Research Projects

1. Integrated agricultural technologies for enhanced adaptive capacity and resilient livelihoods in climate-smart villages (CSVs) of Southeast Asia. Endorsed budget for USD 1.2 million by the CGIAR research program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security. 2015-2018. Project coordinator for Southeast Asia: Dr. Bui Le Vinh.

2. Gender sensitive CSA options trialed and tested in CSVs, and business case development for scaling. Endorsed budget for USD 360,000 million by the CGIAR research program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security. 2015-2018. Project research consultant in Vietnam: Dr. Bui Le Vinh.

3. Resilience at the margins: Climate risk mapping and spatial decision support systems for strengthening the climate change resilience of the furthest behind in rural communities in Viet Nam. Endorsed budget for EUR 350,000 by the Irish Research Council (IRC). 2021-2023. Vietnamese Co-Co-Principal investigator: Dr. Bui Le Vinh.

Vietnam is an Irish Aid partner country under major threat of climate change. While major advances in poverty reduction have been achieved in Vietnam, there are cohorts of rural societies that remain marginalized and economically vulnerable, whose situation could be further aggravated by negative impacts of climate change. These include poor and peripheral rural households, ethnic minorities, female-headed households and households with disability. There is a need to develop evidence-based decision support systems for targeting of climate resilience strengthening measures (including climate resilient/smart agricultural techniques and innovations, i.e. CSA/CRA) to the most marginalized households in Vietnam. We will develop climate risk mapping and geospatial decision support systems for policy scenario-based integration of CSA/CRA practices for climate resilience and poverty reduction in Phase II of the National Target Program for New Rural Development (Nong Thon Moi Program, 2021-2025) in Vietnam. The project will focus on one of the most climate vulnerable agroecological zones with different biophysical, agroecological and socio-economic characteristics in Vietnam’s Northern Mountain Region (NMR) spanning nearly 2,300 communes (composed of villages) with pilot research sites in Yen Bai province. The project builds on the existing research partnership between NUI Galway and VNUA, working closely with CIAT/CCAFS and other Vietnam based institutions. The project will develop a spatial decision support system (SDSS) for targeting CSA/CRA to marginalized groups (ethnic minorities, female headed households, households with disability) to strengthen the climate resilience and gender empowerment status of such households, while using participatory action research approaches (e.g photovoice) and policy scenario analyses to integrate the SDSS into national and provincial programmes for poverty reduction and strengthening climate change resilience in rural areas of Vietnam. The project will engage strongly with policy stakeholders (policymakers, implementers, government and non-government) along the policy-implementation value chain at different scales (village, commune, district, province, national).

4. Farmers’ perception of land degradation in marginal lands of Van Yen district, Yen Bai province of Vietnam’s northern mountain region. Endorsed budget for USD 12,160 by the International Foundation for Science (IFS). 2021-2023. Project leader: Dr. Bui Le Vinh.

Vietnam’s great performance in agriculture in recent decades has been very impressive, i.e. achieved food security goal, and became the 2nd rice exporter and 1st coffee producer. However, the country did not pay enough attention to efficiency, farmer welfare, and product quality, which had consequently led to environmental impacts. For example, input- and resources-based strategies to keep up with maximal yields rather than conservation and sustainability measures have resulted in soil nutrient depletion from intensification and erosion, land degradation, uncontrolled forest invasion for agriculture, and increased infectious diseases of plants and crops. These problems persist in the Northern Mountain Region (NMR) of Vietnam, the country’s poorest region. Intensive deforestation and crop intensification for a growing population and market demands since the 1970’s have gradually turned NMR a rich carbon pool to marginal lands, putting farmers’ livelihoods at an unsustainable future more than ever. The study will investigate farmer perceptions of land degradation mainly based on their knowledge of soil quality (soil fertility and physical properties). Prior to actual research activities, a set of land degradation criteria will be developed specifically for NMR, based on which farmers’ knowledge will be used for evaluation of the local situation. Investigated local soil knowledge (of quality and degradation) will be compared with sampled and analyzed soil data by the researchers. Major drivers that led to soil degradation and how to leverage synergies that can help enhance soil restoration will be studied with participation of local farmers and authorities using the Structure Equation Modelling (SEM).

5. NUI Galway – Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA) Vietnam Ireland Bilateral Education Exchange (VIBE) Programme on Climate Resilient Agriculture & Environmentally Sustainable Landscapes. Endorsed budget for EUR 252,782 by the Embassy of Ireland in Hanoi. 2019-2022. Project leader: Dr. Bui Le Vinh.

The goal of the NUI Galway – VNUA VIBE programme is to strengthen Ireland-Vietnam third-level education and research cooperation regarding climate resilient agriculture & environmentally sustainable landscapes in a manner that contributes to sustainable development. The specific research objectives of this VIBE programme are:

1) To scale out the CIAT-VNUA CCAFS work to Yen Bai province through commitment of NTM central coordination office and Yen Bai government in taking the work into provincial NTM development plans, serving to consolidate the process for development CSV-based CRA criteria for national NTM implementation for 2021-2025.

2) To provide scientific evidence of conservation upland agriculture for increasing adoption rate of the practice by district governments and Yen Bai farmers by 2021.

3) To create staff and student exchange opportunities between VNUA and NUI Galway for joint research and capacity building in climate change research through a bridge between a CCAFS office to be established at Faculty of Land Management (VNUA) and Ryan Institute (NUI Galway) during 2019-2021 and beyond.

4) (The project as the starting point) To strengthen skills and institutional capacity for contributing to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) research and innovation priorities for Vietnam and Ireland based on the identified hubs at VNUA and NUI Galway with connections to NTM/MARD, CIAT Vietnam and Irish Aid during and beyond the project lifetime.

