Workshop: Water-Food Security in Cambodia and the Vietnam Delta – Assessing risk and alternatives under an altered flow regime

As follow-up of the Chiang Rai Workshop on “Food Security in the Mekong- The Water, Food and Energy Nexus Revisited“, Shared Waters Partnership continues to enhance dialogues on food security in the Mekong River Basin. The Chiang Rai Workshop provided a venue for discussing the regional food security among the representatives from civil society, governments, intergovernmental organisations, international NGOs, researchers and development partners; and addressed a significant need for knowledge sharing and policy dissemination in the field.

Two workshops in Phnom Penh and Can Tho will be held back-to-back to utilise international/regional expertise in fisheries, agriculture and livelihoods. Cambodia and the Vietnamese Delta are the most sensitive areas for food security due to alteration of the Mekong mainstream. The aim is to bring together national/local stakeholders based in Cambodia and Vietnam to discuss food security to promote science-based decision making and to support local capacity.

For more information: Concept note

Phnom Penh Workshop December 2-3 Presentations

Keynote presentations

• Dams and the energy, food and water nexus in the Mekong
  – James Pittock, Australia National University
• Exploring Tonle Sap Futures: four alternative water-and livelihoods-related scenarios for the Tonle Sap in 2040
  – Marko Keskinen, Aalto University

Irrigated Agriculture

• Pathways of Rice Production for Food Security in Cambodia – Lessons Learned from the Vietnamese Mekong Delta
  – Dang Kieu Nhan, Mekong Delta Development Research Institute, Can Tho University

Water-Food-Energy Nexus

• Political and economic aspect of food security and its relations to water and energy
  – Nathanial Matthews, Kings College London
• Water access and available land resources, and its impact on food production
  – Tracy Farrell, Conservation International
• Water, energy and food: opportunities and constraints
  – Matthew McCartney, International Water Management Institute
• Improving decision making through knowledge sharing
  – Penhleak Chan, Open Development Cambodia

Focus on Fisheries

• Mitigation measures for the future risks in Fisheries
  – Alan Brooks, World Fish
• The role of technology in assessing fish populations and migrations relative to hydropower development
  – Doug Demko, FishBio
• The Future of Fish Research in the Lower Mekong Basin: Creating Connections through the Mekong Fish Network
  – Sinsamout Ounboundisane, FishBio

Tonle Sap in focus

• Is Greater Fishery Access Better for the Poor? Explaining De-Territorialisation of Tonle Sap, Cambodia
  – Thol Dina, University of Tokyo
• Fishery Reforms on the Tonle Sap Lake: Risks and Opportunities for Innovation
  – Kim Sour, CDRI
• Human-Nature Relation and Livelihood Strategies in Tonle Sap Lake
  – Mak Sithirith, World Fish

Can Tho Workshop December 5-6 Presentations

Keynote presentations

• Water and food security in Vietnam: Challenges for rice production?
  – Chu Thai Hoanh, International Water Management Institute
• Dams and the food and water nexus in the Mekong: implications for Vietnam
  – Jamie Pittock, Australian National University
• Hydropower development: implications for fisheries in the Mekong and in Vietnam
  – Eric Baran, World Fish

Agriculture & Livelihoods

• Assessment of  the vulnerability of upstream hydropower and Pangsius catfish industry development to wild fish resources and food security in the Mekong Delta
  – Chau Thi Da, An Giang University
• Policies and Institutions in Water-Food-Ecosystem of Vietnam
  – Bach Tan Sinh, National Institute for S&T Policy and Strategy Studies
• Sustaining Rice Production or Sustaining Rice Farmer’s Livelihoods for Food Security? A Case Study of the Vietnamese Mekong Delta
  – Dang Kieu Nhan, Mekong Delta Development Research Institute, Can Tho University
• Good Practices in Rice Production in the Mekong Delta: Challenges and hopes
  – La Thi Nga, United Nations University, Institute for Environment and Human Security
• Improved dike and flood governance: a strategy for ecological and social resilience to floods in the Mekong River Delta, Vietnam
  – Nguyen Van Kien, An Giang University

Presentations on fisheries

• The role of technology in assessing fish populations and migrations relative to hydropower development
  – Doug Demko, FishBio
• The Future of Fish Research in the Lower Mekong Basin: Creating Connections through the Mekong Fish Network
  – Sinsamout Ounboundisane, FishBio

Threats and Challenges in Food Security

• Political and economic aspect of food security and its relations to water and energy
  – Nathanial Matthews, Kings College London
• The impact assessment of low flood on fishery based livelihoods in the upstream Mekong Delta, Vietnam
  – Vo Duy Thanh, An Giang University
• Mapping Social Vulnerability to Saline Intrusion in the Coastal Mekong Delta
  – Tim Gorman, Cornell University