Agricultural land conversion and its effects on farmers in contemporary Vietnam (original) (raw)

Are 'Landlords Taking Back the Land'? An Essay on the Agrarian Transition in Vietnam

The European Journal of Development Research, 2004

This article applies the concepts associated with agrarian political economy to recent Vietnamese economic development. Differences in access to land that underpin transformation in rural relations of production are documented. Differences in the technical coefficients of production are also demonstrated amongst farms when grouped on the basis of size of land. The impact of these changes is demonstrated to be an impressive supply response, which suggests that dynamic productive efficiency gains have been fostered as a result of rural restructuring. Differences in the extent to which farm households, when grouped on the basis of expenditure quintiles, are integrated into markets, when considered alongside differential agrarian productivity, suggests that the benefits of rural restructuring are being inequitably distributed. Cumulatively, processes of peasant class differentiation appear to be underway in rural Vietnam.

Land reform and the development of commercial agriculture in Vietnam: policy and issues

2001

Over the last decade, following the doi moi reforms, the Vietnamese government has formally recognised the household as the basic unit of production and allocated land use rights to households. Under the 1993 Land Law these rights can be transferred, exchanged, leased, inherited, and mortgaged. A land market is emerging in Vietnam but is still constrained for various reasons. Additionally, lack of flexibility of land use is an issue. As Vietnam moves into the world market and reduces trade barriers in line with ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) requirements, farmers are becoming increasingly vulnerable to falling incomes because of lower prices for their produce. An overview of the land reform policies and issues related to these are outlined in the paper. Challenges facing Vietnamese agriculture are discussed within the context of an effort by Vietnam to more its household farms from subsistence farming to a more commercial base.

Agricultural land for urban development: The process of land conversion in Central Vietnam

2014

Since the 1990s, Vietnam's progressive integration into the global market economy has triggered major economic and social transformations. In spatial terms, these are marked by a massive conversion of agricultural land for industrial and urban development. While this process has attracted considerable attention from media and researchers, much of the research on land conversion has focused on the largest cities. Little attention is devoted to similar processes occurring in medium-sized cities where urban expansion has been rapidly increasing in recent years. In order to identify the issues and consequences, this paper attempts to analyze how the conversion of farmland for urban uses takes place in the medium-sized city of Hue in Central Vietnam. The analysis shows that land conversion for urban development purposes has increased social tensions and complaints from affected people. Two key issues are identified: i) the state uses its extensive powers in the decision-making process while the participation of affected people is passive and weak; ii) land conversion from agricultural to urban uses results from profit-seeking by multiple stakeholders. Data was collected through fieldwork in Hue and secondary sources such as newspapers, legal documents on land policy and urban development.

Landlords are taking back the land' : the agrarian transition in Vietnam

This article applies the concepts associated with agrarian political economy to recent Vietnamese economic development. Differences in access to land that underpin transformation in rural relations of production are documented. Differences in the technical coefficients of production are also demonstrated amongst farms when grouped on the basis of size of land. The impact of these changes is demonstrated to be an impressive supply response, which suggests that dynamic productive efficiency gains have been fostered as a result of rural restructuring. Differences in the extent to which farm households, when grouped on the basis of expenditure quintiles, are integrated into markets, when considered alongside differential agrarian productivity, suggests that the benefits of rural restructuring are being inequitably distributed. Cumulatively, processes of peasant class differentiation appear to be underway in rural Vietnam.

Compulsory land acquisition for urban expansion: A study of farmer’s protest in peri-urban Hue, Central Vietnam

Land acquisition for urbanisation in Vietnam has become a hot topic, attracting attention not only from land administrators, but also from the media and politicians. This paper draws on the case of Hue to investigate how farmers reconstruct their livelihoods after land loss. The findings indicate that the majority of people are able to reconstruct their livelihoods with better living conditions. Besides the employment opportunities derived from an expanding local economy, such as in Hue, remaining in the same physical environment and the retention of social networks are important factors for successful livelihood reconstruction. However, there are emerging issues that challenge equitable development and sustainable livelihoods, such as increased vulnerability for the elderly and infirm after land loss, in addition to the difficulties casual workers may face in the long term. The capacity of households to adapt to new situations, training, consultations and social security systems for the affected farmers should, therefore, be taken into account.

Peasant responses to agricultural land conversion and mechanism of rural social differentiation in Hung Yen province, Northern Vietnam

2011

differentiation in Vietnamese countryside. The complexities of agrarian changes under the post - socialist industrialization with high rate of agricultural land conversion in recent context reveal the new forms of capital accumulation and social differentiation. This research investigates how land conversion process to industrial zones and clusters affected to the way that different groups of peasant households accumulate their resources. The study was carried out in 3 districts of Hung Yen province from 2006 to 2010. The study results are as follows: first, the land conversion to industrialization has impact on not only the decline of household landholdings but also the changes value of land which are the sources of social conflicts and informal land transfer. Second, in the context of land conversion to industrialization with tiny plots of land, low return from agricultural production and more opportunities of non-farm activities, even when non-farm employment is very profitable, ...