Southeast Asia: Table of Contents
Organizer and Chair: A. Terry Rambo, East-West Center, Hanoi
Discussant: Neil L. Jamieson, Winrock International Institute
Vietnam is one of the most mountainous countries in Asia. Development trends in its uplands strongly influence the whole nation. As Vietnam enters its second decade of economic reform, however, the situation in the northern uplands is a matter of growing concern. Despite the official policy goal that the uplands should be developed simultaneously with the lowlands, the already large gap in economic and social conditions between the regions appears to be widening. Uplanders are worse off than their lowland compatriots on most development indicators (e.g., income per capita, level of education, health, food security). Rapid population growth has overtaxed the carrying capacity of traditional agricultural systems, with consequent widespread environmental degradation.
In the face of these threats, the Vietnamese government has assigned upland development a high priority. Efforts are focused on improvement of infrastructure, especially transportation and commun-ication systems, intensification and diversification of agriculture, reforestation, and poverty alleviation. Distribution of land to households and expansion and deregulation of markets may significantly change the political economy of the uplands.
This panel will review key development trends in the northern uplands, examine current policies and programs intended to foster upland development, and discuss how to adapt development projects to the specific needs and realities of the uplands and to better incorporate the knowledge of local people, especially ethnic minorities, into development planning. The paper presenters in this panel are all leading Vietnamese specialists on problems of development in the northern uplands, giving their voices a prominence that has not previously characterized discussions of Vietnamese development policy in the United States.
Le Trong Cuc, Vietnam National University, Hanoi
The northern uplands cover twenty-seven percent of the country. Topographically and ecologically the area encompasses astonishing diversity. The northern uplands are also characterized by very great cultural diversity as represented by more than thirty ethnic groups found living there. Each of these ethnic groups is associated with a different ecological setting, and each displays a distinctive cultural adaptation to its environment. Overall, the combination of great biophysical diversity combined with the high diversity of cultures has generated extremely complex human ecosystems that present major difficulties for development planners. Understanding this complexity is vital in order to properly design the many different government policies and programs, as well as internationally supported projects, that will have major influence on the development of human ecosystems of the northern uplands in the next decade.
There are some important natural and social constraints affecting development of the upland human ecological systems that need to be taken into account in the design of projects for sustainable development. The remoteness and unfavorable terrain are natural givens that cannot be significantly changed by human action. The rapid rate of population growth cannot be changed in the short-term, but it can be brought under control within a generation if appropriate family planning programs are implemented now. Social differentiation arising from inequitable distribution of forest lands and shortages of credit reflecting the urban bias in government investments are policy matters that are subject to rapid change, once the existence of such problems is recognized.
Cao Duc Phat, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam
Vietnam’s northern uplands are characterized by diverse natural resources, poor infrastructure, mainly self-sufficient small farmer household economies, low per capita incomes, and a high rate of poverty. Deforestation in the uplands has had adverse environmental effects both within the region, where 8 million people live, and in the downstream areas where 30 million people live.
For the last decade the region has participated in the dot moi economic reform process. As a result, the overall economic situation has improved as have living conditions of many households. Food production has increased by 4.2 percent/year and food supply has improved even in remote areas. A large group of farmers still suffer from food insecurity, however, largely because of their low incomes.
Agriculture is becoming more diversified as farmers shift towards raising perennial trees, animal husbandry, and forestry. This has created a stable base of raw materials to support development of processing industries. The rural infrastructure, especially the road network, is being improved although much remains to be done. The Vietnamese government plans to carry out many development programs in the northern uplands during the forthcoming 15 years. These programs will focus on improvement of the road network, expansion of irrigation and water supply systems, electrification, forest protection, agricultural diversification and commercialization, resettlement and poverty alleviation, and development of education and health care. Hill lands are being allocated to individual farm households to manage, thus motivating farmers to participate in the development process. Credit, including long and medium term loans, is to be provided to farmers; extension services organized, markets deregulated, and domestic and foreign investments encouraged.
Dao The Tuan, Vietnam Agricultural Science Institute
Agriculture in the northern uplands is at a crisis point. Population has increased faster than food production. Population pressure has already exceeded carrying capacity under existing systems of agriculture. Almost all forests that can be destroyed have already disappeared so that the possibility of development based on forest products has ended. Expansion of shifting cultivation on hill slopes is no longer possible and productivity in existing areas is declining due to the loss of soil fertility resulting from the shortening of fallow cycles. Rice yields on permanent fields in the valleys are increasing, but production is insufficient to meet the basic food needs of the upland population. There is potential for increasing yields of other upland crops, but the area planted to these crops is limited. Perennial crops offer considerable potential, but markets for these products are limited. Expansion of livestock production is constrained by lack of pasture and the declining market for buffalo. There are many constraints on the development of non-agricultural activities within the framework of the market economy. In the face of limited opportunities, many ethnic minority people have migrated to the south.
One development option is to accelerate the transition from subsistence production to commercial agriculture. This would generate jobs and income, but the technical services needed to assist the farmers in making this transition have not yet been created. A second option is to intensify agricultural production by using new technology. This would help to meet food needs, but is difficult to achieve due to lack of appropriate technology and economic incentives. Therefore, it is expected that the crisis in agriculture in the northern uplands will persist for some time in the future.
Hoang Xuan Ty, Research Center for Forest Ecology and Environment, Hanoi
In response to living under diverse bioclimatic and cultural conditions, the many different ethnic minority groups in Vietnam’s northern uplands have developed a diversified body of indigenous knowledge that plays an important role in guiding their agricultural practices and survival strategies. Unfortunately, research and development projects on rural development and agricultural extension have largely ignored this intellectual resource. Examples are given of interesting forms of indigenous knowledge in relation to the success or failure encountered in the implementation of agriculture and forestry projects in the uplands. Current weaknesses of indigenous knowledge in the situation of rapid changes in ecological and social conditions that characterizes the uplands today are examined.
Some recommendations relating to preservation and improvement of present indigenous knowledge and to its rational application in the field are advanced. Proposals are also made to incorporate indigenous knowledge in agriculture and forestry extension work, primary and secondary school curricula, and projects to conserve biological and cultural diversity. Priorities for research on indigenous knowledge in northern Vietnam’s uplands are proposed.