IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/sustdv/v28y2020i3p448-467.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Land‐use dynamics in the Mekong delta: From national policy to livelihood sustainability

Author

Listed:
  • Quan H. Nguyen
  • Dung D. Tran
  • Khoi K. Dang
  • Dorien Korbee
  • Luan D. M. H. Pham
  • Lan T. Vu
  • Tang T. Luu
  • Loc H. Ho
  • Phat T. Nguyen
  • Trang T. T. Ngo
  • Dung T. K. Nguyen
  • Andrew Wyatt
  • Maaike van Aalst
  • Thong A. Tran
  • William B. Sea

Abstract

The Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD) is one of the most examined deltas in the world given its dynamics, complexity, and vulnerability. In the past decades, the VMD has changed rapidly, especially the land use in relation with the socioeconomic development. National policy has profoundly influenced these changes and the changes have significantly affected local livelihoods. However, these changes are not well reported systematically. In this study, we investigate land‐use changes based on institutional analyses across multiple scales, that is, from national, provincial, to local livelihood based on institutional and sustainability analysis. The results show a strong relationship between legal settings over the last 30 years on land use and livelihood transitions. In addition, the constraints of implementing national legal frameworks at provincial level in practice were identified including effects to local livelihoods. We offer some recommendations for sustainable livelihoods in the VMD, with a focus on increasing socioecological resilience.

