It is forecasted that by 2050 the Mekong Delta will lose up to 1 million hectares of agricultural land.

DNVN - Speaking at the workshop “Promoting green innovation in agriculture through market mechanisms” on the morning of September 17, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc said that the agricultural sector is facing major challenges. It is forecasted that the Mekong Delta will lose from 500,000 to 1 million hectares of agricultural land by 2050.

Developing green agriculture, aiming for sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural production, is one of the top priorities in socio-economic development policies. According to Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, agriculture currently contributes about 12% of Vietnam's GDP, providing livelihoods for about 30% of the workforce.

However, the agricultural sector is facing major challenges such as climate change, with the Mekong Delta region - the country's largest rice granary - forecast to lose between 500,000 and 1 million hectares of agricultural land by 2050 due to rising sea levels, causing annual losses of up to 3% of GDP.

Green agriculture is therefore emerging as an inevitable solution for sustainable development in Southeast Asia. With rapid economic growth, the region is facing environmental and climate change challenges, requiring a strong transformation in the agricultural sector.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc spoke at the workshop.

Vietnam, with its advantage as an agricultural country, has great potential for developing green agriculture. Investment in technology, along with a young workforce and supportive government policies, have been creating favorable conditions for Vietnam to successfully implement a green transformation in agriculture.

“To fully exploit this potential, Vietnam needs to overcome a number of barriers. One of the major challenges is that human resources, especially high-quality human resources in the agricultural sector, are still limited, and there is a lack of experts and teams that can master high technology and techniques,” Ms. Ngoc emphasized.

In addition, according to the Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment, the rate of untrained rural workers remains high. Farmers need to be properly trained in advanced farming methods, sustainable land management and efficient use of resources.

Green agriculture startups face difficulties in connecting with experts, accessing markets and scaling up production. Lack of infrastructure and resources is also a major barrier that needs to be addressed to promote the development of these businesses.

The National Innovation Center (NIC) and the Vietnam-Australia Association of Intellectuals and Experts (VASEA) signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation.

Within the framework of the workshop, the National Innovation Center (NIC) and the Association of Vietnamese-Australian Intellectuals and Experts (VASEA) signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation, aiming to effectively promote green innovation in agriculture in Vietnam. At the same time, finding solutions to overcome difficulties and challenges in human resources, especially high-quality human resources in the agricultural sector.

The National Innovation Center and VASEA hope that this cooperation can support and motivate startups in the field of green agriculture, especially in connecting with experts, accessing markets and expanding production scale. Accompanying and finding solutions to the lack of infrastructure and resources to promote the development of businesses.

Ha Anh

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/kinh-te/chinh-sach/du-bao-nam-2050-dong-bang-song-cuu-long-se-mat-toi-1-trieu-ha-dat-nong-nghiep/20240917121046136