Increasing seawater intrusion into the intricate system of rivers and streams in the Mekong Delta is affecting freshwater supplies and threatening its hugely productive rice and sugarcane fields and fruit and vegetable gardens.
Organic rice in Northeastern Thailand: Improving farmers’ livelihoods and the environment
Farmers in Surin Province, Thailand are turning to organic agriculture after struggling with debt, health issues and soil degradation from past chemical-intensive farming. Organic rice, integrated farming and farmer cooperatives are becoming popular to improve livelihoods, recover ecosystems and soil, and increase climate resilience.
Youth in the Mekong Delta voice concerns about climate change
Vietnam’s Mekong Delta faces serious problems from climate change as it will exacerbate existing ecological problems including water pollution, salinity intrusion and biodiversity. A group of young people living in the Delta remind us of the area’s food and fish productivity, its importance for people both in Vietnam and globally, and the urgent need to find solutions to climate change.
Passion and people’s power defend free-flowing Salween
Laofang Bundidterdsakul is a Hmong indigenous human rights lawyer. He initiated the Salween Youth Research Project to restore people’s power along the Salween River who are seeking to protect the Salween River from a proposal for a hydropower cascade and take back decision-making about the use of the river.
Women’s traditional knowledge in Lao social enterprise
A silk farm established by Ms. Kommaly Chanthavong in Lao PDR has helped reintroduce the traditional knowledge of silk weaving to her hometown. Tipakson Manpati describes her visit to the farm and explains how it combines social enterprise as a practical model of alternate development with promoting environmental awareness.
Growing food forests along the Ou River in Lao PDR
Khmu youths and villagers living along the Ou River in Luang Prabang Province, Northern Lao PDR have adopted a food forest concept in reforesting the river’s banks that in recent years have been impacted by land erosion. The initiative aims to maintain fragile areas that are important sources of food and thus sustain community food security.