Pressure on land in peri-urban Vietnam

The impact of increased urbanization on land conversion and the need for livelihood diversification in Thuy Duong, Thua Thien

Hue, Vietnam

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Presentation outline- Curriculum Vitae- Introduction research topic- Research objectives- Research questions- Sustainable Livelihoods Framework- Conceptual model- Methodology: Q2- Preliminary results- Concluding remarks- Limitations of research

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Curriculum Vitae- Lodder, Elma (26) - Born and raised in the Netherlands

EDUCATION- European Studies graduated in 2009 1. Exchange program Manila, the Philippines

2. Intern at Amnesty International Sydney, Australia

- Summer school Climate Change AdaptationBudapest, Hungary

- Master student from Hà Lan; 1. Global Environmental Governance, Amsterdam

2. International Development Studies, Utrecht

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Introduction research topicGlobal demand for land is on the rise

Some notable trends include;- Agricultural land conversion- Diversification of occupations and livelihoods in rural/peri-urban areas- Growing occupational multiplicity- Household income features both farm and non-farm activities- The share of income generated from non-farm activities is increasing- Delocalisation of rural livelihoods and poverty due to higher mobility

- High urbanization rates- ‘New’ social problems

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Research objectives1. To understand the impact of current urbanization pressures on the land

livelihoods of the people (households) living in Thuy Duong, Thua Thien Hue.

2. To explore how the livelihood trajectories of households within the community have changed due to agricultural land conversion (ALC).

3. To find out how these changes have influenced the livelihoods of different groups within the community and whether or not there are similarities and/or differences to be found at both the individual and household level.

4. To explore how social relations have changed due to land conversion.

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Research questions

In what ways does land conversion transform the livelihood trajectories of different household members in Thuy Doung?

1. What are the main driving forces behind the land conversion processes in Vietnam, and in Thuy Doung in particular?2. How is land conversion taking place?

3. Who are the main actors involved in land conversion and how do they relate to each other?4. How do the consequences of land conversion, both in terms of opportunities and risks affect livelihood trajectories in Thuy Duong, Thua Thien Hue Province?5. To what extent and how are those affected compensated for their loss of land?6. Are the people affected able to participate and influence decision-making procedures regarding land conversion and compensation schemes?7. What are the differences and similarities between and within social groups in terms of livelihood changes (youth, women, elderly) at the household and at the individual l

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Sustainable Livelihoods Framework

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- Holistic approach - People-centered development- Participatory research methods- Focus on opportunities- Focus on access to the different capitals- Social differentiation within/between groups

Conceptual model

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Methodology: Q2- Quantitative & Qualitative research methods- Questionnaire (42)- Semi-structured interviews (42) - Life history research (18)- Focus group discussion (1) - Key informant interviews (3)

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Preliminary results

- Many households are affected by agricultural land conversion with diverging outcomes depending upon access to the different capitals

- Increased livelihood diversification among (former) farmers

- General shift to non-agricultural jobs especially the young labor force

- Older people tend to look for employment as farm laborers while the younger generations look for alternative employment opportunities

- Relatively easy to find new employment in informal sector

- Low skill labor jobs popular among age group 18-40

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- General decline of agricultural land (0.7-7.5 sao)

- $ residential land > agricultural land

- High risk of extreme weather events (1999 flood)

- Access to water increased

- Environmental issues threaten access to natural capitals and the quality of other capitals

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Natural capital

- No training provided after ALC

- Low educational level farmers

- Working competence > educational level

- Limited skills often results in insecure casual labor jobs

(Especially the elderly face difficulties when looking for non-farm jobs)

- Quality of human capital affects the ability to meet labor demands

and income levels

- Health conditions influence livelihood security

- Children’s education is becoming more and more important

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Human capital

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Social capital

- Non-material elements still very relevant

- Membership of social organizations (benefits)

- Social interactions with other community members

- Farmers still linked to Thuy Duong Agricultural Cooperative

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Political capital

- Low political participation

- Limited power to influence decision-making

- Letters of protest send to local government, no answer

- Notification ALC only a few months before it took place

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Financial capital

- Various financial flows

- Compensation ranges from 1 million VND up to 300 million VND

- Compensation rates low in early ALC waves

- Remittances from family members ameliorate financial capital

- High inflation decreases the actual value of compensation

- High inflation creates new difficulties

- Price for water, electricity, fuel on the rise while wages stay the same

- Current compensation rates higher than 10 years ago

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Physical capital

- Improved infrastructure

- Partial mechanization on agricultural land

- Improved electricity and water supplies

- High prevalence of motorcycles compared to 10 years ago

- Better links to areas outside the villages

- Easier to find jobs outside the villages

Concluding remarks

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- Role of agriculture is shrinking due to ALC and industrialization

- Decrease of farm jobs/Increase of non-farm jobs (mainly informal sector)

- Higher threat of food insecurities due to (partial) market dependency

- Children of the farmers prefer jobs outside the agricultural sector

- New employment and higher income opportunities in the non-agricultural sector

- Household access to the different capitals influence one’s livelihood

- Former land allocation policies and the equal-share principle jeopardized

- Type of non-farm jobs and income derived from these jobs are widening the gap between households

Research limitations

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- Language barrier

- Cultural barrier

- Social status

- Risk of biased information

- Limited time to conduct research

- Funding limitations

Thank you very much for your attention!

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ELMA LODDER

E: elma.lodder@gmail.com

Junior ResearcherStudent International Development Studies

Utrecht University, The NetherlandsHue University, Vietnam

Elma Lodder

Questions?