Project

This research project aims to enhance research capacity of scientists in Southeast Asia on the subject of climate change with a focus on impact, vulnerability and adaptation, especially on rice production and water resource.  Activities under this research project include developing of  high resolution future climate scenarios for Southeast Asia region as well as southern region of People Republic of China based  regional climate model simulation. A field experiment was conducted to measure rice productivity under different soil  fertility  treatments and weather conditions.  Impacts of climate change was assessed as pilot study in  two  scales: watershed scale, which assessed the future rice productivity and concerns on water resource in the Chi & Mun  river basins, and also  at  the community scale, which focused on  risk and adaptation to future climate change of farmer communities in the Chi watershed and in central region of Lao PDR. The assessment at watershed scale shows various plausible  futures of rice productivity  under influence of climate change and change in cropping area, which may be driven by future socio-economic condition. Changing climate and  cropping pattern may alter water demand for agriculture activity, in this regard; concern on water resource in the Chi-Mun river basins was assessed. At the community scale the assessment was conducted  at Lao-oi District,  Chi  river  watershed in Thailand and Champhone District, central region of Lao PDR, which addressed risk and possible adaptation to cope with future risk from changing climate. The major outcomes from this research consists of data, which has been used for many studies on climate change in Southeast Asia region, and method on climate change impact, vulnerability and adaptation assessment was tested, of which knowledge gained from the research activities was transferred to number of researchers in the region. 

Attachai Jintrawet, Multiple Cropping Center, Chiang Mai University, Thailand, 

attachai@chiangmai.ac.th

Suppakorn Chinvanno, SEA START RC, Thailand, suppakorn@start.or.th