IRD, 213 rue Lafayette, 75480 Paris Cedex 10, France. International Rice ... differentiation in Xuat Hoa Commune, Bac Kan Province, Viet Nam. Sadoulet D.
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Jean-Christophe Castella Dang Dinh Quang
INTERNATIONAL RICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
With the financial support of the French Embassy in the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
Cover picture: Farmers terracing a new paddy field beside an upland rice field (Photo: J.C. Castella)
This volume presents a series of monographic and analytical studies vital to understanding the heterogeneity and potential of the mountains of northern Viet Nam. The Mountain Agrarian Systems Program (SAM) has used an interdisciplinary approach to analyze the needs and possibilities of farmers in the mountainous province of Bac Kan. The multiple-scale analysis showed that we need to create not only a spirit of "thinking globally and acting locally", but just as importantly, a spirit of "thinking locally and acting globally". The research provides a foundation for development practitioners and policy makers to identify the successes and failures of past policies and projects, and to target the groups most in need of development assistance today.
Doi Moi in the Mountains
Under the socialist system of collectivized agriculture, Viet Nam was a nation of chronic food shortages. Now, thanks to the dramatic doi moi economic reforms, Viet Nam has transformed itself into one of the world’s leading exporters of rice, coffee, rubber, tea, and other agricultural products. This remarkable economic success has been concentrated in the lowland "rice bowl" regions, where farmers had the means to take advantage of the new doi moi policies. But in the northern mountains, poverty levels remain high and environmental degradation threatens the continued livelihoods of farmers.
Doi Moi in the Mountains Land use changes and farmers’ livelihood strategies in Bac Kan Province, Viet Nam
Edited by Jean-Christophe Castella and Dang Dinh Quang
The Agricultural Publishing House
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Doi Moi in the Mountains
Doi Moi in the Mountains Land use changes and farmers' livelihood strategies in Bac Kan Province, Viet Nam
Edited by Jean-Christophe Castella and Dang Dinh Quang
The Agricultural Publishing House Ha Noi, Viet Nam 2002
Vietnam Agricultural Science Institute VASI, Thanh Tri, Ha Noi, Viet Nam
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement IRD, 213 rue Lafayette, 75480 Paris Cedex 10, France
International Rice Research Institute IRRI, DAPO Box 7777, Metro Manila, Philippines
© VASI - IRD - IRRI, 2002
Jean-Christophe Castella and Dang Dinh Quang (eds.) 2002 Doi Moi in the Mountains: Land use changes and farmers' livelihood strategies in Bac Kan Province, Viet Nam 1. Viet Nam. 2. Rural development. 3. Mountain agriculture
Published in Ha Noi, Viet Nam by The Agricultural Publishing House
Publishing Permit No. 1/861 dated 21/06/2001
Contents Preface Scaling up local diagnostic studies to understand development issues in a heterogeneous mountain environment: An introduction to the SAM Program. Castella J.C., Dang Dinh Quang, Tran Dinh Long, and Le Quoc Doanh
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Part 1: Monographic studies 1. A short history of land use changes and farming system differentiation in Xuat Hoa Commune, Bac Kan Province, Viet Nam. Sadoulet D., Castella J.C., Vu Hai Nam, and Dang Dinh Quang
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2. The declining role of ethnicity in farm household differentiation: A case study from Ngoc Phai Commune, Cho Don District, Bac Kan Province, Viet Nam. Castella J.C., Tran Quoc Hoa, Husson O., Vu Hai Nam, and Dang Dinh Quang
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3. From rice cultivator to agroforester within a decade: The impact of Doi moi on agricultural diversification in a mountainous commune of Cho Moi District, Bac Kan Province, Viet Nam. Fatoux C., Castella J.C., Zeiss M., and Pham Hung Manh
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4. Centralized planning and agricultural policy: The role of the State in the agrarian dynamics of Duc Van Commune, Ngan Son District, Bac Kan Province, Viet Nam. Castella J.C., Gevraise V., Novosad P., and Pham Hung Manh
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5. Impact of accessibility on the range of livelihood options available to farm households in mountainous areas of northern Viet Nam. Alther C., Castella J.C., Novosad P., Rousseau E., and Tran Trong Hieu
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Part 2: Thematic studies 6. Landscape changes in Cho Don District during the doi moi era (19902000) and their implications for sustainable natural resource management in Viet Nam's mountainous provinces. Castella J.C., Tronche N.R., and Vu Nguyen
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7. Montane paddy rice: The cornerstone of agricultural production systems in Bac Kan Province, Viet Nam. Castella J.C. and Erout A.
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8. Impact of forestland allocation on agriculture and natural resources management in Bac Kan Province, Viet Nam. Castella J.C., Boissau S., Nguyen Hai Thanh, and Novosad P.
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9. Crop-livestock interactions in northern Viet Nam: Issues, diversity of farmers' responses and alternatives for sustainable integration of animals in upland agricultural systems. Eguienta Y.K., Martin C., Lecomte P., Husson O., and Castella J.C.
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10. Contesting policies: Rural development versus biodiversity conservation in the Ba Be National Park area, Viet Nam. Zingerli C., Castella J.C., Pham Hung Manh, and Pham Van Cu
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List of Contributors
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Preface It is fitting that the United Nations is celebrating the International Year of Mountains as we enthusiastically release this compilation of research on the mountain agrarian systems of northern Viet Nam. Over a period of five years (1998-2002), the SAM Program (French acronym for Mountain Agrarian Systems) has investigated and documented the heterogeneity of the human and natural environments of the mountainous zones. The SAM Program represents a unique partnership among the Vietnam Agricultural Science Institute (VASI), the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), and the Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD). The partnership has involved an interdisciplinary team of scientists ranging from agricultural scientists to economists and from geographers to anthropologists. SAM Program researchers and students spent long months living and interacting with mountain populations, often in challenging situations. The empirical data that came out of these remarkable experiences are summarized in the monographic studies presented in the first part of this book. These studies made it possible to document and analyze the rapid and fundamental transformations of the mountain agrarian systems that resulted from the doi moi reforms of the late 1980s. For the first time, it was possible to develop a framework for understanding the driving forces of agricultural change in the 1990s and the ways that these forces affected individual farmers' production strategies. Sectoral studies, five of which are presented in the second part of this book, examined in detail each factor of change identified in the previous phase: (i) geographic distribution and dynamics of natural resources in the mountain landscapes; (ii) land use policies both in lowlands and on hillsides; (iii) accessibility in a context of rapid changes; (iv) complex relationships among crops, livestock, and forests at the local level; and (v) the local application and appropriation of national environmental and agricultural policies. To guide and synthesize all of its work, the SAM Program used a holistic approach that combined GIS and remote-sensing tools with ground-level surveys to analyze agro-ecological and socioeconomic changes at a range of scales: family farms, villages, communes, districts and finally, whole provinces. This rigorous methodological approach, which relied on cross-fertilizing participation of farmers, policy-makers and researchers, helped identify the key intervention points for addressing rural development problems. As a result, several development projects already have been initiated in Bac Kan Province based on the research presented in this book.
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At a time when the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is reinforcing its research-and-development activities in the northern mountains, we sincerely hope that this book can stimulate further discourse and partnership among researchers, development practitioners, and policy makers. We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to the People's Committee of Bac Kan Province for the valuable assistance that they offered to the SAM Program. We hope that the strengthening of the ties and friendship between VASI and Bac Kan Province authorities can contribute to continued sustainable development in Bac Kan Province.
Prof. Dr. Bui Ba Bong Vice-Minister Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
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