with a range of private sector competitors to first test improved rice growing practices and then increase the number of smallholder farmers that adopt these solutions to lower emissions and increase yields. The project demonstrated that PfR prize competitions can be a powerful tool to engage the private sector to achieve climate-smart development goals. Although the project did not meet its ambitious targets, AgResults learned valuable lessons on how to set goals and realistically measure incremental progress toward environmentally sustainable agriculture.
For more information about Cracking the Nut, including the agenda, speaker information, and details on registration, visit the conference website.