AGRICULTURAL FARMING SYSTEMS OF XO DANG ETHNIC MINORITY TO ADAPT CLIMATE CHANGE IN QUANG NAM PROVINCE, VIETNAM

Abstract

This study was performed in Bac Tra My district, Quang Nam province to understand the agricultural farming systems to adapt climate change with 90 households of the Xo Dang ethnic minority. Three principal results are as follows: first, Xo Dang people are aware of the climate change that has a strong impact on their livelihood; most households agree that the droughts become longer; floods and storms become less frequent but with stronger intensity. Second, four adaptation measures were suggested, including (1) adjusting planting calendars, (2) adjusting farming techniques, (3) using native varieties, and (4) intercropping. Finally, among the five principal farming systems, only the intercropping of acacia and local rice (Pế-tru) is the most economically effective with IRR = 10.23%, NPV = 2.6 million, and the payback period of 3.5 years. Two factors significantly affecting the economic effectiveness of this system statistically (p < 0.05) are the acacia variety and the distance from the acacia field to the main road.