VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI VIETNAM JAPAN UNIVERSITY PHAN THI LAN ANH ASSESSMENT OF THE CLIMATE- RESILIENT LIVELIHOODS OF HMONG’S ETHNIC IN PA CO COMMUNE, MAI CHAU DISTRICT, HOA BINH PROVINCE MASTER’S THESIS VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI VIETNAM JAPAN UNIVERSITY PHAN THI LAN ANH ASSESSMENT OF THE CLIMATE- RESILIENT LIVELIHOODS OF HMONG’S ETHNIC IN PA CO COMMUNE, MAI CHAU DISTRICT, HOA BINH PROVINCE MAJOR: CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT CODE: 8900201.02QTD RESEARCH SUPERVISORS: Prof. NGUYEN TUAN ANH Assoc. NGUYEN TAI TUE Hanoi, 2023 PLEDGE I have read and understood the plagiarism violations. I pledge with personal honor that this research result is my own and does not violate the Regulation on prevention of plagiarism in academic and scientific research activities at VNU Vietnam Japan University (Issued together with Decision No 700/QD-ĐHVN dated 30/9/2021 by the Rector of Vietnam Japan University).
Author of the thesis PHAN THI LAN ANH ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Assoc. Nguyen Tuan Anh and Assoc. Nguyen Tai Tue, my supervisors, for their supervision throughout this dissertation. Thank you for accepting me as your student.
I am indebted to your invaluable support, encouragement, and advice. I could not complete this dissertation without your instruction and feedback from the beginning. Many thanks to my friends in the MCCD at Viet Nam Japan University for their encouragement. Your inspiration has enhanced my confidence to complete this study.
This thesis is supported by the project, entitled “Research and application of artificial intelligence in monitoring and predicting of radioactive release in mining areas, a case study in Sin Quyen copper mine” of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, code. Finally, I am thankful to my family. Thank you to my wonderful my mother-in- law for leaving hometown to come to Hanoi city to take care of my baby so that I can have more time for studying. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES.
i LIST OF FIGURES. II LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. Research objectives, questions, and hypothesis. Subject and scope.
Studies in the study site. Overview of research area. Socio-economic status. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND METHODS.
In-depth interview. Focus group discussion. Household case study. Establishing a set of livelihood resilience indicators.
Data processing methods. RESULTS, DISCUSSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. Current status of livelihood in Pa Co Commune. Climate change impacts in the study site.
Extreme weather: heat and cold. Landslides and erosion. Impacts of climate change on livelihood. Assessment of climate-resilient livelihood in the study site.
Limitations of this study. 78 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. The research objectives, questions and hypothesis. Time, place, research contents of the fieldwork in Pa Co commune.
Definitions of livelihood resilience. Average annual temperature. Description of study commune in 2019. Major income of Pa Co commune in 2019.
Number of hot days for 3 levels for period 2001-2020. Number of very cold days/ extreme cold days in Mai Chau station for period 2001-2020. Damages caused by natural disasters in Mai Chau. Damages caused by disasters in the past 10 years.
Results of livelihood resilience in livelidhood to climate change in the Pa Co commune. Assessment of capacity to adapt to climate change through five sources of capital. 67 i LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Map of Pa Co commune, Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province.
Landscapes in Pa Co commune. Hang Kia and Pa Co nature reserve. Framework of the thesis. Climate-resilient livelihood framework.
Livelihoods in Pa Co commune. Major income sources of households (%). Hmong space and Tourist. Annual variation of rainfall at Mai Chau station.
Change of total annual precipitation in Mai Chau (2001-2020). The annual variation of the number of heavy rainy days. Trend of heavy rainfall days in period 2001-2020. Annual variation of temperature at Mai Chau station in the period 2001-2020.
Change of average temperature in Mai Chau (2001-2020). Average number of hot days per month according to 3 levels in the period 2001-2020. Change in the total number of hot days at Mai Chau station in the period 2001-2020. The number of days of extreme cold/severe cold per year at Mai Chau station in the period 2001-2020.
The changing trend of the total number of cold days at Mai Chau station in the period 2001-2020. Landslide along the way to Pa Co Commune. Household’s perception on the impacts of natural disasters (%). Radar map of indicators of five capitals of Tourism livelihood resilience.
Proportion of support from neighbor. Local people Participate in the social community. Local people Participate in the social community. Local people owning farmland.
Local people access to bank account. Income of Tourism households. Education level of Tourism households. The local people participate in training course of production.
Road status under bad weather. Distance from household to water resources and the nearest market. Local people owning essential equipment for production. Climate resilience assessment in Pa Co.
66 ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviations Full contents CC Climate change DFID UK Agency for International Development IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change FC Financial Capital HC Human Capital LR Livelihood Resilience NC Natural Capital SC Social Capital iii CHAPTER 1. Background Climate change has been affecting natural resources and the environment, and the socio-economic activities of many countries worldwide. The Earth's climate has been changing, and failure to keep warming below 2°C might make the changes irreversible and lead to devastating consequences which have impacted the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly impoverished women, endangering their livelihoods (UNDP, 2017). Vietnam is one of the countries in the world that are severely affecting by climate change (MONRE, 2016).
