The Central Highlands is one of the most important agricultural regions in Vietnam, where coffee, rubber, pepper, vegetables and fruit are grown e.g. for export. At the same time, Vietnam is one of the countries most affected by climate change, and the project region is particularly sensitive to extreme weather events, such as those caused by El Niño. Drought-ADAPT aims to develop innovative approaches to support short-, medium- and long-term planning and adaptation to drought situations and their impacts in the context of climate change. The project operates at different levels, locally: technically innovative engineering solutions at village level to support local communities in securing their investments and high agricultural productivity; and regionally: development of innovative climate services.
DFD-LAX is leading the project and, in addition, satellite data remote sensing is being applied as a working tool to detect the impact of extreme meteorological events such as El Niño and subsequent drought events on vegetation. Investigation of land cover dynamics will identify sites of change in the project region. Inventorying all detectable water bodies is another research task.