Smart Net-Zero

May 28, 2026 | International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) |

IRRI, the Vietnam Rice Industry Association (VIETRISA), and Can Tho City's Department of Agriculture and Environment piloted ViRiCert, a digital compliance-scoring tool, across 11 cooperatives under Vietnam's 1-Million-Hectare low-emission rice program. The tool scores farming practices — including water management, mechanized sowing, fertilizer application, and straw management — against the program's technical criteria to award the "Vietnam Green and Low-Emission Rice" trademark and support traceability and growing-area codes. Can Tho became the first Mekong Delta locality to apply the tool; three cooperatives were recognized for early compliance. VIETRISA has so far certified about 70,000 tonnes of exported rice under the trademark, currently issued free of charge, with a licensing fee under consideration once certified volume reaches 500,000-1,000,000 tonnes. The pilot is supported by the World Bank, CGIAR, and Taiwan's ICDF CABIN project.