Towards a Better Future

Dr Dang Kim Son, General Director of the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development, said, rooted in real stories and in-depth analysis, ‘Growing a better future’ looks at both the achievements and constraints of socio-economic development in Vietnam. The report focuses on the importance of safeguarding vulnerable communities, particularly poor people, small-scale farmers, women, and ethnic minorities.

 

With the joint efforts of the entire people, governments at all levels, and development organisations, Vietnam has attained great achievements in economic and social development. However, these achievements come from extensive development model: Based on exploitation of natural resources and investment of human and material forces. Currently, Vietnam has entered a new period of growth, which requires intensive development and looks to economic, social and environmental sustainability and efficiency. “That's why Vietnam is suited to the task of changing growth model and economic restructuring," said Son.

 

The report pointed out a series of challenges facing groups of vulnerable people in Vietnam such as depletion of natural resources, land shortages, poor access to markets, low family income, malnutrition, severe weather, and rising prices. Most of these difficulties are resulted from a period of rapid growth coupled with potential inequality, lower sustainability and failure to increase the adaptability of citizens. In this context, ethnic minorities, women, and people in rural areas are disadvantaged.

Together with opportunities that economic growth brings, Vietnam also faces a series of challenges caused by the process of urbanisation, industrialisation, marketization, and globalisation. In addition, the poor, especially small-scale farmers, are faced with a series of inherent difficulties like increasingly complicated diseases of crops and livestock, severe destruction of forests and natural resources, and rapid decline in biodiversity. Consequently, rescue measures and policy changes of the Government hardly work, even cause adverse effects, for some disadvantaged groups.

 

Based on its practical experience, Oxfam argues that the fight against poverty, food insecurity and injustice is not yet won. The report says that the role of small-scale farmers should be fully recognized and their voices should be heard. With nearly eight million farmer households living from less than 0.5 hectares of paddy land – accounting for nearly 80 per cent of the farmer households in Vietnam – small-scale farmers and the rural economy must remain central to Vietnam’s development process.

 

“If Vietnam wants to address the three challenges of sustainable production, equity and resilience, investing in farmers and small-scale sustainable production models is the key to success,” Le Nguyet Minh, Director of Oxfam GROW campaign, confirmed.

 

Son said, in recent years, many agricultural production models using less inputs and being more environment-friendly but having higher have been created and tested successfully in many localities. For example, an ecological agricultural development model is successfully tested in Mekong Delta. The region forms "three increases - three decreases" fields and "rice fields - flower banks." Or, the models aimed at increasing equality for small-scale farmers like “land interchange for larger fields” or “sample big fields” have been deployed. These models, which provide the opportunity for small-scale farmers to get involved in large production process, have been applied and replicated in many places. Practical successful highlights and lessons on organisational change policies and solutions mentioned in the report demonstrate that it is possible to change the situation by internal resources of the country and the people.

 

According to the report, Vietnamese farmers can have better contributions to the prosperity of the country if they are supported to develop ecological agriculture and their feelings and aspirations are taken into account in the process of policy making. This is the fundamental spirit of the Party's Resolution on agriculture, farmers and countryside and the Government’s development strategy for a high value-added agriculture.

 

Recently, the Government has taken notice and adjusted development policies and programmes to open up opportunities for disadvantaged groups of people to participate in and benefit from the process of national development like protecting and supporting small-scale livestock husbandry at the time of planning centralised livestock zone development. However, Vietnam still has many challenges ahead.

 

To grow a better future, Oxfam proposes five major shifts for policy makers in Vietnam: end hunger and malnutrition, and confront the causes of food insecurity; end all forms of exclusion; increase public and private investment for small-scale farmers; guarantee the land rights of small holder farmers; and support people’s initiatives, collaborative groups and voices.

 

These policy proposals are urgent practical needs of life and suited to overall development orientation. Oxfam says that in order to implement these recommendations, Vietnam needs to mobilise tremendous efforts of all stakeholders to with a strong commitment.