Challenges to Rural Poverty Reduction in Viet Nam - Oxfam Blogs
Challenges to Rural Poverty Reduction in Viet Nam - Oxfam Blogs
Challenges to Rural Poverty Reduction in Viet Nam - Oxfam Blogs
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Participa<strong>to</strong>ry poverty moni<strong>to</strong>r<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> rural communities <strong>in</strong> <strong>Viet</strong> <strong>Nam</strong><br />
42<br />
Maize<br />
seeds <strong>in</strong><br />
Thuan<br />
Hoa-Tra<br />
V<strong>in</strong>h<br />
From<br />
2001 <strong>to</strong><br />
2009<br />
Maize seeds for<br />
home consumption;<br />
requirement for<br />
highly <strong>in</strong>tensive<br />
farm<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Multi-stakeholders<br />
(enterprises,<br />
cooperatives, farmers).<br />
Technical assistance;<br />
advance seeds,<br />
fertilizer<br />
Due <strong>to</strong> price volatility,<br />
enterprise could not sell<br />
products, thereby could<br />
not cont<strong>in</strong>ue contracted<br />
farm<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Maize<br />
seeds <strong>in</strong><br />
Cu Hue-<br />
Dak Lak<br />
In 2008,<br />
failed<br />
and<br />
s<strong>to</strong>pped<br />
Maize seeds<br />
for domestic<br />
consumption;<br />
requirement for<br />
highly <strong>in</strong>tensive<br />
farm<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Concentrated<br />
(Enterprise signs<br />
contracts directly with<br />
farmers).<br />
Technical assistance;<br />
support seeds<br />
The quality of seeds<br />
<strong>in</strong>troduced was not good,<br />
without experiments <strong>in</strong><br />
locality.<br />
Farmers suffered losses <strong>in</strong><br />
time, energy and <strong>in</strong>vestment<br />
Peanut<br />
<strong>in</strong> Thuan<br />
Hoa-Tra<br />
V<strong>in</strong>h<br />
From<br />
2007 <strong>to</strong><br />
2008<br />
Processed <strong>in</strong><strong>to</strong><br />
f<strong>in</strong>al products for<br />
home consumption;<br />
requirement for<br />
highly <strong>in</strong>tensive<br />
farm<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Concentrated<br />
(Enterprise signs<br />
contracts directly with<br />
farmers)<br />
Loose partnership between<br />
stakeholders: No contracts<br />
signed between enterprises<br />
and farmers <strong>in</strong> purchase of<br />
products.<br />
Price <strong>in</strong>creases, farmers<br />
do not sell products <strong>to</strong><br />
enterprises but traders<br />
It is difficult for the poor <strong>to</strong> benefit from such arrangements as it requires large scale,<br />
<strong>in</strong>tensive farm<strong>in</strong>g that requires more labour than poor households can usually provide.<br />
The susta<strong>in</strong>ability of contracted farm<strong>in</strong>g should be taken <strong>in</strong><strong>to</strong> consideration carefully For<br />
example, although cassava is often associated with poverty reduction it poses many<br />
risks <strong>to</strong> the poor such as soil degradation, unstable prices, and susceptibility <strong>to</strong> drought,<br />
pests and disease.<br />
Other risks<br />
In 2011 over a quarter of surveyed households suffered illness or accidents<br />
that proved costly <strong>in</strong> terms of medical costs and lost <strong>in</strong>come (Table 1.6), There are<br />
many potential causes of illness at the moni<strong>to</strong>r<strong>in</strong>g po<strong>in</strong>ts. Adverse weather and shortages<br />
of food and warm cloth<strong>in</strong>g can cause digestive and respira<strong>to</strong>ry diseases, particularly <strong>in</strong><br />
children. In flood-prone areas (Duc Huong-Ha T<strong>in</strong>h), post-flood epidemics often break<br />
out (eye diseases, diarrhoea). Work<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> forests and sleep<strong>in</strong>g without mosqui<strong>to</strong> nets <strong>in</strong><br />
mounta<strong>in</strong>ous areas <strong>in</strong>creases the risk of contract<strong>in</strong>g malaria (Xy-Quang Tri). Drug use is<br />
a cause of HIV/AIDS (Luong M<strong>in</strong>h-Nghe An, Thanh Xuong-Dien Bien). Strenuous physical<br />
work, <strong>in</strong>sufficient food, and unsafe labour conditions can also be harmful. A lack of clean<br />
water, and dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water that hasn’t been boiled or under cooked food is a cause of<br />
digestive diseases.<br />
M<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g projects expose a threat <strong>to</strong> the local environment. Some projects have are<br />
poorly designed, badly managed and do not abide by orig<strong>in</strong>al commitments. In Thuan<br />
Hoa-Ha Giang, for example, broken waste water tanks from a ferrous ore m<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g project<br />
have polluted the environment, heavy trucks have damaged <strong>in</strong>ter-commune roads and<br />
the m<strong>in</strong>e has taken valuable farm<strong>in</strong>g land.<br />
Delayed or suspended plans discourage <strong>in</strong>vestment. Infrastructure development<br />
projects and new commune centres (Ban Lien-Lao Cai) or district adm<strong>in</strong>istrative centres<br />
(Thanh Xuong-Dien Bien) often affect the land and hous<strong>in</strong>g of many households.<br />
However, when projects are delayed households can suffer. Residents are reluctant <strong>to</strong><br />
undertake house repairs or <strong>in</strong>vest <strong>in</strong> long-term crops. Poor households <strong>in</strong> plann<strong>in</strong>g areas<br />
don’t even receive support for hous<strong>in</strong>g construction under Decision 167.