Start-up workshop on climate change adaption in Mekong Delta

A five-day start-up workshop on “Adaption in the Mekong Delta (AMD) in Ben Tre and Tra Vinh provinces”, a climate change response programme, was launched on September 1, focussing mainly on the project’s technical details.

The People’s Committees of the two Mekong Delta provinces of Ben Tre and Tra Vinh, in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), are hosting the event.

According to Roshan Cooke, IFAD’s Regional Climate and Environment Specialist, workshop participants will concentrate on discussing opportunities to diversify and develop local livelihoods, such as selecting appropriate crops and livestock, as well as outlining plans for vocational training courses.

Go Cong breakwater. Photo: Huu Chi

The workshop also needs to produce a detailed six-year implementation plan for the programme.

The AMD programme in Ben Tre and Tra Vinh is being implemented in 30 communes in each province between 2014 and 2020.

Its main objective is to develop sustainable livelihoods for the rural poor in the face of a changing climate, and to enhance the target communities’ capacities to adapt to climate change.

The total budget is 1.034 trillion VND (approximately 48 million USD), including a 426 billion VND (over 20 million USD) loan and a 252 billion VND (nearly 12 million USD) grant from IFAD.

(Source: CPV)