Towards Upland Sustainable Development: Livelihood Gains and Resource Management in Central Vietnam

Abstract

"The livelihoods of upland people in Vietnam depended mainly on traditional farming systems, including shifting cultivation in some areas and collecting many different non-timber forest products from natural forest. However, "in order to protect the forest better," continuous and sedentary farming practices are being encouraged by the government and shifting cultivation is in fact banned. Forests in Central Vietnam were seriously degraded during the war years and after that by extensive logging, both legally and illegally. An increasing population and the need to improve livelihoods have meant that the agricultural frontier has expanded and resettlement programs have been supported. Finding viable alternatives for farmers who used to practice shifting cultivation is a challenge for farming communities and other stakeholders alike. The CBNRM project supported by IDRC and the Ford Foundation was implemented by researchers from Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry and carried out mainly in Hong Ha commune in A Luoi district of Thua Thien Hue province. This paper presents key lessons from these experiences. We conclude that CBNRM approaches should balance long-term resource management sustainability, mainly through resource tenure issues that are often complex and difficult to resolve, with satisfying the shorter-term livelihood needs of villagers."