Reduce costs and increase yields by applying agricultural weather forecasts

On November 21, in Soc Trang, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), in partnership with the Crop Production Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), organized a seminar titled "Sharing and learning about the development and dissemination of climate services information in agriculture in Vietnam". This event is part of the AMD Initiative - Component 3 of CGIAR.

One of the key goals of the program is to introduce the agricultural weather bulletin, which is a climate service developed collaboratively by CIAT and the Crop Production Department. This service has been officially recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as a technical advancement.

The agricultural weather bulletin was launched and piloted in localities across the Mekong Delta region starting in 2020. The production of the bulletin involved the contributions of agricultural experts, extension officers, meteorological staff and was based on valuable feedback from local farmers.

Mr. Le Thanh Tung, Deputy Director of the Crop Production Department, emphasized that climate services represent a significant innovation in the agricultural sector, especially in the context where farmers and other stakeholders in the agricultural value chain are facing difficulties caused by changing weather and climate patterns.

Through the provision of weather forecasts, seasonal recommendations, early warnings for natural disasters, pest outbreaks and weather predictions, this service has enabled farmers to make better-informed decisions regarding their farming practices. These informed decisions have helped reduce risks, improve productivity and ultimately enhance farmers' incomes.

By October 2024, the agricultural weather bulletin has successfully reached more than 291.000 farmers across 71 districts and 714 communes in the Mekong Delta region. This has been achieved through a variety of communication channels, including digital media, loudspeakers, posters and the Zalo app. In particular, over 219 cooperatives have actively participated in disseminating and sharing the bulletin.

A survey conducted by the project team among farmers revealed that more than 90% of farmers consult the agricultural weather forecast for information and 72% of them adjust their crop care practices based on the forecast.

Furthermore, by incorporating the agricultural weather forecast into their farming practices, between 73% and 82% of farmers have managed to reduce their use of pesticides, while 63% to 86% have decreased their use of fertilizers. Most notably, between 44% and 85% of farmers have been able to save costs and increase crop yields as a result of using the forecast.

However, according to Mr. Kees Swaans, Head of the Asia Regional Climate Action Group at CIAT, the development and adoption of digital climate services in Vietnam still faces several challenges.

A recent report from CIAT highlights that the use of agricultural applications by farmers remains relatively low, with many farmers still uncertain or hesitant about making farming decisions based on online information.

In addition, the development of climate services is encountering challenges such as the lack of agronomic data related to soil quality, the impact of natural disasters, and market forecasting.

As a result, through the introduction of the agricultural weather forecast and by facilitating knowledge exchange with other service providers, Mr. Kees Swaans aims to create opportunities for collaboration. He hopes this will help improve the effectiveness of these services, making them more responsive to the needs of small-scale farmers.

AMD is an initiative aimed at safeguarding the food systems of major river deltas in Asia, ensuring the sustainability of livelihoods while facilitating adaptation to climate change. It works to enhance the resilience of these delta regions, enabling them to recover effectively and comprehensively from various challenges.

Component 3 of the AMD initiative, titled "Mitigating Risks in the Delta Value Chains", focuses on reducing climate-related risks faced by smallholder farmers. It also aims to create a conducive environment for investments in the agricultural value chains by providing additional services and implementing the digital climate advisory services (DCAS+).