Feeding the Future

Towards a climate resilient rice production in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam

Master thesis (2023)

Authors

K. ZHOU Architecture and the Built Environment

Contributors

M.M. Dabrowski Spatial Planning and Strategy - Architecture and the Built Environment (supervisor 1)
I. Bobbink Landscape Architecture - Architecture and the Built Environment (supervisor 1)
Stavros Kousoulas Theory, Territories & Transitions - Architecture and the Built Environment (supervisor 2)
Faculty
Architecture and the Built Environment
Copyright: © 2023 KE ZHOU
Water management Delta region Rice production Climate adaptive planning
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Published Date

28-06-2023

Language

English

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Faculty

Architecture and the Built Environment

Abstract

Delta systems, characterized by their dynamic nature and high population densities, are crucial for food and water security. However, they face significant challenges as they are on the forefront of climate change impacts, including sea level rise, river and coastal flooding, and coastal erosion. Among them is the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, where rice-dependent agricultural production systems and methods are increasingly unable to adapt to the new environment created by climate change. There is therefore an urgent need for climate-resilient agricultural transformation and the accompanying social engagement and cross-border cooperation, taking into account and adapting to local cultures and contexts. The Mekong Delta, spanning nearly 50,000 km2, is a region predominantly composed of fertile alluvial and marine sediments, stretching from Phnom Penh in southeastern Cambodia to southern Vietnam and encompassing the South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. Within Vietnam, approximately 39,000 km2 or 78% of the total area is covered by the delta. This graduation project will focus on its main area of rice production, namely the upper delta in the north.

This graduation project, under the Planning Complex Cities studio, will address the development of spatial planning and strategies that include political, cultural, and social contexts of the site, sustainable agricultural rice production adapted to climate change, and pilot spatial design for selected case areas.