CALCULATING THE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF SHRIMP FARMING IN VIETNAM: THE CASE STUDY IN PHU VANG DISTRICT, THUA THIEN HUE PROVINCE

Abstract

Shrimp farming is one of the most rapidly growing aquaculture, which globally has been associated with considerable revenue for farmers. In Vietnam, shrimp aquaculture is now one of the most important aquaculture practices in terms of area, production, employment and foreign exchange generation. However, they were also guilty of polluting the environment with greenhouse gas emissions. This study represents an attempt to estimate the carbon footprints of shrimp farming systems based on farm data. Phu Vang District of Thua Thien Hue Province was selected as a case study. The primary data was obtained from fieldwork and interviews with the different actors involved in the selection of shrimp production. The strength of the approach does not lie in producing exact carbon footprints, but in providing a range in which the footprints could fall. Overall, the results of this study demonstrate that the annual carbon footprint of shrimp farming in Hue province is 0.0021 tCO2e or 2.1 Kg CO2e/Kg of shrimp weight. In which, feed consumption contributes most to total greenhouse gas emissions of shrimp farming activities; while energy use such as electricity, diesel oil and human labor also play important roles. The results also indicate the significant differences among farming types in terms of farming productivity and carbon footprint contribution.
The on-sand farming system produced the highest yield of shrimp per hectare, however, it has about twice as much greenhouse gas emission per kg shrimp than those grown in high-tide and low-tide farming systems. More sustainable farming practices should be implemented to reduce the carbon footprint or amount of greenhouse gas emissions from shrimp farming activities.
Keywords: Carbon footprint, shrimp farming, greenhouse gases.