The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) will spend nearly 9.5 billion VND (430,000 USD) implementing a national programme on climate change in 2011 in order to ensure sustainable agricultural production and national food security.

The programme will assess the level of climate change, build climate change and rising sea level scenarios and implement scientific and technological projects on climate change along with introducing policies to support crop restructure in eco-agricultural areas.

The programme also aims to improve public awareness of climate change and train human resources for the sector.

In addition, projects relating to climate change response will focus on studying and carrying out mitigation and adaptability measures in the direction of saving water and energy, and limiting emissions in cultivation and animal husbandry.

The MARD said it is building an emission reduction project in the agricultural sector by 2020 with a target of cutting down 20 percent of gas emissions.

It is completing plans to ease the consequences of natural disasters, climate change and rising sea levels as well as mapping out a pilot project on greenhouse effect reduction in agro-forestry in Binh Dinh and Binh Thuan provinces and Can Tho city.

The ministry also suggested the government and ministries increase investment in the agricultural sector’s climate change response activities in order to reduce damages and strengthen disaster prevention capacity./.