To better understand how the concept of “saline water as a resource” has been implemented over more than five years since Resolution 120 was introduced, this article analyzes the contributions of both the freshwater and saltwater-based sectors to the current agricultural economy of the Mekong Delta Before Resolution 120 came out on November 17, 2017, the Mekong Delta relied heavily on rice, which accounts for over 50% of agricultural land, and viewed saline water as a barrier to production. However, 5–7 years after the resolution’s implementation, the “nature-based” mindset has significantly reshaped the region’s agricultural landscape. In reality, the Mekong Delta’s agricultural economy has undergone a clear structural transformation as outlined in Resolution 120: a gradual decrease in the share of rice, and an increase in the share of fisheries and fruit cultivation. Regarding area and output In the years before 2017, out of roughly 3.2 million hectares of agricultural land in the Mekong Delta, 1.82 million hectares were used for rice farming, 860,000 hectares for aquaculture, and 385,000 hectares for fruit trees. By 2020, the aquaculture area had expanded to over 900,000 hectares, fruit trees to 450,000 hectares, while rice cultivation had decreased to about 1.7 million hectares. In […]
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