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PROJECT “NETWORK FOR AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
THINK-TAKS FOR COUNTRIES IN MEKONG-SUB REGION” (NARDT)

influence on Lao PDR, Viet Nam, and Cambodia in the Mekong basin. The top three
perceived climate change impacts in ASEAN are flooding, biodiversity loss, and
sea level rise. Climate change manifests itself in different ways depending on the
geographical location of each country, as does the extent of its impact.

Climate change in Viet Nam increased temperature by 0.62°C and precipitation
by 2.6 percent from 1958 to 2014, resulting in an increase in droughts, extreme rainfall
events, super typhoons, and typhoon seasons. Sea level rise and saline water intrusion
are major issues in Viet Nam, hurting rice production, restricting coastal areas, and
deteriorating water quality for humans and agriculture. Flooding in low regions,
drought in summer owing to changes in rainfall, and extreme cold in winter are all
elements that affect rice agriculture in the Red River Delta. Inundation owing to sea-
level rise, drought, saltwater intrusion in the dry season farmer, and unpredictable
floods in the rainy season all have a direct impact on rice output in the Mekong Delta.

In Lao PDR, climate change has caused the temperature to rise by 0.05°C per
year over the last 40 years and precipitation has increased. In the northern sections
of the country, calamities such as typhoons, floods, landslides, droughts, high winds,
disease outbreaks, and earthquakes pose a threat. Droughts and floods are becoming
more common and intense across the country, resulting in droughts and floods at
increasingly odd times throughout the year. Most floods occur in the Mekong flood
plain in the country’s central and southern regions, as they did recently in 2018 and
2019. Upland areas are equally susceptible to flash floods and severe rains. The rice
production area in Lao PDR can be divided into two parts; the northern upland rainfed
region affected by landslides and dry spells and the lowlands of the central region
which is affected by dry spells and floods.

In Cambodia, climate change has caused a 0.8°C increase in temperature
since 1960, as well as an increase in general precipitation, riverine and extreme rainfall
floods, high rainfall variability, and droughts. Droughts, which occur over a longer
period than floods, are linked to climate change, particularly temperature rise and
changes in rainfall patterns. Droughts have wreaked havoc on rice crops and other
agricultural activity. Droughts, unlike floods, have happened unexpectedly and do not
repeat in specific places.

Climate change has a significant impact on these countries’ rice production,
particularly extreme weather events such as storms, floods, and droughts. Overall,
climate change affects the following aspects of the rice sector in this region:

(i) Impacts on the area of rice land: In Viet Nam and Cambodia, sea level rise
has resulted in the loss of rice fields in coastal and low-lying areas (Because Lao PDR
is landlocked, it is hardly affected by sea-level rise). If the sea level increases by one
meter, over 1.77 million ha of land in Viet Nam will become saltwater, representing for
45 percent of the land area in the Mekong Delta, and 25,000 ha of agricultural land in
Cambodia will inundated.

(ii) Impacts on rice yield and output: Temperature rises, and irregular rainfall
patterns have an impact on rice growth, resulting in lower yield. This may have a
mild to severe impact on rice plants, causing slowed root and shoot growth, as well
as a sluggish transition from flowering, seedling, to tillering stages due to moisture,
making rice flowers hard to grow. It also has an impact on rice pollination and seed

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