The El Niño weather pattern, now on the wane, is the prime reason for crop-killing drought in Vietnam, “but it is not the only one,” says the New York Times. Scientists say a contributing factor is the government’s “rice first” policy, which leads to planting of three rice crops a year instead of the traditional one or two. The intensive growing depletes soil nutrients and magnifies the impact of drought.
The “rice first” policy dates from the 1970’s Communist victory in the Vietnam War, when food supplies were short and there was no manufacturing sector. In the Mekong Delta, the major rice-growing region, all 13 provinces suffer from salt water in agricultural lands, according to the government. Salt water intrusion in the Mekong is a problem because water flow is diminished by the hot, dry weather.
A consultant to the International Union for Conservation of Nature told the Times that rice losses in the drought show the government should adjust its emphasis on rice and encourage shrimp farming as a substitute source of revenue. Vietnam ranks as the third-largest rice exporter yet the consultant, Nguyen Huu Thien says, “There is no glory in that because the farmers are not thriving and there is a lot of migration out of the delta.”