The Vietnam Low Carbon Rice Project (VLCRP)’s technologies were designed and developed from the advanced rice farming technique namely “one must - five reductions” combines with the  smart application of Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) water management and precise fertilizers application for optimizing the economic, social and environmental impacts. Since 2010, VLCRP has piloted and further refined their low carbon rice production technologies for improving production efficiency and protecting environment that including the reduction of green house gas emissions. As such, VLCRP’s low carbon rice farming technology has been named as one must do, six reductions (1M6Rs), in which, the sixth reduction the Greenhouse gas emission and negative impacts on environment. The VLCRP project’ s 1M6Rs was demonstrated and extended over 11 crops in Kenh 7B cooperative, in Thanh Dong A commune, Tan Hiep district, Kien Giang province and Phu Thuong cooperative, in Phu Thanh commune, Phu Tan district, An Giang province. In Kien Giang, the project was undertaken on the rice fields of 265.63ha corresponding to 167 households (farmers). Similarly, in An Giang the project was conducted on the rice fields of 274.81ha corresponding to 254 households. The project’s Monitoring and Evaluation system were designed to monitor the application, evaluate the impacts and provide timely feedback during each and all crops to the communities, farmers, local authorities, DARD and Extension system.  Key monitoring and evaluation indicators include (i) diffusion and expansion of 1M6Rs application in the project areas, impacts and technical effectiveness of the 1M6Rs through visual indicators encompassing rice yield, total revenue, total production costs and farmers’ farming practices, (ii) advantages and disadvantages in 1M6Rs application and desirable measures to support farmers, (iii) socio-economic changes and environmental impacts through integrated gender empowerment in rice production. As such, all project activities and its impacts are closely monitored and fully evaluated by each and all crops vis a vis the reduction of  production costs, seeds density, fertilizers and pesticides application while increasing rice production efficiency to improve farmers’ livelihoods; as well as project impacts on socio-economic changes and gender equity support the community’s sustainable development.

Household farming diaries and questionnaires were used to collect data on technical (practice) and financial (cost) effectiveness including land preparation, seeding, pesticides and fertilizers application, rice caring, and harvesting. Furthermore, GPS and GIS tools were employed to determine positions of farmers (land parcel) applying the 1M6Rs technology in the field and on digital map.

Study results show that number of households (farmers) and land areas applied the 1M6Rs technology increases significantly over cropping seasons in both project regions, Kien Giang and An Giang. 1M6Rs technology helped farmers to sustain and increase their rice yield, reduce total production costs whilst achieving significant co-benefits of social, economic and environmental improvements as compared to pre-project intervention. The project has developed the appropriate and effective tools to monitor, manage and evaluate the farmers’ adoption and application of 1M6Rs rice production technology in An Giang and Kien Giang provinces.