On December 12, Vietnam's first International Rice Festival took place in Hau Giang province with participants from 40 countries. The Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) joined the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) to launch Vietnam’s 1 Million Hectares of Rice Initiative, an ambitious plan to cultivate high quality, low emissions rice in the Mekong Delta. The DPM and MARD minister joined a meeting with seven development partners, including USAID, to seek advice and support in reducing emissions in the rice sector and strengthening Vietnam’s green economy while improving farmers’ livelihoods. Following the meeting, the MARD Minister and World Bank Country Director signed a letter of intent to partner on the initiative.
This is in line with USAID’s Climate Resilient Agriculture in the Mekong activity, announced by President Biden, which will contribute to the initiative through its efforts to reduce emissions from rice cultivation and build the resilience of vulnerable populations.