Transforming Lives

Projects in Vietnam Help the Country Adapt to Climate Change

Climate change is a serious threat to food security and agriculture in Vietnam. Nearly 1.1 million hectares, or 70 percent of the country’s total cultivable land, is threatened by a sea level rise of just 1 meter.

USAID helps aquaculture farmers adopt sustainable production practices and fisheries management.

Fish farmers in parts of Indonesia are sometimes left fishing for answers when they have questions regarding their work, and delays in responses can be costly. But through mobile technology, access to an informational database or live help from an expert is now available at their fingertips.

Farmer Vo Duy Ich, right, works closely with veterinary officials in Laos to ensure that his flock of layer ducks stays healthy.

USAID and its partners, including FAO and WHO, have been at the forefront of responding to avian influenza and other emerging pandemic threats. Since 2006, USAID has funded activities to help 20 countries around the world—many in South and Southeast Asia—better control outbreaks with field detection, field sampling and laboratory analysis.

Toom Sumpaoporka stands next to one of her many leucaena trees on the family farm in Lopburi, Thailand.

Thai farmers are turning away from pesticides and restoring highly degraded land with trees that can live in damaged soil. The trees grow quickly and can thrive in areas where many other species struggle. They require no irrigation and can survive even the driest conditions.

Improving Indonesia’s Water Management through Science

One of these scientists is Dyah Marganingrum, a water management expert. In her native Indonesia, the urban poor are particularly at risk for not having enough clean water. According to Indonesia’s Ministry of National Development Planning, nearly 70 percent of urban households do not have access to a piped water supply and 30 percent do not have access to the most basic sanitation.

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