Suggested Citation

  • Quan H. Nguyen & Dung D. Tran & Khoi K. Dang & Dorien Korbee & Luan D. M. H. Pham & Lan T. Vu & Tang T. Luu & Loc H. Ho & Phat T. Nguyen & Trang T. T. Ngo & Dung T. K. Nguyen & Andrew Wyatt & Maaike v, 2020. "Land‐use dynamics in the Mekong delta: From national policy to livelihood sustainability," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(3), pages 448-467, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:28:y:2020:i:3:p:448-467
    DOI: 10.1002/sd.2036
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.2036
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/sd.2036?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Le, Thuy Ngan & Bregt, Arnold K. & van Halsema, Gerardo E. & Hellegers, Petra J.G.J. & Nguyen, Lam-Dao, 2018. "Interplay between land-use dynamics and changes in hydrological regime in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 269-280.
    2. Tom Kompas & Tuong Nhu Che & Hoa Thi Minh Nguyen & Ha Quang Nguyen, 2012. "Productivity, Net Returns, and Efficiency: Land and Market Reform in Vietnamese Rice Production," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 88(3), pages 478-495.
    3. Dorien Korbee & Nguyen Hong Quan & Leon Hermans & Phi Ho Long, 2019. "Navigating the bureaucracy: an analysis of implementation feasibility for the Mekong Delta Plan, Vietnam," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 62(9), pages 1545-1561, July.
    4. Tran, Hanh & Nguyen, Quoc & Kervyn, Matthieu, 2018. "Factors influencing people’s knowledge, attitude, and practice in land use dynamics: A case study in Ca Mau province in the Mekong delta, Vietnam," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 227-238.
    5. Pingali, Prabhu L & Xuan, Vo-Tong, 1992. "Vietnam: Decollectivization and Rice Productivity Growth," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 40(4), pages 697-718, July.
    6. Klaus Deininger & Songqing Jin, 2008. "Land Sales and Rental Markets in Transition: Evidence from Rural Vietnam," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 70(1), pages 67-101, February.
    7. Tran, Dung Duc & van Halsema, Gerardo & Hellegers, Petra J.G.J. & Ludwig, Fulco & Seijger, Chris, 2018. "Stakeholders’ assessment of dike-protected and flood-based alternatives from a sustainable livelihood perspective in An Giang Province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 187-199.
    8. Nigussie, Zerihun & Tsunekawa, Atsushi & Haregeweyn, Nigussie & Adgo, Enyew & Cochrane, Logan & Floquet, Anne & Abele, Steffen, 2018. "Applying Ostrom’s institutional analysis and development framework to soil and water conservation activities in north-western Ethiopia," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 1-10.
    9. Rudd, Murray A., 2004. "An institutional framework for designing and monitoring ecosystem-based fisheries management policy experiments," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 109-124, January.
    10. Alexander D. Chapman & Stephen E. Darby & Hoàng M. Hồng & Emma L. Tompkins & Tri P. D. Van, 2016. "Adaptation and development trade-offs: fluvial sediment deposition and the sustainability of rice-cropping in An Giang Province, Mekong Delta," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 137(3), pages 593-608, August.
    11. Martin Ravallion & Dominique van de Walle, 2008. "Land in Transition : Reform and Poverty in Rural Vietnam," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 6433, December.
    12. Thong Anh Tran & James Pittock & Le Anh Tuan, 2019. "Adaptive co-management in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta: examining the interface between flood management and adaptation," International Journal of Water Resources Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(2), pages 326-342, March.
    13. Kijne, J. W. & Barker, R. & Molden. D., 2003. "Water productivity in agriculture: limits and opportunities for improvement," IWMI Books, Reports H032631, International Water Management Institute.
    14. A. Smajgl & T. Q. Toan & D. K. Nhan & J. Ward & N. H. Trung & L. Q. Tri & V. P. D. Tri & P. T. Vu, 2015. "Responding to rising sea levels in the Mekong Delta," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 5(2), pages 167-174, February.
    15. Tuong, T. P. & Bouman, B. A. M., 2003. "Rice production in water-scarce environments," IWMI Books, Reports H032635, International Water Management Institute.
    16. James A. Giesecke & Nhi Hoang Tran & Erwin L. Corong & Steven Jaffee, 2013. "Rice Land Designation Policy in Vietnam and the Implications of Policy Reform for Food Security and Economic Welfare," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(9), pages 1202-1218, September.
    17. Quy-Toan Do & Lakshmi Iyer, 2008. "Land Titling and Rural Transition in Vietnam," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 56(3), pages 531-579, April.
    18. Kijne, Jacob W. & Barker, Randolph & Molden, David J. (ed.), 2003. "Water productivity in agriculture: limits and opportunities for improvement," IWMI Books, International Water Management Institute, number 138054.
    19. Scott Rozelle & Johan F.M. Swinnen, 2004. "Success and Failure of Reform: Insights from the Transition of Agriculture," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 42(2), pages 404-456, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Peter Warr & Huy Quynh Nguyen, 2023. "Productivity Effects of Viet Nam's Rice Land Restrictions," Working Papers DP-2022-43, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
    2. Minghui Ou & Yexi Zhong & Hongzhi Ma & Wenhui Wang & Manyu Bi, 2022. "Impacts of Policy-Driven Transformation in the Livelihoods of Fishermen on Agricultural Landscape Patterns: A Case Study of a Fishing Village, Island of Poyang Lake," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-16, August.
    3. Nguyen Trung Nam & Pham Thi Bich Thuc & Do Anh Dao & Nguyen Duc Thien & Nguyen Hai Au & Dung Duc Tran, 2023. "Assessing Climate-Driven Salinity Intrusion through Water Accounting: A Case Study in Ben Tre Province for More Sustainable Water Management Plans," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-19, June.
