| dc.description.abstracteng | Abstract
Agricultural Land Acquisition for Urbanization (ALAFU) is an inevitable process that has been happening around the world, especially in developing countries. It is the process by which the government acquires agricultural land from various users, converts it to non-agricultural land, and constructs and develops roads, buildings, residential areas, parks, and other infrastructure on the acquired agricultural land. ALAFU has significantly contributed to social-economic development but has caused many impacts, such as agricultural land scarcity, land grabs, transforming agricultural systems, interrupting local livelihoods, and changing gender issues. In the context of increasing population and food demand as well as requesting gender equality improvement, the questions are whether small agriculture and gender issues in affected communities could get any benefits associated with ALAFU and what should the ALAFU program do to limit the negative impacts on small agriculture and gender issues? This study answered these questions through a case study in Huong Thuy, Thua Thien Hue province, Vietnam.
Thua Thien Hue province, a central province of Vietnam, has a severe climate and poor soil resources. Under the pressure of economic development, the provincial authorities have promoted urbanization and industrialization by expanding Hue City to the south of the province. As a result, between 2010 and 2015, 7083 ha of agricultural land has been acquired to be converted to non-agricultural land. The government planned to expand Hue city to five times its current size in 2014, so 19,000 ha of agricultural land will be converted between 2016 and 2020. Agriculture has been facing challenges because the soil quality of agricultural land areas is poor, while flooding and drought are increasing. Cultivation and livestock are the main activities, contributing 65% and 25% of the total value of the agricultural sector, respectively. In addition, under the long-lasting culture of the Nguyen dynasty, the division of the roles of women and men in economic activities and the family has been typical and rooted deeply in each family. Women often stay at home, take care of family members and do all the domestic work that is requested rather fussily and strictly than in other places, while men go out, ensure the family economy, and participate in public events and family events. So, men often make all the decisions for the family and women accept this division.
To build the research framework, this study applied the sustainable livelihood framework of DIFD (1999) and the theory of natural resource access. The case study method and the mixed method were applied in this study, in which qualitative data dominated. Primary data, which included both qualitative and quantitative data, were collected using a survey of 200 households, eight group discussions, 17 key informant interviews, and participatory observation at the study site. The quantitative data was coded and analyzed into statistical data, while the qualitative data was documented as stories, quotes, and pictures. Out of the primary data, I also collected secondary data from reports, papers, statistical data, and previous studies of my colleagues on the study sites that were related to the research topic. I also used Google Earth to collect images of land-use changes in study sites over time.
The research findings have shown the opportunities and challenges that ALAFU created for small agriculture and gender issues in affected communes. Regarding smallholder agriculture, after ALAFU it has gradually transformed from traditional agriculture to peri-urban or urban agriculture (PUA). Rice cultivation and livestock production have declined sharply because of the reducing of rice land and the merging of affected communities into urban areas (livestock is prohibited in urban areas). Moreover, non-farm jobs with higher incomes are now more available after ALAFU, which is also the main reason for this change. As a result, a part of the remaining rice land has been abandoned after ALAFU, and the rest of it is concentrated in several households that still follow rice cultivation as one of their main incomes. In contrast, potted flower plantation (PFP) has rapidly developed due to the increasing consumer demand of urban dwellers. Until now, it has become the main income of 34% of surveyed households. However, while rice land is abandoned, PFP has to deal with a lack of space or area to put flowerpots, which will lead to challenges in the near future when the free spaces around the village, where PFP is happening at present, are narrowed by increasing population and housing.
Regarding gender issues, we found both negative and positive impacts associated with ALAFU. By comparing the changes in socio-economic status (SES) of affected women in three zones where the purposes of agricultural land acquisition (ALA) are different, the SES of affected women by ALAFU has improved the most through the benefits of urbanization. ALAFU has greatly contributed to the changes in the jobs of affected women. New jobs gave them higher incomes and required them to be more active. Improving employment status has created domino effects on women's income and social knowledge. ALAFU has created the most opportunities, but the support programs for all ALA projects are the same and very limited. This causes inequality for the affected people, especially the affected women in ALA projects for hydropower development. The change in household gender quality (HEG) in affected communes is also studied by comparing the roles of husband and wife after and before ALAFU, and by comparing the groups of affected and non-effected households. HGE in both groups has improved through the benefits of ALAFU, especially the HGE of the affected households group. The income contribution of women to the household’s income has greatly improved and reached almost that of husbands. Women are busier with their income activities than men, but their responsibilities for unpaid work burden, household decision-making, and social activities have not changed significantly. As a result, ALAFU has a positive impact on HGE, but women still have to face the potential risks of temporary jobs without security and continue to bear the UPW burden.
Based on the findings, this thesis suggests some recommendations that support policy-making processes related to supporting programs of ALA and urbanization programs. The government should pay more attention to PUA development in affected communes by the ALAFU project to not only create livelihoods for local people but also contribute to the sustainable development of urban areas. They should also improve the support program of ALA projects to limit the negative impacts on gender issues. The support needs to be based on the needs and characteristics of each affected group. It should not be transferred to cash as the present, instead of that, it should be an action plan in the long term. | de |