Fields of change: agricultural transformation in An Giang Province, Vietnam, past, present and (?) future

Dr Charles Howie
 
Synopsis
An Giang, a province in Mekong Delta at South of Vietnam, has been in the scene of constant transformation since Vietnamese settlement here in the middle of the Seventeenth Century. Four periods of transformation can be identified, each linked to particular political and social events. Currently, this province is the country’s leading producer of rice and aquaculture. These achievements are related to technological, social and economic changes, starting in the mid 1980s at the time of “doi moi”. However, there are indications of negative environmental impacts from this wealth production. The significance of these impacts may be of increasing concern as Vietnam prepares to adapt to the changes anticipated to come with climate change, while at the same time to meet the needs of expanding and increasing wealth and population. This short presentation will set out the four periods of change; how agriculture is changing at the present time; and some threats that lie ahead with air temperature rise and water regimes, sea and fresh water changes, and population increase.

DIKE BUILDING AND AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION IN THE MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM: DILEMMAS IN WATER MANAGEMENT

CHARLES HOWIE
Geography Department, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, United Kingdom

email: chowie@rau.ac.uk

ABSTRACT

Proposals to raise dikes in An Giang Province, located in the Mekong River delta, and Vietnam’s foremost rice-producing province, to heights which prevent the entry of all flood water, offers different potential opportunities for three groups of stakeholders: those with land; those with little or no land; and the state.

For farmers with land, the end of seasonal flooding offers the potential to choose which crops to grow and greater flexibility about when to grow them. However, high dikes also challenge the sustainability of rice growing. For those with little or no land, the end of flooding, leading to a greater range of crops and year-round production, can create year-round employment and opportunities for diversification of employment, including away from agriculture. Finally for the state, high dikes offer an opportunity to regain the control of water management from the direct control exercised by farmers through their ‘pumping clubs’. However, regaining control of water management also offers the state an opportunity to improve the livelihoods of landless and poor people.

Drawing on empirical materials collected in three communes in this province, this paper examines the dilemmas faced by decisions-makers. Finally it will suggest the impact of local decision-making process needs to be set within a wider framework of change in the delta, brought on by increased ‘grass roots’ decision-making on the one hand and the expected effects of climate change and sea level rise on the other.