Vietnam Agricultural Science Institute
Project: VIE/00/018/08
Participatory Rural Environmental Management:
Synthesized Report
Le Quoc Doanh et al
Hanoi, Vietnam
March, 2004
Table of contents
Abbreviations/Acronyms
Acknowledgements
1- Executive Summary
Summary of findings and recommendations
2- Introduction
2.1 Summary of the original project objective statements
2.2 Reasons for incorporating the five component reports into one report
3- Main Report
3.1 Introduction to the current rural environment situation in Vietnam
3.2 Research objectives
3.2.1 General objectives
3.2.2 Specific objectives
3.3 Methodologies applied in data collection
3.4 Implementation process
3.4.1 Assumptions regarding project implementation
3.5 Findings
3.5.1 Rural Environment Issues seen in the national development process
3.5.2 National viewpoints, strategies, action-plans, institutions and policies at central level with regards to rural environment management
3.5.2.1 State views on environment & sustainable development
3.5.2.2 Central Level Strategies
3.5.2.3 Central Level Action Plan
3.5.3 Local environment institution structure and performance in three project provinces
3.5.3.1 Formal institutions
3.5.3.2 Non-formal institutions
3.5.3.3 Assessment of real performance of current institutions at different levels
3.5.3.3.1 District Institutions
3.5.3.3.2 Organizations at commune level
3.5.3.3.3 Institutions at village level
3.5.4 Review of environmental documents and national programs on socio-economic development and environment management
3.5.5 Participatory rural environment management: Illustrated case studies
3.5.5.1 Craft villages in Ha Tay province
3.5.5.2 Lowland farming communities in Hai Duong province
3.5.5.3 Upland farming communities in Son La province
4- Conclusions and Recommendations
4.1 Conclusions
4.2 Recommendations
4.2.1 Recommendations for each concerned stakeholder
4.2.1.1 Policy recommendations
4.2.1.2 Institutional recommendations
4.2.1.3 Community based recommendations
4.2.2 Project recommendations
4.2.2.1 Education pilot program for local farmers and agricultural workers in the Son La province
4.2.2.2 Assessment of 'lessons learned' from local experience in community- based rural environmental management in Hai Duong province
4.2.2.3 Development of an animal husbandry waste management strategy and pilot program in the Ha Tay Province
4.2.2.4 Increasing the scale of implementation of previously identified appropriate land use strategies in Son La Province
4.2.2.5 Development of a cassava processing waste reduction strategy and pilot program in Cat Que Commune, Ha Tay Province
5- Follow-up activities envisaged
6- Lessons Learned
Key findings relevant to the design and implementation of related projects
Annexes
Annex 1 Project proposal document
Annex 2 List of component reports presented within the framework of the project
Annex 3 List of minutes of regional and national workshops under the framework of this Project
Annex 4 List of key documents and other reference materials consulted
List of Tables
Table 1: PRA of Problems Faced By Communities
Table 2: Rural Environmental Issues Identified
Table 3: Waste from food processing activities
Table 4: Human resources of the Provincial Women`s Union
Table 5: Human resources and financial state for environmental management at commune level
Table 6: Effect of environmental regulations on people in La Soi village, Hop Tien commune, Nam Sach, Hai Duong province
Table 7: Laws related to environmental issues
Table 8: Strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats to participatory environmental management in Cat Que commune
Table 9: Common solutions of La village
Table 10: Solutions for specific environmental problems of La village
Table 11: Participatory Solutions of Moc Chau for protecting natural resources and Environment
Diagram
Diagram 1: Ministerial/branch, official, and other organizations relating to resource and environmental management
Box
Box 1: Methods to ensure clear of sewage in residential areas of Hop Tien commune
Figure
Figure 1: Processing Food Waste in Cat Que
Abstract
In northern Vietnam, rapid industrial, population, and urban growth has put great pressure on the land and water in rural agricultural areas. Overuse and misuse of these resources cause widespread environmental degradation, poor health and living conditions, and decreasing income from farming and crafts production.
In this region at present, environmental concerns are only marginally considered during the planning of rural activities at all levels, with adverse impacts. The main reasons are weak environmental policies and legislation, low awareness and capacity of local and central authorities, and limited community participation in policy- and decision-making.
To address the situation, the Vietnam Agricultural Science Institute (VASI) trained and fielded teams in late 2003 and early 2004 to carry out five Participatory Rural Appraisals (PRA) in the three northern provinces of Hai Duong, Ha Tay, and Son La. The findings from the five studies have been synthesized in the report entitled 'Participatory Rural Environmental Management: Synthesis Report'. Recommendations in future reports will be based, in part, on this information.
The teams consulted communities on the problems prevalent in representative localities of upland and lowland agriculture and in craft villages. They jointly examined community awareness of environmental problems and the capacity of communities to propose, accept and apply new policies and solutions to address them.
Initially each community formed an Assessment Committee for the Commune (ACC) with membership from a cross section of agricultural and social institutions. The VASI teams and the ACCs developed action plans which included solutions to be applied at the community level, as well as short and long term strategies for higher levels of government.
The studies found that there was serious degradation of water, soil and air quality in all three provinces and that communities were aware of the damage. However only a few villagers were active in environmental management. At the policy and institutional level, current policies were misdirected, non-existent, or too weak to enforce environmental protection. Key issues were weak synchrony in the policy systems, information sharing, staff training and education on the issues, as well as major out-migration from the three provinces.
Recommendations were wide ranging, and benefited from meetings with villagers. At the community level, the consensus was that local action groups are needed for garbage collection and for the planning and care of drainage channels. Craft industries will need to adopt less polluting methods. The use of agricultural chemicals will need to be carefully monitored and controlled, including a ban on illegal pesticides and insecticides. Also the treatment of household waste and waste water will need urgent attention.
At the institutional level, communities want to put local environmental management units in place and to strengthen cooperation with counterparts at the district and provincial levels. Rural communities seek professional knowledge of environmental management in agriculture, but the role of government agencies and current environmental legislation and regulations are unclear to them. Villagers are not aware of the fact that bad practices are supposed to be monitored and penalties applied, because the rules and regulations have never been distributed to them.
Policy recommendations included the need for improved government legislation and rules, better capacity-building of municipal governments, and strengthening the relationships between institutions. The promotion of well known and advanced environmental protection technologies was seen as a priority, as were policies to foster the social acceptance of good environmental management. There was also a call to mobilize media and mass social organizations to encourage community participation.
As the first reported assessment to ask farmers and other villagers for advice on problems and solutions, stakeholders considered the project to be successful. The collection of local information enabled the study team to produce specific recommendations, and PRA tools were considered to be very valuable for the analysis of environmental problems, trends and solutions related to agriculture.