Situation and Property Rights in Agricultural and Unused Lands Upland of Vietnam

Abstract

"The research aims at identifying the status of the management and use of agricultural and unused land in the upland areas of Central Vietnam via a case study of Hong Bac commune to identify issues relating to the exploitation and land use. This research is based on the bundles of property rights analysis framework and on field investigations through site surveys and discussions among the groups who manage and use the land, including: the State (commune and district), community and households. The analysed research results have demonstrated the performance as well as activities of the property right bundles to the local people and the State as for agricultural land and unused land; have identified and classified the existing formal and informal rights relating to the two kinds of land in the survey location; have clarified the reasons of the existence as well as the impact of the rights to the land exploitation of the local people. The research has evaluated the status and changes of land in general and agricultural land and unused land in particular, from 2000 to 2008. It has also analysed the reasons for the changes of agricultural and unused land and of crop structure. The reasons are the changes in the land policies of the State, the spontaneous changes in crops and land exploitation of the people for earning their livelihood due to the general economic changes of the district and the demands of the agricultural product market."