Scaling up ecosystem-based adaptation: lessons from Viet Nam

Smallholder farmers, including Viet Nam’s upland Indigenous Peoples and local communities, are facing the daily realities of climate change. Farming on average plots of just one hectare, these communities face intensifying droughts, typhoons and pest outbreaks that threaten their livelihoods and food security.

Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) offers a promising path forward. EbA is a strategy that uses natural solutions, such as restoring forests and wetlands, to help people adapt to climate change. By diversifying farming systems and restoring degraded landscapes, EbA leverages the benefits of healthy ecosystems to enhance communities’ resilience.

Yet, scaling these efforts remains a challenge. Many forest and farm producer organisations (FFPOs) in Viet Nam remain isolated from successful EbA models due to limited resources for documenting and sharing learning. Smallholders also struggle to compete in markets that reward uniformity over sustainability. Without mechanisms to reward their contributions to climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation, FFPOs’ efforts remain undervalued.

Supported by the Global EbA Fund, IIED ran a project with the Viet Nam Farmers Union to scale up EbA approaches by tackling knowledge and market barriers. The project set out with three core goals: to enhance EbA capacity among rural producers; to improve access to markets and finance for products emerging from EbA systems; and to contribute to scaling up EbA within Viet Nam and globally.

This briefing shares some reflections and outcomes from the project.