Feb 10, 2016
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"
Nguyễn Quỳnh Hương - BTBTIU14077Nguyễn Ngọc Thiên Ngân - BTBTIU14131
Nguyễn Hồng Ngọc – BTBTIU14145Nguyễn Phương Thảo - BTBTIU14217Trần Đoàn Phương Vy - BTBTIU14297
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