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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Five-year Synthesis Report<br />
Part 2: <strong>Challenges</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Rural</strong> <strong>Poverty</strong> <strong>Reduction</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Viet</strong> <strong>Nam</strong><br />
TABLE 5.3. Percent of people do<strong>in</strong>g local casual jobs, 2011 (%)<br />
Commune Male Female Average<br />
Thuan Hoa 18 7 13<br />
Ban Lien 3 2 2<br />
Thanh Xuong 25 11 19<br />
99<br />
Luong M<strong>in</strong>h 4 4 4<br />
Duc Huong 3 2 3<br />
Xy 21 13 17<br />
Cu Hue 15 15 15<br />
Phuoc Dai 10 5 8<br />
Phuoc Thanh 3 3 3<br />
Thuan Hoa 33 26 29<br />
Average 14 9 12<br />
SOURCE: Households <strong>in</strong>terviews<br />
More poor households have local casual jobs than non-poor households at most<br />
moni<strong>to</strong>r<strong>in</strong>g po<strong>in</strong>ts. Poor households often lack land for production, or only possess<br />
land without irrigation (produc<strong>in</strong>g only one crop per year), lack capital for <strong>in</strong>vestment <strong>in</strong><br />
husbandry, but lack social network or have young children or old people that need care;<br />
so they choose <strong>to</strong> work as manual labourers near home.<br />
Motivation for local casual jobs<br />
Local urban centres. People look for casual employment <strong>in</strong> local urban centres. For<br />
example, there are many Thai people <strong>in</strong> Thanh Xuong - Dien Bien look<strong>in</strong>g for jobs <strong>in</strong><br />
neighbour<strong>in</strong>g Dien Bien Phu city, or Kh’mer people <strong>in</strong> Thuan Hoa - Tra V<strong>in</strong>h look<strong>in</strong>g for<br />
jobs at the neighbour<strong>in</strong>g Cau Ngang <strong>to</strong>wn.<br />
Agricultural commodity areas. Plantations and large <strong>in</strong>tensive farms tend <strong>to</strong> have<br />
a high demand for seasonal labour (coffee harvest <strong>in</strong> Cu Hue - Dak Lak, plant<strong>in</strong>g rice<br />
<strong>in</strong> Thanh Xuong - Dien Bien, cutt<strong>in</strong>g rice <strong>in</strong> Thuan Hoa - Tra V<strong>in</strong>h). Where subsistence<br />
farm<strong>in</strong>g and labour exchange practises still dom<strong>in</strong>ate there is little demand for additional<br />
labour (Ban Lien - Lao Cai, Luong M<strong>in</strong>h - Nghe An, Duc Huong - Ha T<strong>in</strong>h, Phuoc Thanh -<br />
N<strong>in</strong>h Thuan).<br />
Government and enterprise <strong>in</strong>vestment. Construction projects provide work<br />
for unskilled workers, although some ethnic m<strong>in</strong>orities prefer farm<strong>in</strong>g, and only seek<br />
such jobs if absolutely necessary. Many people are not used <strong>to</strong> the work<strong>in</strong>g hours at<br />
construction sites or prefer <strong>to</strong> be paid daily rather than monthly (the norm <strong>in</strong> most<br />
construction sites).<br />
Wealthy households with land often hire local labours at the high season. K<strong>in</strong>h<br />
people liv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the mounta<strong>in</strong>ous areas who have land <strong>to</strong> plant fruit trees, <strong>in</strong>dustrial crops<br />
or animal husbandry (such as cassava, sugar cane <strong>in</strong> Phuoc Thanh - N<strong>in</strong>h Thuan, rais<strong>in</strong>g<br />
cows, cassava, sugarcane, bananas <strong>in</strong> Phuoc Thanh - N<strong>in</strong>h Thuan, coffee <strong>in</strong> Cu Hue - Dak<br />
Lak) are also important sources of employment.