Response on Land
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1. In order to combat land
degradation several efforts have been made at the national level for data
collection, management, formulation and implementation of appropriate
policies, plans, programs and projects. Important measures adopted were
soil and water conservation, reclamation of waterlogged, saline and acid
sulphate soils, afforestation and sustainable forest management,
rehabilitation of soil fertility in sloping barren lands and in arable
lands by use of appropriate integrated measures (terraces, contour bunds
and ditches covered with green manure, hedgerows, alley cropping,
inter-cropping, mixed crops, minimal tillage on slopping lands,
intensification and crop diversification in lowland
etc.
The government is currently
implementing a number of policies and programs related to combating land
degradation. They include the national program No 327 on
afforestation, program No 52D on rational utilisation of
natural resources and environmental protection, program on agroforestry,
program on development of perennial crops on steep slope lands, program of
food security and programs on development of farms and household
economies. Integrated watershed management programs have also been
implemented extensively in Vietnam. Forest and agricultural extension
services at different levels have also contributed to sustainable farming
on sloping land in some specific areas in the context of the seriously
deteriorating ecology and environment.
2. The program for land and
forest allocation under which the farmers are empowered with long term and
stable rights for land use, thus, providing real ownership over the land
has been implemented. The government has also created a favourable
environment to support farmers in sustainable production in hilly and
mountainous areas by extending the facility of medium and long-term
loans.
3. A
number of international and regional programs relating to combating land
degradation have been implemented in Vietnam. These include programs on
steep slope land research and management, programs on wetland and coastal
marine resource management, programs on watershed management, and program
on forest and barren land rehabilitation. Some international action plans
related to combating land degradation are also being implemented. However,
currently the investment in the management and assessment of the above
mentioned programs and action plans is still limited, being estimated at
about US$ 0.5 million/year.
4. Environmental education
policies and programs have been implemented in some cities, provinces and
localities by both State and local government
institutions.
5. In order to assess the
extent of land degradation and design effective measures to combat it in
the context of a seriously degrading ecology and environment in the hilly
and mountainous areas of Vietnam, there is a need to strengthen the data
collection and environmental monitoring mechanisms. A number of state and
local environmental monitoring agencies and stations have already been
established.
6. Several voluntary, social
and non-governmental organisations in Vietnam are contributing to the
effort of implementing the various policies, plans, programs and projects
on combating land degradation.
7. Currently, several social policies on combating
land degradation are also being implemented. For example, the policies on
encouraging farmers to participate in forest protection and barren land
rehabilitation, in wetland resource management etc, by providing
appropriate technical and financial assistance from the Government.
Combating land degradation in
Vietnam is not an easy task. While on the one hand, several policies on
restriction of shifting cultivation, regulation of food deficiency in
remote mountainous areas, watershed and wetland management and application
of advanced farming systems have been brought into force, their impact
remains limited to only a few areas.
The needed specific measures for data collecting and monitoring and formulating and implementing appropriate plans, programs and projects have not been proposed and realised. The national policy priorities on realising sustainable land use have also not been harmoniously integrated with international and regional action plans.
In order to combat land
degradation, the above mentioned constraints are to be overcome. The
policies on food security for people in mountainous areas, watershed and
wetland management, and application of advanced farming systems and
technology should be improved and strictly implemented, and they should be
relevant to the specific ecological conditions.
The following are some of the
policies and measures for strengthening control of land
degradation:
- Reconciling population and
economic growth pressures with an overriding need for sustainable land
use.
- Managing agricultural
systems to maximise long-term production while maintaining soil
fertility.
- Ensuring forest resources to
satisfy commercial and fuel wood needs without degrading land and water
resources.
- Developing systems for land
ownership, land registration and land information and
monitoring.
- Organising training courses,
study tours for exchanging experience on sustainable land use, enhancing
knowledge on technology and management and providing implementation
guidelines.
The important specific
measures to combat land degradation are as
follows:
- To study and disseminate
biotechnology to combat soil deterioration. To apply advanced technology
in biology, cropping patterns and invest into intensive farming in
sustainable manner to protect and to improve soil
fertility.
- To manage watersheds to
protect water and land resource, develop irrigation system and keep
ecological balance in hilly and mountainous regions in
particular.
- To plant perennial crops
(industrial crops, fruit trees, medicinal plants, special crops, etc.)
with high economic value on sloping land, to minimise tillage and apply
advanced technology on those lands.
- To implement organic
recycling in soils. Returning organic biomass to soil in mountain areas is
the best measure to gradually rehabilitate, preserve and improve soil
fertility and increase crop production.
- To mobilise public
participation in soil protection activities.
- To rehabilitate vegetation
cover by afforestation or integrated agroforestry systems or integrated
agrosilvipastoral systems to conserve soil fertility and ensure
sustainable use of sloping land.
International and regional
action plans address the following tasks:
- Planning and management of
utilisation of land resources should be done in cooperation with every
category of land user.
- Enabling environment for
reasonable land use to be realised on the basis of ensuring mutual benefit
for land users and community.
- Strengthening of research activities on rehabilitation of soil fertility for the main types of land degradation.