    4. Kaveney, Brooke & Barrett-Lennard, Edward & Chau Minh, Khoi & Dang Duy, Minh & Nguyen Thi, Kim Phuong & Kristiansen, Paul & Orgill, Susan & Stewart-Koster, Ben & Condon, Jason, 2023. "Inland dry season saline intrusion in the Vietnamese Mekong River Delta is driving the identification and implementation of alternative crops to rice," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    5. Pragya Pradhan & Trang Thi Huyen Pham & Sangam Shrestha & Ho Huu Loc & Edward Park, 2022. "Projecting the impact of human activities and climate change on water resources in the transboundary Sre Pok River Basin," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 172(3), pages 1-23, June.
    6. Binh, Nguyen Thanh & Thuy Tien, Le Van & Thi Tang, Luu & Tu, Nguyen Minh & Dung, Tran Duc & Quan, Nguyen Hong, 2022. "Resilience of various innovative water management practices: The case of rice production in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta floodplains," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    7. M. A. Aalst & E. Koomen & H. L. F. Groot, 2023. "Vulnerability and Resilience to Drought and Saltwater Intrusion of Rice Farming Households in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam," Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, Springer, vol. 7(3), pages 407-430, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dang, Duc Anh & Dang, Kim Khoi & Dang, Vuong Anh & Vu, Thi Lan, 2020. "The effects of trust and land administration on economic outcomes: Evidence from Vietnam," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    2. Ayala-Cantu, Luciano & Morando, Bruno, 2020. "Rental markets, gender, and land certificates: Evidence from Vietnam," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    3. Nguyen, Quang & Kim, Doo-Chul, 2019. "Farmers’ landholding strategy in urban fringe areas: A case study of a transitional commune near Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 95-104.
    4. Duc Anh Dang & Kim Khoi Dang & Thi Lan Vu, 2018. "How does joint evolution of social trust and land administration shape economic outcomes?: Evidence from Vietnam," WIDER Working Paper Series 98, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    5. Thomas Markussen, 2015. "Land issues in Vietnam 2006-14: Markets, property rights, and investment," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2015-088, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    6. Duc Anh Dang & Kim Khoi Dang & Thi Lan Vu, 2018. "How does joint evolution of social trust and land administration shape economic outcomes?: Evidence from Vietnam," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2018-98, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    7. van Aalst, M.A. & Koomen, E. & Tran, D.D. & Hoang, H.M. & Nguyen, H.Q. & de Groot, H.L.F., 2023. "The economic sustainability of rice farming and its influence on farmer decision-making in the upper Mekong delta, Vietnam," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 276(C).
    8. Thomas Markussen, 2015. "Land issues in Vietnam 2006-14: Markets, property rights, and investment," WIDER Working Paper Series 088, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    9. Ho, Hoang-Anh, 2021. "Land tenure and economic development: Evidence from Vietnam," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    10. Markussen, Thomas & Tarp, Finn, 2014. "Political connections and land-related investment in rural Vietnam," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 291-302.
    11. Peter Narh & Cosmas Kombat Lambini & Matthew Sabbi & Van Dien Pham & Trung Thanh Nguyen, 2016. "Land Sector Reforms in Ghana, Kenya and Vietnam: A Comparative Analysis of Their Effectiveness," Land, MDPI, vol. 5(2), pages 1-17, March.
    12. Zwart, Sander J. & Bastiaanssen, Wim G. M., 2004. "Review of measured crop water productivity values for irrigated wheat, rice, cotton and maize," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 115-133, September.
    13. T. Fowe & I. Nouiri & B. Ibrahim & H. Karambiri & J. Paturel, 2015. "OPTIWAM: An Intelligent Tool for Optimizing Irrigation Water Management in Coupled Reservoir–Groundwater Systems," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 29(10), pages 3841-3861, August.
    14. Manel Ben Hassen & Federica Monaco & Arianna Facchi & Marco Romani & Giampiero Valè & Guido Sali, 2017. "Economic Performance of Traditional and Modern Rice Varieties under Different Water Management Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-10, February.
    15. Kirk, Michael & Tuan, Nguyen Do Anh, 2009. "Land-tenure policy reforms: Decollectivization and the Doi Moi system in Vietnam," IFPRI discussion papers 927, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    16. Nguyen, Quang & Kim, Doo-Chul, 2020. "Reconsidering rural land use and livelihood transition under the pressure of urbanization in Vietnam: A case study of Hanoi," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    17. Bouman, B.A.M. & Peng, S. & Castaneda, A.R. & Visperas, R.M., 2005. "Yield and water use of irrigated tropical aerobic rice systems," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 74(2), pages 87-105, June.
    18. Hafeez, Mohsin & Bundschuh, Jochen & Mushtaq, Shahbaz, 2014. "Exploring synergies and tradeoffs: Energy, water, and economic implications of water reuse in rice-based irrigation systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 889-900.
    19. Kemper, Niels & Ha, Luu Viet & Klump, Rainer, 2015. "Property Rights and Consumption Volatility: Evidence from a Land Reform in Vietnam," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 107-130.
    20. Huy, Hoang Trieu & Nguyen, Trung Thanh, 2019. "Cropland rental market and farm technical efficiency in rural Vietnam," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 408-423.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:28:y:2020:i:3:p:448-467. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-1719 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.