| Excutive
summary: |
More than
20 million people directly depend on the land and water resources
of upper catchments of the Mekong and Red rivers for their
livelihoods. The incidence of poverty and food insecurity
is very high in the region, with many farmers relying on rice-based
cropping systems to meet their food needs. However, the productivity
of land and water resources is low and increased pressure
for intensification of these fragile lands is leading to rapid
degradation of valuable resources. Farmers are thus caught
in a vicious circle of low productivity, food insecurity,
degradation of resources, and poverty. Raising the productivity
of rice, a major staple, can be seen as an important entry
point for breaking out of this cycle. This requires, among
other interventions, careful management and use of water,
which is a critical determinant of farm productivity and the
health of the overall ecosystem.
The overall
objective of the project is to improve the food security of
farmers in upper
catchments and reduce their poverty while developing innovative
ways for managing
the land and water resources of the catchment in a sustainable
manner. The project will contribute to this objective directly
by developing, validating, and disseminating
improved technologies for rice-based cropping systems. The
development and
validation of technologies to raise the productivity of water,
land, and labor will be
conducted in the context of the overall farming systems and
the diversity of livelihood
strategies. This process will be pro-poor, participatory,
and demand-driven and will be designed to bridge the gap between
the indigenous knowledge of farmers and the
scientific potential. Active participation of men and women
farmers in all stages of the project will be developed. The
suitability of interventions will be assessed not only in
terms of the usual productivity and income measures. The impact
on women, the poor, and the environment will be emphasized.
The research
work will focus on finding technological and institutional
options for
improving the productivity of water and poor people's access
to water. A multiscale
analysis that includes plots, farms, and micro-catchments
will be conducted by an
interdisciplinary team and in close partnership with the major
stakeholders. The project will develop participatory and integrative
strategies and tools for planning and
managing natural resources so that the stakeholders are empowered
to improve the
management of land and water resources across the rice landscape.
The overall
hypothesis is that landscape management of rice-based production
systems in upper catchments in an integrative manner is the
key to achieving higher water productivity, resource conservation,
and food security. The project will also help develop the
capacity of NARES partners to more effectively plan, coordinate,
and implement resource management programs for the sustainable
development of upper catchments.
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