Doi Moi in the Mountains

Under the socialist system of collectivized agriculture, Vietnam was a nation of chronic food shortages. Now, thanks to the dramatic Doi Moi economic reforms, Vietnam has transformed itself into one of the world's leading exporters of rice, coffee, rubber, tea, and other agricultural products. This remarkable economic success has been concentrated in the lowland "rice bowl" regions, where farmers had the means to take advantage of the new Doi Moi policies. But in the northern mountains, poverty levels remain high and environmental degradation threatens the continued livelihoods of farmers. This volume presents a series of monographic and analytical studies vital to understanding the heterogeneity and potential of the mountains of northern Vietnam. The Mountain Agrarian Systems Program (SAM) used an interdisciplinary approach to analyze the needs and possibilities of farmers in the mountainous province of Bac Kan. The multiple-scale analysis showed that we need to create not only a spirit of "thinking globally and acting locally", but just as importantly, a spirit of "thinking locally and acting globally". The research provides a foundation for development practitioners and policy makers to identify the successes and failures of past policies and projects, and to target the groups that need development assistance the most.