Government Plans and Farmers Intentions: A Study On Forest Land Use Planning In Vietnam

Abstract

In 1998, the Vietnamese National Assembly approved a Five Million Hectare Reforestation Program, (5MHRP) 1998-2010. It would increase forest cover by some 45%, use barren hills, produce wood, and generate socioeconomic development. It would, however, also put demands on Vietnamese planning. Experiences from a former development project and two case studies from a commune and village are used as a basis for analyzing the planning system. The study describes the objectives and strategies of government and farmers in one commune and one village and analyzes how planning data influence scenarios on future development. Official planning data do not reflect reality but are derived through negotiations. In the commune and village studied, it would be difficult for the 5MHRP to materialize, as most of the forest land, officially not yet used, is actually used for food production. The approach and method used by the study offers alternatives to current planning practices.

The Expansion of Farm-Based Plantation Forestry in Vietnam

“…On the respective three sites, 49, 69 and 51 points were allocated and visited. This method, which is statistically robust, generates a complete record of current and past local land use (certain years), and provides an opportunity to relate land-use changes to other historical events (Ohlsson et al 2005). …”

“…In villages studied in Ban Lau Commune, shifting cultivation was a dominant feature some 50 years ago (Ohlsson et al 2005). Various government policies reached the mountain or semi-mountain villages, such as migration programmes, whereby former soldiers and other people settled.…”

“…During 1990-2005, the productive forest plantation area in Vietnam increased by 5% annually, and farm-based plantations increased significantly (FAO 2005(FAO , 2006MARD 2006). Several broader studies on land use, policy reforms and societal changes in the mountainous areas of Northern Vietnam have been made (Donovan et al 1997;Sikor and Truong 2002;Ohlsson et al 2005;Castella et al 2006). They display rapid societal, environmental and institutional change, instilled by historical developments and socio-political changes.…”

“…The number of people defined as poor has been reduced by 50% since 1990 (The Socialist Republic of Vietnam 2004). Some groups have not benefited, such as former shifting cultivators, who are landless or rely on allocated plots too small to provide subsistence (Castella et al 2006;Gomiero et al 2000), households with few labourers in relation to consumers, and female-headed (single) households (Ohlsson et al 2005). The role of forestry in changing poor people's life is increasingly being discussed.…”

“…The study includes three communes. One of the sites has previously been part of another research project involving the authors (Ohlsson et al 2005;Sandewall et al 2004).…”