6. Scaling climate-smart villages in Yen Bai province to promote implementation of climate-smart agriculture and One Commune One Product (OCOP) initiative of the National Target Program on New Rural Development in the 2021-2025 period. Endorsed budget for EUR 100,000 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). 2020-2021. Project leader: Dr. Bui Le Vinh.

Overall objective: Improve capacity to adapt to climate change in new rural areas in specific agroecological conditions.

Specific objectives:

– Assess the current production status, impacts and adaptive capacity to climate change in three agroecological sub-regions in Yen Bai province;

– Develop climate-smart villages (CSV) for enhancing adaptive capacity to climate change in two agroecological subregions in Yen Bai province;

– Develop two integrated economic models through the CSV approach associated with One Commune One Product (OCOP) value chain factors for the two agroecological subregions;

– Make recommendations for scaling the CSV approach into implementation of the National Target Program on New Rural Development (NTM) at the national scale in the 2021-2025 strategy.

7. Assessment of how intercropped legumes helps restore degraded soils, improve crop yields and dampen redmite population build-up of herbivorous mites in cassava fields of northern Vietnam using digital soil mapping and GIS techniques. Endorsed budget for EUR 20,000 by ARES-CCD, Belgium. 2018-2020. Project leader: Dr. Bui Le Vinh.

Overall objective: This proposal aims to spatially assess the tripple advantage of legume-based intercrop systems in cassava and maize farms using GIS techniques. Results of the work will be published in scientific journals and shared with local policy makers and authorities for making conservation agriculture policies and scaling out the work. 

Specific objectives:

(i) Assess the improvement of soil fertility of the study sites with intercropped legumes and compare it with that of monocrop fields, and digitally map soils of the sites,

(ii) In collaboration with the ACTAE/LEGINCROP project team, spatially delineate crop performance (yields) with the intercrop factor across the landscapes from Yen Binh to Van Yen and Van Chan districts, with a total distance of 120km with different altitudes and micro-climate conditions,

(iii) In collaboration with the CCAFS FP2.1 project– biological control component team, spatially delineate dynamics of population build-up of herbivorous mites in cassava with the intercrop factor across the landscapes from Yen Binh to Van Yen districts with a total distance of 80km with different altitudes and micro-climate conditions,

(iv) Financially fund the experiments of the 2 projects in the 2019 season and collaborate with the 2 research teams in obtaining best data sets for studying the relationship between the leguminous intercrop system with the dynamic changes in soil fertility, crop yield and pest population, and

(v) Consolidate research results for policy recommendations on conservation agriculture as a climate-smart technology that will later benefit more farmers and the Vietnamese society.

8. Impact assessment of a local seventeen-year initiative on cassava-based soil conservation measure on sloping land, as a climate-smart agricultural (CSA) practice, in Van Yen district of Yen Bai province. Endorsed budget for USD 15,575 by the CGIAR research program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security. 2019-2020. Project leader: Dr. Bui Le Vinh.

Overall objective: To implement an impact assessment study on triple effects (economic, social and environmental) of a 17-year local initiative on promoting conservation agriculture, focusing on contoured forage barriers on sloping cassava plantations. The investigated duration is 2002-2019, in which 2002 is the baseline year prior to the start of the intervention in 2003.

Specific objectives:

(i) To assess economic impact of the initiative: The study looks at differences of economic components at 02 different times (2002 and 2003-2019), including cassava yields, income and investment (cost-benefit analysis); forage productivity and additional income from the forage-based livestock (cut-and-carry) and aquaculture production systems.

(ii) To assess social impact of the initiative: The team works to prove a theory of change in terms of farmers’ understanding and capacity of the practice (number of trainings attended, effectiveness of trainings, applicability in practices, and farmer knowledge diffusion/sharing); social inclusion of farmers (participation of male and female, better off and poor, young and senior, and ethnic minorities; village decision making opportunities; roles given to these groups in initiative activities); participation local officials and professionals (number participants and times involved per year and per community; farmer evaluation to local officials and professionals); organization and collaboration between villagers and government officers in initiative implementation (local needs-based implementation planning at the district level; harmonization of instruction at the district level and implementation at the ground level; effectiveness and efficiency in collaboration); and in-house gender equity in sharing work and family policy making (labor added by the initiative and work assignment among household members; decision making percentage among family members within labor age).

(iii) To assess environmental impact on climate mitigation (carbon sequestration): The study assesses changes in soil quality (soil chemical and physical properties) of conservation and non-conservation fields, including total carbon (Ct), total nitrogen (Nt), and bulk density.

(iv) To assess environmental impact on climate adaptation: The study assesses enhanced adaptive capacity of soils applying the conservation measure in terms of reduced erosion, improved water infiltration rate and soil moisture content.

9. Impact of climate change on rice productivity and climate adaption strategies of rice farmers in Nghe An province. Endorsed budget for EUR 1,000 by ARES-CCD, Belgium. Mar-Dec 2021. Project leader: MSc. Vu Thanh Bien.

Overall objective: To understand the impact of climate change on rice yield and the determinants of farmers’ adaptation strategies to climate change in the North Central region.

Specific objectives:

– To assess the impact of climate change on rice yield;
– To identify factors that determine adaptation strategies of rice farmers;
– To propose measures to overcome the damage of climate change on rice yield and adaptation strategies to climate change.

10. Assessment of agricultural land use of ethnic minorities in Van Yen district, Yen Bai province. Endorsed budget for USD 1,700 by Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA). Jan-Dec 2022. Project leader: MSc. Vu Thanh Bien.