- Rice-shrimp farming gaining importance for Vietnam’s low-emission rice ambitions.
- IRRI research shows nutrient management and sowing time influence yield.
- Need for digital tools to support more precise farm decisions.
The research identified nutrient management and sowing time as the two biggest technical drivers of yield gaps in rice-shrimp systems.
IRRI project leader and senior scientist Nguyen Van Hung said the two factors together represented about 66% of the technical factors analysed.
Nutrient management accounted for 37% and sowing time for 29%.
Rice-shrimp yields are particularly sensitive to changing environmental conditions.
The findings highlight how data-driven water management, planting schedules and fertiliser use could improve production efficiency.
Nguyen presented the research at a workshop organised by IRRI, the Ca Mau Department of Agriculture and Environment, and the Vietnam Rice Sector Association (VIETRISA).
Digital tools for precision farming
Together with its partners, IRRI is developing a suite of digital tools to support precision agriculture and climate adaptation in rice-shrimp areas.
These include rice-shrimp suitability maps, remote-sensing applications, water forecasts, CS-MAP, saltwater intrusion alerts and WebGIS platforms.
Machine learning is also being used to combine data on soil, land use, topography and climate to produce soil and nutrient maps.
Other tools under development include Rice Crop Manager, real-time water sensors, AI assistants and digital extension services that provide site-specific recommendations.
The technologies are designed to help farmers make better decisions as freshwater and salinity levels, weather patterns and water availability change.
The workshop also highlighted mechanised row seeding combined with fertiliser deep placement (mDSR-FDP).
According to IRRI, this technology that can reduce labour requirements, improve crop establishment and increase input-use efficiency in rice-fish production systems.
However, successful adoption depends on adapting the technology to local rice-shrimp farming conditions and integrating it with suitable crop and resource management practices.
Speaking on behalf of producers, Hoa Phat Agricultural Services Cooperative director Vo Duc Toan said farmers’ main concern was whether new solutions could reduce seed and fertiliser use, lower labour costs and minimise risks.
To sustain these practices, farmers need suitable mechanisation services, regular technical guidance and reliable buyers.
This support would give them greater confidence to adopt new approaches and increase the value of rice-shrimp products.
Building value
Rice-shrimp farming has become a key agricultural system in Vietnam’s coastal Mekong Delta.
“Rice-shrimp systems offer coastal Mekong Delta farmers an opportunity to diversify income and adapt to changing water conditions amid growing climate risks and rising production costs,” said Madonna Casimero, senior scientist at IRRI.
Casimero added that the work supported Vietnam’s ambition to develop one million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice by 2030. It would do so by adapting the programme’s principles to coastal production systems.
VIETRISA president Le Thanh Tung said the sector needed to translate the ecological advantages of rice-shrimp farming more effectively into market value.
Ca Mau has been developing its “Fragrant Rice-Clean Shrimp” brand alongside “Ca Mau Ecological Rice”. Workshop participants emphasised product quality, traceability standards and stronger links among farmers, cooperatives and businesses.
Tung said rice and shrimp should not be marketed as separate products, but as parts of an integrated ecosystem.
He described “One land - two seasons - two products - one ecosystem” as a compelling commercial story.
However, he said branding claims must be backed by verifiable quality, traceability, and recognised standards.
