final version) September, 2013 table of contents

SECTION II – PROJECT DESCRIPTION

1. Description of project component

The objectives of Component A are to: 1) prepare legal and regulatory documents and guides that will be issued or distributed by the Government of Vietnam, at national and provincial levels, to improve the regulation, direction and mix of public and private sector services for governance, management and financing of irrigation and drainage systems, 2) build the capacity of irrigation management organizations and their financing, and 3) improve the performance of the irrigation and drainage systems in provinces affected by Component B interventions.

This component would support the upgrade and modernization of selected existing irrigation and drainage schemes in Central and Northern Vietnam as well as making provision for some small multi-purpose schemes in remote area in northern Vietnam. The works would include (a) major improvement to existing under –performing infrastructure, including gated control structures and regulators, re-sectioning and remodelling of major and other canals within the systems to enable more efficient demand system operation; (b) modernization and/or minor upgrading of existing infrastructure (replacement of primary, secondary or tertiary sluice gates with more effective and efficient options, construction of small bridges, upgrading canal banks, including introduction of a pilot project on using drip irrigation; (c) improvement and protection works for existing dams (generally including protection works on the dam slopes), and appurtenant outlet works and canal systems, and considering introduction of mini-hydropower; (d) construction of new multipurpose village ponds for rural communities with adjacent minor irrigation works; (e) upgrading and modernization of water pumps and associated weirs, with appurtenant water delivery pipelines; (f) refurbish infrastructure and supply drains and (h) construction of measuring devices within the selected projects and installation of Supervisory, Control and Data Analysis (SCADA) system for improved water management systems, with associated logistical support, in conjunction with activities to establish and strengthen WUOs under Component A.

The objective of this component is to increase agricultural and water productivity of selected field, vegetable and fruit crops (citrus), promote shift to low water requiring crops during the dry season and reduce water foot print of agriculture. On-farm systems of crop intensification will be the core project intervention under this component, and the main vehicle for the dissemination of improved technologies to the farmers. On-farm systems of crop intensification will include the complete package of practices for a particular crop from land preparation to harvesting of crop (including use of seed of improved high yielding varieties/hybrids), seed treatment, soil test based application of fertilizers (including use of organic manures, bio-fertilizers and micro-nutrients), weed control, integrated pest management, efficient methods of on-farm water management, carrying out all cultural practices at the optimum stage of crop. Special efforts will be made to include precision land levelling such as laser land levelling.

The project will support post-harvest management demonstrations for promoting farm level cleaning, grading, packing and value addition to the agriculture and horticulture produce. A broad menu of interventions for agriculture and horticulture will be developed during the first two years of the project. High pay-off interventions will be selected by water users associations (WUAs) from this menu depending upon agroecological conditions and emerging marketing opportunities. For disseminating the improved technologies to a large number of farmers, farmer-to-farmer and farmer-to-field school approach will be an integral part of the on-farm demonstration program.

Approach: Component C will be organized into three (03) groups of activities: (i) Promoting good practice of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA), (​​ii) Improving agriculture services and capacity building, and (iii) Technical Assistance and Research.

On Promoting good practice of CSA: The Project feasibility study proposed a list of activities in seven (07) provinces to seek increasing productivity in an environmentally and socially sustainable way, strengthening farmers’ resilience to climate change, and reducing agriculture’s contribution to climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Improve agricultural services and capacity building: The feasibility study proposes (i) various training for Government staff, training of trainers (TOT), and training for farmers, (ii) partnership between "4 houses", and information dissemination.

On Technical Assistance and Research: The FS proposes (i) Technical Assistance (TA) on GHG emissions monitoring, (ii) Technical Assistance for Monitoring and Evaluation (M & E). The project will support key study/research to increase farmer resilience to climate change including varieties more tolerant to draught, salinity, etc,.. as well as key policy or technical guidelines to promote CSA.

(4) Component D: Project Management, Monitoring ana Evaluation (M&E): US$ 5 Million

The contents of the component are: (1) The technical support for project management, consulting and monitoring, auditing, M&E consulting; (2) support for the activities of the project management agencies at central and local tasks in project management, and (3) professional training, technology transfer, capacity building, and project manager for the Board management, particularly the management boards at the local provinces.