Browsing by Subject "Vietnam <Nordwest>"

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    A case study: Fish production in the integrated farming system of the Black Thai in Yen Chau district (Son La province) in mountainous North-western Vietnam - current state and potential
    (2009) Steinbronn, Silke; Becker, Klaus
    Son La province is located in mountainous north-western Vietnam and belongs to the poorest regions of the country. In the valleys of this province, fish farming is one of the major activities among farmers who belong to the ethnic Black Thai minority. Up until now, the aquaculture system practiced here has not been scientifically investigated. There is generally very little data available regarding the aquaculture of resource-poor farmers in Southeast Asia. This lack of information can be partly explained by the difficulty in obtaining this data. However, a solid understanding of current aquaculture systems is necessary for any kind of future involvement. Within the course of a special research program (SFB 564), aquaculture practices in three communes of Yen Chau district (Son La province) were surveyed between 2004 and 2006. The research was conducted in a holistic way in order to obtain a detailed description of the typical local aquaculture system with its potentials and limitations. In addition, measures for improvement were developed, which will be tested during the next phase of the special research program. The data was collected and analyzed on three different levels. On the ?macro level?, general data is presented regarding the land use and irrigation system in the studied area. Data on the ?meso level? concerns the aquaculture and agriculture system and was predominantly collected through interviews with 155 farmers, 22 village headmen and other stakeholders. On the ?micro level?, an in-depth investigation based on measurements and close observation of 6 individually selected case study farms is presented. This data includes the limnological pond conditions, fish growth rates, food conversion and the profitability of the aquaculture system. The data gathered during these investigations compensates for the information that could not be satisfactorily gathered through the interviews alone. Currently, around 63% of the households in the study area produce fish in ponds. The aquaculture production is closely linked with other farming activities and is integrated into the overall irrigation system. Farmers stock different carp and tilapia in polyculture with the main species being grass carp. Fish are mainly fed leaves and by-products of crop production, weeds and manure, e.g. from buffalo. The pond system is feed-based and exhibits a more or less continuous water flow; both of these features are rather atypical for small-scale aquaculture. In the case study farms, the average fish stocking density was 1.0 fish m-2. Calculated based on one hectare, the average daily feed application was 37.1 kg dry matter (DM) and the annual net production of aquatic species 1.5 tons ha-1, of which roughly 2/3 were sold. The average conversion of feed (DM) to aquatic species biomass was 7.7:1, and the conversion of added nitrogen (feed and manure) to produced nitrogen (aquatic species) was 14.7%. The yields in the presented system are relatively low compared to other feed-based aquaculture systems. Nevertheless, it has been shown that aquaculture production contributes significantly to food security, generates income and plays a significant role in farmers? lives. At present, the local market in Yen Chau cannot be completely satisfied by the districts? fish production alone. Recently, a road was upgraded that connects the north-western mountains with the country?s capital Hanoi. As a result, fish from the more intensive aquaculture in the lowlands has started to flood the local markets. This development is expected to proceed, which will leave farmers unable to compete in the market in the future. In order to produce fish in a sustainable way, the current system must be improved so that the local fish production increases. There are various reasons that can explain the relatively low productivity in the ponds. These include an unclassifiable grass carp disease that leads to high mortalities, poor water quality, low fish growth rates caused by low quality of fish seed, low quality of feed and manure applied as well as low natural food availability in the ponds. Furthermore, farmers seem to have limited knowledge regarding basic aquaculture techniques, which may be explained by the lack of training or extension services available in this field. In the present study, a ?basket? of modification measures have been proposed. These measures concern the farms themselves (e.g. improved pond management), the institutional and political framework (e.g. support of the local hatcheries) as well as the research. The focus of the next part of the special research program will be the identification of the causative agent of the grass carp disease and the development of prevention and treatment strategies. Additionally, a modified watering and feeding management system will be tested scientifically. It is expected that this locally adapted, improved pond system will lead to significantly higher fish production.
