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Theme: Small-scale producers and local economies

Project name: Land use and sustainable livelihoods in upland Vietnam

Dates / Duration: 2001 to 2003

Geographic Region:

Asia

Introduction:

Early phases of this project reviewed current issues concerning upland land use, resulting in the publication of an issues paper ‘Sustainable livelihoods in upland Vietnam: land allocation and beyond'. Further consultations with national, provincial and district level government officials, researchers, people’s committees, and farmers’ associations in two provinces identified key issues requiring further research. It is in Vietnam’s uplands that the majority of the poorest people live, many of them ethnic minorities, but it is also an area of abundant natural resources. There appears to be the potential to improve upland peoples’ livelihoods whilst sustaining the natural resources, but this depends on policies such as those on watershed management, and the opportunities available for upland people to earn their livelihoods from local resources.

Objectives:

There are two main themes within this project:

The links between land use and watershed protection: upland watersheds are considered to be of critical importance in Vietnam – watershed services supply lowland agricultural areas, urban centres, contribute to power generation and at a more local level, sustain the communities living within watershed areas. This research focuses on the tension between two demands on upland watersheds in Vietnam: the need to maintain watershed functions eg. regulation of water flow and water quality; and the need to provide sustainable livelihoods to communities living in upland watershed areas eg. agricultural land and access to forest products. It challenges the widespread assumption that tree cover offers the most effective protection of watersheds, suggesting that other forms of land use might be more appropriate.

Marketing of upland products: many of Vietnam’s poorest communities live in upland areas. Whilst subsistence agriculture is the mainstay of their livelihoods, it is widely acknowledged that cash income from marketing upland products is a vital component in the livelihoods of many people. However, very little is known about the actual structure of markets for upland products. This research aims to determine how markets for upland agricultural and forest products can be improved in order to support producers’ livelihoods. Subsequent stages of the research consider equity issues, in particular looking at the opportunities for the poorest and most marginalised members of communities to benefit from improved marketing.

Key findings:

Links between land use and watershed protection research theme: Existing policy and empirical evidence on links between land uses and watershed protection in Vietnam has been synthesised into a series of short papers, which were presented and discussed at a workshop in Hanoi in May 2002. Further research is currently being undertaken on the technical aspects of the land use and watershed protection debate. This research is designed to improve understanding of the coverage and quality of existing hydrological information linking land use to water flows and quality, as a basis for identifying causal relationships and information gaps.

Since the workshop, FSIV and IIED have produced a short booklet 'Do forests protect watersheds' which summarises the main issues raised in the papers and the workshop discussions. The booklet is available in both Vietnamese and English, and is being distributed to policy makers and other interested parties. FSIV is also producing a leaflet designed specially for rural extension practitioners and farmers, in which the chief lessons of research on the links between land use and watershed protection will be described. FSIV have found this approach to work well in the past, and will test the draft leaflet in two watersheds before finalising and distributing it widely.

Marketing of upland products research theme: The first stage of this research included detailed examination of the market structures for various upland products in Quang Ninh province, in north eastern Vietnam. Fieldwork was carried out in four districts which, together, provide a thorough representation of the different upland conditions in Quang Ninh, in terms of ecological conditions, land types and products sold. In each district, two communes were selected and commune officials worked with the research teams to select commodities for research. The market chains of each commodity were traced, with a particular focus on constraints to marketing and prices at each stage of the chain. Fieldwork was complemented by an analysis of provincial policy regarding poverty alleviation and marketing of upland products, prepared by the Planning Division of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. This enabled the research team to identify how the implementation (or lack of implementation) of current policies affects market structures. The field research was followed by three workshops, attended by actors from all stages of the market chain as well as government officials. Lively discussions focused on experience of marketing constraints and opportunities in Quang Ninh province, and local and provincial government officials undertook to address some of the problems.

This research on market structures has revealed that there are great differences among villages, communes and districts in terms of what commodities are produced and how they are sold. There may also be important differences in which members of the community are involved in production and marketing activities, and which are involved in production for subsistence only. It was particularly evident from the first period of research that information and knowledge about marketing of upland products does not reach all areas equally, and in some cases communities are completely unaware of marketing opportunities that a neighbouring community has exploited. Thus the second stage of this research is examining how the benefits from improved marketing of upland products can be spread equitably both within communes and villages, and among districts, with particular attention paid to the poorest and marginalised groups.

Key Publications:

What maintains poverty? A study of factors affecting poverty in mountainous areas of Quang Ninh province, Vietnam

Le Thi Phi, Ton Van Chung, Le Bang Tam. 2004.

Making the most of market chains: Challenges for small-scale farmers and traders in upland Vietnam
Le Thi Phi, Nguyen Van Duong, Nguyen Ngoc Quang, Phan Lac Vang. 2004.

Marketing of upland products: a study of the market structures for upland products in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam

Le Thi Phi, Nguyen Van Duong, Nguyen Ngoc Quang and Phan Lac Vang. 2002.

Do forests protect watersheds?

Forest Science Institute of Vietnam and IIED, 2003.

Sustainable livelihoods in upland Vietnam: land allocation and beyond

Elaine Morrison and Olivier Dubois. 1998.

Links to partners:

Forest Science Institute of Vietnam (FSIV)
Mr Vu Tan Phuong fuongvt@hn.vnn.vn

Non-Timber Forest Products Research Centre
Dr Le Thi Phi l.t.phi@hn.vnn.vn

Project supported by:

Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)

Contact:

Sonja Vermeulen, IIED
Email: sonja.vermeulen@iied.org

Elaine Morrison, IIED
Email: elaine.morrison@iied.org

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