Smart Irrigation Transformed Lives in Mekong Delta
Chuc and his wife turned their old grass-cutting machine into a pump to water their orchard. Back then, it took them four hours to finish the job—and they had no idea whether the water was salty or safe fortheir trees.
Photo: Oxfam
For Dinh Quang Chuc, a 51-year-old farmer in the Mekong Delta who has lived with a leg impairment since childhood, life took a happy turn when his family received support to install an automatic water-saving irrigation system.
For decades, he and his wife managed their 7,200-square-meter fruit garden through sheer determination. She handled the physically demanding tasks like watering, fertilizing, harvesting…while he took care of household chores. Their teamwork kept the family afloat, but the burden was heavy.
The Mekong Delta is one of Vietnam’s most climate-vulnerable regions, and when extreme weather strikes, women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities often suffer the most. Many families here rely on traditional farming—hard work with low returns and heavily dependent on the weather. For those with physical limitations, the challenges multiply; getting access to knowledge, resources, and opportunities
becomes even harder.
Chuc and his wife took a photo with SCR's project team.
Photo: Oxfam
Since the Oxfam-supported project “Strengthening Climate Resilience in the Mekong Sub-region” (SCR) began in 2022, real changes have started to take root. By introducing climate-smart livelihood solutions, building capacity for community people and local authorities on inclusive and participatory climate change adaptation, the project is helping vulnerable households adapt to climate change and reduce disaster risks.
The benefits were immediate and profound. The system cut down costs and labor. Water conservation became possible, even during the dry season, reducing vulnerability to drought and salinity intrusion. “Now, I worry less about water scarcity”, Chuc explains. “This system uses very little water yet keeps the plants moist”.
“One of the things that makes me happiest is that my wife doesn’t have to work so hard anymore”, he shares. “I can manage everything with just my phone, click a button on the app. I’m very grateful because this system feels like giving me a pair of technological legs”, Chuc said.
The SCR project concluded its mission in July 2025. Over four years, the project introduced practical solutions that made a real difference, such as installing water-saving automatic irrigation systems for households, forming and training community disaster risk management (DRM) teams, and planting mangrove forests to protect coastlines. Local government staff now have stronger skills in disaster risk management and climate change adaptation, enabling them to plan better and support communities proactively. In total, 9,812 people benefited, including 1,024 girls, 3,482 women, and 36 persons with disabilities.