On the afternoon of August 23, Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry coordinated with a number of units to organize a seminar on the current situation and development strategy of low-emission food systems in the Mekong Delta (MD) to ensure socio-economic development and mitigate climate change.
Need for chain-based emission reduction solutions
Speaking at the workshop, Associate Professor Dr. Phan Tai Huan, Vice Principal of Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry, said that the world is currently facing climate change and countries have committed to reducing CO2 and other gases that affect food production.
Associate Professor, Dr. Phan Tai Huan, Vice Principal of Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry (Photo: My Quynh).
In Vietnam, the Mekong Delta plays an important role in the national food security strategy. Understanding the current emissions situation here will shape the development trend of low-emission food systems. This is a premise for implementing greenhouse gas emission reduction, ensuring the Government's commitment to reduce net carbon emissions to zero by 2050.
According to Mr. Huan, there have been many approaches to emission reduction in the past, however, they only stopped at a single level such as in food production, processing to reduce by-products and waste...
In the current context, emission reduction must be done along the chain. In production and farming, it must go from farm to table, meaning all stages from production, harvesting, post-harvest processing, intermediate storage, transportation to processing sites, generation of by-products, waste... to consumers, surplus products from users...
Overview of the discussion (Photo: My Quynh).
Therefore, the conference will bring a new approach; experts will learn and discuss together to bring awareness to reduce emissions across the food system chain.
Mr. Huan believes that if there is impact at many stages, there is coordination, especially if the state has a policy to operate synchronously to reduce emissions, support all stages... to bring about a comprehensive impact, instead of just at a certain stage.
Challenges and opportunities
Dr. Pham Thu Thuy, CIFOR-ICRAF, University of Adelaide (Australia) shared that emissions in the food sector account for about 31% of global emissions. In Vietnam alone, emissions from the food system account for about 1% of emissions from the global food system.
Ms. Thuy commented that although the amount of emissions from the food system in Vietnam is lower than many other countries, the emission rate is also showing signs of increasing.
Dr. Pham Thu Thuy, CIFOR-ICRAF Organization, assesses emission reduction challenges in the Mekong Delta (Photo: My Quynh).
Specifically, emissions in 2020 increased by 8% compared to 2010. Currently, Vietnam's agricultural, forestry, aquatic and seafood products are exported to many countries around the world, so controlling emissions is very important.
Ms. Thuy added that if Vietnam does not quickly control its emissions, countries around the world will likely shift their markets to other countries with lower emissions. Not to mention, the Government's goal of achieving net zero emissions will be difficult to achieve.
In particular, it is necessary to evaluate the entire chain from input supply, processing, packaging, transportation... to consumption to have the most general assessment of the food system's emissions and have appropriate policies.
However, according to Ms. Thuy, there are currently many limitations to building an emission reduction strategy in the Mekong Delta region such as ineffective regional and sectoral planning, ineffective investment attraction, underdeveloped infrastructure, and inadequate human resources compared to the rest of the country...
Production organization and application of scientific and technical advances in the Mekong Delta are not yet uniform (Photo: QH).
Associate Professor Dr. Kha Chan Tuyen, Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry, also admitted that the biggest challenge of agriculture in the Mekong Delta is that the organization of production and the application of scientific and technical advances are still fragmented and small-scale.
Mr. Tuyen said that agriculture in the Mekong Delta needs to avoid developing in a wide-scale, spontaneous manner, disrupting short-term and long-term planning...
Associate Professor, Dr. Kha Chan Tuyen, Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry (Photo: My Quynh).
Based on practical research, Mr. Tuyen suggested that it is necessary to quickly research and orient the market for agricultural products specific to each locality in the Mekong Delta .
In particular, it is necessary to analyze and test the application of mechanization in stages with low MI index in rice, citrus, pig, duck, shrimp and fish production activities.
At the same time, it is necessary to soon plan concentrated agricultural production to create a large enough source of raw materials for high value-added production and quickly apply digital technology to improve the quality of post-harvest products and reduce post-harvest losses.
"Building a comprehensive national strategy on applying digital technology to ensure the quality and food safety of Vietnamese agricultural products and food according to international standards, not only meeting domestic consumption needs but also being able to export with high quantity and added value," said Associate Professor, Dr. Kha Chan Tuyen.
Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/giam-phat-thai-co2-tu-san-xuat-nong-nghiep-o-dbscl-192240823154932667.htm
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