Rice and risks in the Mekong Delta

The wet and verdant expanse of the Mekong Delta's rivers and farms is a veritable rice bowl for the world.Not only do the region's paddies produce half of Viet Nam's rice crop yearly, the country is the world's third largest rice exporter with 17% of world exports of paddy rice, the vast majority of which is produced in the Mekong Delta.But the natural wealth of the great delta belies serious risks which people living in this fragile, low-lying ecosystem now face.Quite simply, the abundant freshwater that defines this region is coming under threat.In recent years, saline water has started to encroach further inland from the ocean, to such a degree that farmers in some areas of the delta now speak of a "salty season".Some have even had to change from growing rice to farming shrimp which can cope in the now brackish water.Local communities are increasingly turning to pumping groundwater for irrigation, aquaculture and drinking water, but this only accelerates the salinisation.Pumping also causes land subsidence and depletes underground water supplies, reducing water security for future generations.Meanwhile, sea levels are expected to rise in the region by 45-75 cm by 2090.This is a major threat to a part of the world which, on average, is less than 2 metres above sea level.A rise in the sea level of only 30 cm could see the loss of nearly 200,000 hectares of rice cultivation.