The most often publicized effect of climate change is sea-level rise, which has consequences such as crop and arable land loss due to salt-water intrusion and storm surges in the coastal zones (IPCC, 2014). However, the susceptibility of Vietnam to the effects of CC is not limited to the coastal regions. Currently, there is inadequate understanding of and support for addressing the implications of CC on disadvantaged (and minority) communities in Vietnam's vast rural and mountainous regions. In the Northern mountainous areas, CC has reduced rainfall during some seasons, causing more severe droughts in some areas.
Furthermore, natural catastrophes are particularly dangerous on steeply sloping land and land prone to cause the landslides and soil erosion. Due to high levels of poverty, poor infrastructure, limited access to technologies, and an increased reliance on natural resources, the effects of climate change are projected to be more severe in mountainous areas in Vietnam. In the high mountainous areas, opportunities to develop sustainable and resilient livelihoods are limited. The rural poor's livelihoods and well-being are strongly reliant on natural resources, making them particularly vulnerable to environmental deterioration and climate change's effects.
Furthermore, developing countries like Vietnam have insufficient capacity to assist their poor rural populations in adapting to a changing environment. As a result, a good adaptation strategy to climate change will be 1 required shortly. The support measures resulting from this needs assessment should prioritize reducing vulnerability and expanding rural livelihood opportunities, and ensuring an integrated approach that considers the role of CC in exacerbating these challenges and strengthening communities' ability to adapt. According to the report No.
255/SNN-NL of the Department of Agriculture and Development of Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province there are about 1889 households with lack of water for daily life due to drought and 140ha of agricultural land affected droughts and floods. Pa Co commune locates in a remote and mountainous region of Mai Chau district with difficult socio-economic conditions with a complicated topography consisting primarily of hills, steep slopes, and an elevation of 1.200 meters above sea level, as is typical of northern mountain rafters. The terrain of Pa Co is long and narrow, surrounded by rocky mountains. Karst rock - cannot store water and the amount of soil cover is fragile, so besides corn and galangal, few other plants are suitable and can only do one crop because of the lack of source water and surface water.
In the context of CC, this commune faces unexpected and complex climatic conditions, causing difficulties for natural ecosystems and human activities. The livelihoods of the people in Pa Co commune mainly depend on agriculture, cultivating maize, rice, crops on upland fields, and exploiting forest products. These livelihoods are highly dependent on weather, climate and natural conditions. However, there is still a lack of comprehensive assessment of livelihoods resilient to the impacts of climate change in this mountainous locality.
For those reasons, the thesis, entitled “Assessment of the climate-resilient livelihood of Hmong’s ethnic in Pa Co commune, Mai Chau District, Hoa Binh” has been chosen to study. Research objectives, questions, and hypothesis This study aims to assess how climate change has affected the livelihoods of local people in Pa Co commune and how local community develop the various types of livelihoods to adapt to CC. It also pertains to the analysis of the possibility for improving 2 local livelihoods' resilience to climate change. In addition, this research will present ideas and solutions of livelihood models that may be used to increase the livelihood’s adaptation to climate change in this region.
The research objectives, questions and hypothesis Research Research hypothesis Research questions Objectives Climate change, particularly What is climate change To study the climate extreme weather events such impacting to the livelihoods change effects on the as storms, floods, unusual of local people in Pa Co livelihoods of the local heat, and hail, has negatively commune? people. affected people's livelihood activities in Pa Co commune. The local people have relied What are resources for the To assess the on five livelihood capitals to local people to better adapt livelihood resilience develop different ways to to climate change? levels of the local adapt to climate change. Among the livelihood What are natural and social To analyze potentials models, the eco-tourism features favorable for the to improve local livelihood will be the highest local people enhance their livelihood resilience to resilience to climate change livelihood to climate climate change.
in the Pa Co commune change? 1. Subject and scope 1. Research subject - The livelihoods activities and models of the local households in Pa Co commune; - Solutions to enhance the resilience and sustainability of livelihood activities in Pa Co commune. Scope The research was conducted in Pa Co commune, Mai Chau District, Hoa Binh Province.
Study site: Pa Co commune, Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province Duration: 1 year from 8/2020-8/2021 The fieldwork time in the locality is divided into 2 periods, with specific contents as follows (Table 1. The research uses the statistical data and related reports on climate change impacts, livelihood and climate change adaptation in Pa Co commune. Time, place and research contents of the fieldwork in Pa Co commune Periods Place Content Period 1: - Board of management - Overall assessment of the research and 26 Feb 2021 - for Pa Co Nature Reserve study site selection 02 Mar 2021 - Pa Co Commune - Secondary documents collection People's Committee - Demo interviews - Pa Co commune - In-depth interview (Leader community - Chairman of the commune, village heads - Trial interview with households (pilot) - Livelihood area observation - Discuss group (households) - Case study research Period 2: - Board of management - To implement the in-depth interview and 18 Jun 2021 - for Pa Co Nature Reserve case study 25 Jun 2021 - Pa Co commune - To interview the households 4 Figure 1. Map of Pa Co commune, Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province 1.
International research In recent years, many studies on resilience to climate change have been conducted in developing countries, mainly focusing on Asia and Africa.