Roots that grow deeper: transforming Vietnam’s rice sector for a low-emission future

For nearly 30 years, Mr. Pham Van Phuong cultivated rice at the Thang Loi Cooperative in Dong Thap province, doing exactly what his father had taught him. The pumps ran regularly, and from transplanting until harvest the paddies were kept flooded. This is how rice is grown in the Mekong Delta. Water meant security. The more water in the field, the safer the crop.

For a farmer responsible for his family's livelihood, the decision to experiment with unfamiliar practices that required drying his fields did not come easily. He was sceptical, but curiosity and encouragement from the cooperative prompted him to try the method on part of his land.

One season later, the results surprised him. The plants looked healthier. Their roots had grown deeper and stronger. The stems stood firm even during heavy rain and wind. The decrease in pest pressure allowed him to reduce fertiliser and pesticide costs by 20 to 30 percent - equivalent to savings of over 3,000,000 VND (around €110) per hectare per crop. Yields increased by 200 to 500 kilograms per hectare and buyers offered a premium of 100 to 200 Vietnamese dongs per kilogram for rice grown under sustainable standards.

His shift reflects a much larger transition taking place in Vietnam's rice sector.

Why rice must change

While intensive cropping turned Vietnam into a top global exporter, this success also brought challenges. Continuous flooding and intensive fertiliser use have degraded soil health, while farmers face rising input costs and climate risks such as drought and salinity. Furthermore, flooded paddy fields are a major source of methane emissions, a gas responsible for nearly a third of current global warming.

To remain viable, the rice sector must move beyond a sole focus on productivity towards greater resilience and sustainability across the entire value chain. This means not only supporting farmers to adopt better practices, but also creating shared value for cooperatives, companies, and consumers - through improved quality, traceability and credibility in the market. For farmers like Mr. Phuong, the transition still needs to make economic sense: reducing costs while maintaining yields and opening access to better market opportunities. Otherwise, adoption will remain limited. This is where the work of Rikolto in Vietnam comes in.

Supporting farmers to change practices

In 2025, Rikolto partnered with provincial agricultural extension services to train and coach 513 farmers, including 144 women, on the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) standard. The training focused on transitioning to climate-friendly practices such as Alternate Wetting and Drying irrigation (AWD). Using simple plastic tubes installed in the soil, farmers monitor water levels and decide when irrigation is truly needed. While this practice may sound simple, learning the correct timing is essential, as excessive drying could harm the crop. Through field demonstrations and regular coaching, farmers gradually gained the confidence to apply this water-saving technique.

Another focus was rice straw management. The Mekong Delta produces over 26 million tonnes of rice straw annually. Much of this is burned or incorporated into flooded soil, releasing greenhouse gases. Instead, farmers explored using straw for mushroom cultivation, composting and livestock feed, farmers effectively mitigated emissions while creating additional income sources for the cooperatives and employment opportunities for participating members.

Connecting farmers to sustainable markets

Changing practices alone is not enough: farmers need reliable markets that reward sustainability. Through a project funded by the Government of Flanders via their programme FICAP (Flanders International Climate Action Programme), Rikolto partnered with the Belgian company BENEO to build a traceable value chain centred on the SRP standard. Roland Vanhoegaerden, operations manager of BENEO, explains: "In my opinion, SRP (standard) is currently the only answer to our company's and customers' expectations regarding the sourcing of sustainable rice. (...) What makes this project special is that we are fully integrated. With the help of Rikolto, we can work directly with the farmers, learn about their practices and ensure traceability."