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Van HD, Thi XAT, Le Thi VL, Van TT, Pham NT, Phong NT, Gagnon AS, Pham QB, Anh DT. Zoning the suitability of the western Mekong Delta for paddy rice cultivation and aquaculture under current and future environmental conditions. Environ Monit Assess 2022; 194:767. [PMID: 36255502 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-022-10180-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Ca Mau and Kien Giang, the two provinces of the Mekong Delta bordering the Gulf of Thailand, are facing major environmental challenges affecting the agriculture and aquaculture sectors upon which many livelihoods in this region depend on. This study maps the suitability of these two provinces for paddy rice cultivation and shrimp farming according to soil characteristics and current and future environmental conditions for variables found to significantly influence the yield of those two sectors, i.e., the level of saltwater intrusion, water availability for rainfed agriculture, and the length of the growing period. Future environmental conditions were simulated using the MIKE 11 hydrodynamic model forced by four hydrodynamic scenarios, each one representing different extents of saltwater intrusion during both the dry and rainy seasons, while also considering the availability of water resources for rainfed agriculture. The suitability zoning was performed using a GIS-based analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach, resulting in the categorisation of the land according to four suitability levels for each sector. The analysis reveals that paddy rice cultivation will become more suitable to Kien Giang province while shrimp farming will be more suitable to Ca Mau province if the simulated future environmental conditions materialise. A suitability analysis is essential for optimal utilisation of the land. The approach presented in this study will inform the regional economic development master plan and provide guidance to other delta regions experiencing severe environmental changes and wishing to consider potential future climatic and sea level changes, and their associated impacts, in their land use planning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hue Doan Van
- Southern Institute of Water Resources Research, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Xuan Ai Tien Thi
- Southern Institute of Water Resources Research, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Van Linh Le Thi
- Southern Institute of Water Resources Research, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Thanh To Van
- Dau Tieng-Phuoc Hoa Irrigation Exploitation Company, Tay Ninh, Tay Ninh Province, Vietnam
| | - Nhat Truong Pham
- Division of Computational Mechatronics, Institute for Computational Science, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Nguyen Tan Phong
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
| | - Alexandre S Gagnon
- School of Biological and Environmental Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK
| | - Quoc Bao Pham
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Będzińska street 60, 41-200, Sosnowiec, Poland
| | - Duong Tran Anh
- HUTECH University, 475A Dien Bien Phu Street, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
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