Rice production and food security in Asian Mega deltas—A review on characteristics, vulnerabilities and agricultural adaptation options to cope with climate change

Abstract

Asian Mega deltas (AMDs) are among the world´s most important rice-growing areas and vital for food security. This review describes the major environmental and agricultural characteristics as well as current and future threats to food production and livelihood, using three AMDs as examples, namely the Ganges–Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh, the Ayeyarwady delta in Myanmar and the Mekong River delta in Vietnam. In addition, we analysed the most widely used agricultural adaptation methods in these areas. The major threat to agriculture is salinity intrusion and water scarcity, which consequently leads to a shortage of irrigation water and yield reduction. The most common applied agricultural adaptation strategies are the use of salt-tolerant varieties and the adjustment of cropping calendars, as well as the use of water-saving technologies. It was found that there are many concepts that address individual problems, but a comprehensive and integrated concept for delta regions to adapt to climate change is still missing.