FORUM - Conserving the benefits of floating rice in Vietnam

Deepwater rice also known as floating rice − is native to the Mekong River Delta, and in the past was grown widely across its floodplains in Vietnam, particularly in the Long Xuyen Quadrangle and the Plain of Reeds.1 Floating rice held significant cultural, ecological, environmental and historic value, yet since the mid-1970s the area of production has been greatly reduced due to the extensive building of dykes and the introduction of high yielding rice varieties.2 Before 1975, the total area of floating rice was estimated to be greater than 500,000 hectares; by 1994, this had reduced by 80 percent, and as of 2012 only very small pockets of tens of hectares remained in production mostly in An Giang province.3 Despite increased production from high yielding rice varieties, agricultural intensification has increased water scarcity and agro-chemical pollution, and reduced soil fertility in the Mekong Delta. Questions about the long term sustainability of this system have thus been raised. In a new initiative, farmers, with support from university researchers and the local government, plan to re-expand the area under floating rice cultivation. This is sparked by the recognition that floating rice has multiple ecological, social and economic values that are very relevant to rice production in contemporary Vietnam. The farmers plan to develop niche markets for the rice grain in Vietnam and abroad, and create an eco-tourism centre.