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    Microeconomic impacts of institutional transformation in Vietnam?s Northern uplands : empirical studies on social capital, land and credit institutions
    (2012) Saint-Macary, Camille; Zeller, Manfred
    Vietnam's economic achievement over the last two decades is frequently regarded as a successful case of development. The Doi Moi reform program enacted in 1986 gradually led the transition from a centrally-planned to a market-oriented economy. In rural areas, reforms entailed a deep transformation of institutions and were aimed at placing back farmers at the center of decision making as a way to boost agricultural production and alleviate poverty. Agricultural markets were gradually liberalized, user rights were transferred to smallholder farmers for most of the agricultural land, and anti-poverty programs were implemented. At the national level, the high economic growths in all sectors of the economy have permitted a drastic reduction of poverty. These successes however did not take place evenly through the country. Mountainous regions and its inhabitants have lagged behind in the process. The poverty incidence in the Northern Uplands was still twice as large in 2008 than in the rest of the country. In addition, the rapid population growth combined with the intensification and expansion of agricultural systems into fragile ecosystems have considerably increased pressure on natural resources. This accentuates the risk for resource-based economies such as Vietnam?s mountainous regions to get trapped in a vicious circle whereby environmental degradation and poverty mutually reinforce each other and durably undermine economic development. The existence of complex relations between poverty and environmental degradation in fragile ecosystems implies that equity, economic growth and environmental sustainability cannot be treated as separate objectives but must jointly be addressed to ensure sustainable development. Drawing on a conceptual framework that highlights the determinant role of institutions in the poverty-environment nexus, this thesis investigates to which extent the current institutional framework addresses objectives of equity, economic growth and environmental sustainability. It focuses on three critical dimensions: the definition of property rights, the functioning of intertemporal markets, and social capital. More specifically, the thesis addresses the following research questions: (i) Has the individualization of land access and land titling policy enhanced tenure security, and thereby increased the adoption of soil conservation practices? (ii) Has a land market emerged in the study area? (iii) Is the credit market equitable and efficient? Does state intervention induce a more equitable and efficient allocation than other sectors? (iv) Does ethnic diversity undermine collective action and the formation of social networks? These questions are investigated empirically in the six chapters of this thesis. Analyses build on a rich and primary quantitative household- and village-level dataset collected in 2007/2008 in Yen Chau, a mountainous district of the Northern Upland region, as well as on qualitative information gathered in the field through focus group discussions and informal discussions with local stakeholders. Successes of the land reform lie in its egalitarian character which enables most farmers to cultivate land with long term user rights. Yet, results show that tenure security is not fully guaranteed and land reallocations conducted by the government as well as its indecision regarding the prolongation of land use rights at the end of their term have created mistrust and uncertainty. The incertitude is found to impede the adoption of soil conservation technologies and to hamper the land market, depriving the local economy from potentially important equity and efficiency gains, and threatening environmental sustainability. The credit market, thanks to good levels of social capital, is found to function relatively well and enable all farmers including the poor to finance agricultural input and consumption through loans. The state-governed formal sector, despite offering competitive contract terms remains a secondary credit source, particularly for the poor. The costly micro-credit program of the government fails to reach the poor and is found to have only limited impact on welfare. This inefficiency causes an important leakage of state resources. Finally, we do not find as predicted by the literature, that ethnic heterogeneity undermines participation in local organizations and the formation of social networks. This impact appears to depend on the political nature of organizations, and the public nature of goods managed. Moreover, evidence shows that heterogeneity encourages bridging connections among farmers and constitutes as such a factor that can foster innovations and economic development. The contributions of this thesis are twofold. First, it identifies sources of success and failure in the current institutional framework to promote sustainable development in Vietnam?s mountainous areas from which we derive policy recommendations. Evidence in this thesis highlights limitations of the top-down approach that dominates public intervention in mountainous areas. These interventions are usually costly and not always successful in enhancing equity, efficiency and the environmental sustainability of resource use. This stresses the need for the Vietnamese government to further enhance the functioning of incentive-based mechanisms in the economy as a complement to current policies. In this perspective, the clarification of the land reform objectives, the development of a land market, the promotion of independent and financially sustainable financial institutions, the reinforcement of the legal system, and the support of the emergence of an independent civil society are all measures that may support sustainable development in Vietnam?s mountainous regions.