Water and Soil for Enhanced Food Security in a Change Climate

Bui Le Vinh. 2026. Water and soil for enhanced food security in a change climate managed. Regional knowledge paper. ADB ​TA 9916-REG: Greater Mekong Subregion Sustainable Agriculture and ​Food Security Program 

Full PDF access is available at: Water_and_Soil_for_Enhanced_Food_Security_in_a_Changing_Climate_GMS_Regional_Knowledge_Paper

* Corresponding author: Bui Le Vinh, Department of Land Administration, Faculty of Land Management, Vietnam National University of Agriculture. Email: bui_le_vinh@yahoo.com; blvinh@vnua.edu.vn

Disclaimer: This publication is the property of the ADB TA 9916-REG: Greater Mekong Subregion Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Program, and its content has been reviewed and approved by the project. This is a temporary posting; the author will update the link to the official publication on the Greater Mekong Subregion website once it becomes available.

Water and Soil for Enhanced Food Security in a Changing Climate, peer-reviewed, examines how the Greater Mekong Subregion can strengthen food security by improving water, soil, and climate resilience across Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

The publication shows that climate change, land degradation, declining soil fertility, water scarcity, residue burning, fragmented governance, limited finance, and uneven access to digital tools are increasingly constraining agricultural productivity and resilience.

It highlights six priority actions:

1️⃣ Strengthen institutions and capacity through better coordination, extension services, and local implementation.

2️⃣ Expand digital tools and MRV systems by improving data quality, interoperability, soil and water monitoring, and farmer access to digital technologies.

3️⃣ Scale early warning systems through stronger hydrometeorological coordination, real-time data sharing, localized forecasts, and risk communication.

4️⃣ Promote gender-responsive approaches by improving women’s access to land, finance, training, technology, and decision-making.

5️⃣ Mobilize climate finance through green credit, insurance, blended finance, and public-private partnerships.

6️⃣ Strengthen regional cooperation on transboundary water governance, soil health, climate data, CSA/NbS knowledge exchange, and regional research.

The report also identifies country-specific priorities and recommends greater investment in climate-resilient irrigation, soil restoration, agroforestry, low-emission agriculture, digital MRV, and inclusive capacity building.

Overall, the publication argues that resilient GMS agrifood systems will depend on coordinated action linking climate-smart agriculture, nature-based solutions, digital innovation, inclusive finance, and regional cooperation into a coherent long-term strategy.