Gender differences in climate change perception and adaptation strategies: A case study on three provinces in Vietnam's Mekong River Delta

This brief summarizes the findings of a project output for the Policy Information and Response Platform on Climate Change and Rice in ASEAN and its Member Countries (PIRCCA), being implemented by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The report focuses on the
results of the survey conducted in the first half of 2015 on climate change perception and adaptation strategies of male and female farmers in three selected provinces across the Mekong River Delta (MRD) region in Vietnam: An Giang, Bac Lieu, and Tra Vihn.

Key messages:

• all participants in the study have witnessed a change in weather in the last 10 years. Most notably, temperatures have increased and become more variable while precipitation has decreased and become more variable
• perceptions of climate change in Vietnam do not appear to be individual but rather disaggregated at the household level (at the most finite level) or possibly at the landscape level
• perceived impacts of stress by male and female respondents are quite similar, which may indicate that stress is managed at the household level rather than at the individual level
• further gender research in Vietnam should focus on adaptation and coping strategies during climate change stress as it appears that gender differences are most present in this area

To cope with climate change issues, farmers need:

• rice varieties that are tolerant to stresses such as heat, drought, and salinity
• pest management training
• crop production management training

Challenges related to climate change faced by individual households are likely to be the same challenges as their neighbors. Thus, future climate change studies in Vietnam should also include spatial analysis.