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

filling, which has an impact on yields. As a result, heavy rain can lower yields or cause
damage, as well as obstruct seed preparation, sowing, harvesting, threshing, and
drying. Rice pollination and seed germination are harmed when it rains constantly
for an extended period. However, it is natural disasters that are the biggest factor in
reducing rice yield and output in all three countries. In Cambodia, the total production
of rice is highly affected by the occurrence of floods or droughts. Based on data
collection it was concluded that floods more often lead to production losses (in 70%
of the cases) than droughts (20%) and nationwide both can occur at the same time.
Production losses due to pests and diseases were insignificant. In Lao PDR, over 80%
of rice production is affected by adverse weather conditions such as frequent natural
disasters like droughts and floods. In 2018, droughts and floods across the country
damaged more than 150,000 ha of farmland, resulting in a loss of more than 450,000
tons. In 2019, droughts throughout the country and floods in 6 central and southern
provinces damaged more than 130,000 ha of paddy fields, resulting in a loss of more
than 390,000 tons. In 2020, there were droughts across the country and floods in 8
districts of Savannakhet province. The drought in 2021 is estimated to decrease rice
yields by 5-20%. In Viet Nam, extreme weather events also cause great damage to
Viet Nam’s rice output. The Mekong Delta and the South-Central Coast were severely
affected by drought and saltwater intrusion, especially the record salinization year
2015-2016 caused 1.2 million tons of rice loss in the Mekong Delta region. Annual
floods in the Central region also cause great damage to rice production in this region.
According to the Commanding Committees for Disaster Prevention and Search and
Rescue of Central provinces and cities, the heavy rain and floods at the end of 2021
flooded 3,781 ha of newly planted winter-spring rice.

(iii) Other effects on rice cultivation and irrigation systems: Strong storms
and floods are becoming more common as a result of climate change, destroying
numerous dike systems that safeguard riverbanks and coasts, as well as many
irrigation structures. Storms with heavy rains put a strain on hydroelectric dams and
reservoirs. This has an impact on rice farming’s water supply as well as the rice’s
ability to withstand flooding and drought.

In conclusion, droughts and floods are the extreme events affecting the rice
production of all three countries the most. In which, Vietnam’s rice production is most
affected by extreme weather events when the climate risk index (CRI) in the period
2000-2019 is 13, mainly from the impacts of floods, saltwater intrusion, and storms,
in which the Mekong Delta has been affected significantly. The degree of impact of
climate change on rice production in Cambodia is also large when the CRI index in the
period 2000-2019 is 14, only 1 level behind Vietnam. Rice production in Cambodia is
more affected by floods than drought. Laos is a country much less affected by climate
change than Vietnam and Cambodia, the CRI index in the period 2000-2019 is 52,
affected in two rice-growing regions are the northern upland rainfed region and the
lowlands of the central region. Small-scale rice producers are the most vulnerable to
the impacts of climate change, are more vulnerable before climate change than large-
scale producers when they lack knowledge and capital to invest in climate change
response solutions such as the application of new varieties, science and technology
in production or investment in a sustainable production system. Therefore, the ability
of small-scale producers to cope with and adapt to climate change is very poor and
needs to be further improved, especially in the context that small-scale production
is still a form of rice production is popular in all three countries Laos, Cambodia, and
Vietnam.

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