Forestry-Based Livelihoods in Central Vietnam: an Examination of the Acacia Commodity Chain: a Case from Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam
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Wilfrid Laurier University Scholars Commons @ Laurier Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive) 2010 Forestry-Based Livelihoods in Central Vietnam: An Examination of the Acacia Commodity Chain: A Case from Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam Robert Pietrzak Wilfrid Laurier University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd Part of the Human Geography Commons Recommended Citation Pietrzak, Robert, "Forestry-Based Livelihoods in Central Vietnam: An Examination of the Acacia Commodity Chain: A Case from Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam" (2010). Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive). 963. https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/963 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive) by an authorized administrator of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. ••I Canada Forestry-Based Livelihoods in Central Vietnam: An Examination of the Acacia Commodity Chain ~A Case from Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam- By Robert Pietrzak B.A. Geography (Hons), Wilfrid Laurier University, 2006 THESIS Submitted to the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Environmental Studies degree Wilfrid Laurier University 2010 © Robert Pietrzak 2010 ABSTRACT Forestry-based livelihoods in remote Vietnamese communities have been influenced in recent years by forest land allocation schemes, changes to property rights, and forest management devolution initiatives. Examples include the Five Million Hectare Reforestation Program, Project 327, and official "Red Books" that grant long-term land use rights and access rights to villagers. Major challenges to forestry-based livelihoods include disputes over land tenure, conflict between different levels of government, illegal logging practices and harvesting of NTFPs, and competition over land for natural versus plantation forests. As a result, forest degradation and rural poverty continue to be debilitating obstacles to development in Central Vietnam that must be addressed if sustainable livelihoods are to be achieved. Forestry-based livelihoods are one of many strategies being promoted by the Vietnamese government to combat environmental degradation and rural poverty. The goal of this research is to investigate why Acacia trees are being grown by upland villagers in Central Vietnam, what benefits and challenges are associated with growing tree crops, and how land tenure and access rights can be strengthened to improve the livelihoods of rural villagers. I explore these issues by utilizing a commodity chain framework to examine the increasingly widespread planting of Acacia, a tree crop to which many villagers are turning as a primary source of income. A timber commodity chain is used to examine how timber is extracted from villages, transported and processed at sawmills, then brought to urban centres to be sold as finished products. The commodity chain analysis is used to analyze the processes and costs associated with ii planting the tree crop and the market opportunities derived from the crop at different stages in the commodity chain. Primary data collection methods include a villager livelihood questionnaire conducted with 58 households in mid-2008; 34 additional key informant semi-structured interviews with middlemen, processors, retailers, government officials, and other stakeholders involved in Acacia cultivation; participant observation; and other visually- based participatory research methods such as transect walks. Results from the study prove that within Central Vietnam most rural upland villagers do not have secure land tenure, yet they grow Acacia trees as part of their long-term livelihood strategies for a variety of benefits, apart from earning income. These benefits include maintaining soil integrity, using tree logs as building materials, and harvesting NTFPs. Furthermore, the flow of Acacia products through the commodity chain is unregulated and subject to erratic price fluctuations. Nevertheless, Acacia cultivation is enticing to rural villagers and many are willing to cease growing staple foods and devote their lands to commercial forestry because of the potential profits and additional benefits listed above that the Acacia tree crops provide. The study highlights the importance of forestry resources to rural upland villagers within the last two decades and outlines the processes and challenges that occur at each stage in the Acacia commodity chain. 111 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I must express my acknowledgement and gratitude to the individuals who provided me with guidance and assistance throughout my research activities. The completion of this research was made possible through their generous efforts. I would like to thank Dr. Derek Armitage and Dr. Steffanie Scott for the knowledge and experience that they contributed to my research. They ensured the development of a feasible research study and the feedback that they offered motivated me to always critically analyze my study from different perspectives. Both provided invaluable constructive criticism, and I thank them so much for the time and effort that they devoted while revising my research. Thanks to the many villagers and commune officials of Hong Ha and Xuan Loc communes as well as the middlemen, processors, retailers, Acacia tree growers, and district and provincial government officials who agreed to be interviewed for the research study. Their willingness to share both their opinions and experiences with me was essential to this study. Their hospitality and cooperation were much appreciated and provided me with a wonderful learning experience that I will always treasure. I am indebted to the Vietnamese interpreters, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tuan, Mr. Le Van Hai, and Mr. Nguyen Van Dung, who not only drove me by motorbike to the research sites and interpreted information from the interviews, but also supported me with useful insight and warmhearted humour while in the field. I am proud to call them my friends. Dr. Le Van An and the staff from CARD (Centre for Agricultural Forestry Research and Development) at Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry also deserve recognition for the guidance, cartographic assistance, and general feedback that they provided me with. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . IV LIST OF TABLES vn LIST OF FIGURES vm LIST OF PHOTOS ix 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 FORESTRY BASED LIVELIHOODS AND COMMODITY CHAIN ANALYSES 1 1.2 RESEARCH GOAL AND OBJECTIVES 4 1.3 RESEARCH BACKGROUND 5 1.4 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE RESEARCH STUDY SITES 12 1.4.1 Hong Ha Commune 14 1.4.2 Xuan hoc Commune 19 1.5 ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS 23 2 FOREST SECTOR DEVOLUTION, POVERTY REDUCTION, AND FORESTRY-BASED LIVELIHOODS: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 25 2.1 UNDERSTANDING OF SUSTAINABILITY 25 2.2 FORESTRY BASED LIVELIHOODS 25 2.3 THE CAUSES OF DEFORESTATION 28 2.4 DoiMoi AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN VIETNAM 33 2.5 LAND OWNERSHIP AND TREE HARVESTING RIGHTS IN VIETNAM 38 2.6 TRANSITIONS IN FORESTRY IN SOUTHEAST ASIA 48 2.7 DEVOLUTION AND REALLOCATION CHANGES TO FORESTRY MARKETS 51 2.8 THE ROLE OF COMMODITY CHAIN ANALYSES 57 3 METHODOLOGY AND METHODS 65 3.1 APPROACH TO THE RESEARCH 65 3.1.1 Overview 65 3.1.2 The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework 66 3.1.3 The Commodity Chain Analysis Framework 67 3.1.4 Research Site Selection 70 3.2 RESEARCH METHODS 71 3.2.1 Summary of Research Methods 71 3.2.2 Rapid Rural Appraisal & Informal Transect Walks 74 3.2.3 Villager Interviews 78 3.2.4 Middlemen, Processor, and Retailer