Man Quang Huy Faculty of Geography VNU - University of Science Hanoi, Vietnam

Objectives 1. investigating impacts of water disasters on affected communities in Central provinces with case studies in 2 communes of Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces 2. analyzing community – based adaptation of affected communities based on bottom-up approach 3. identifying the top priorities in each community to increase its adaptive capacity

Climate change adaptation approaches - Top-down - Bottom-up

Community- based adaptation (CBA) There is no universally accepted definition of CBA The definition that is most popular: “CBA is a community-led process based on communities’ priorities, needs, knowledge, and capacities, which should empower people to plan for and cope with the impacts of climate change” (Reid et al 2010)

Adaptive capacity The ability of a system to adjust to climate change (including climate variability and extremes) to moderate potential damages, to take advantage of opportunities, or to cope with the consequences (IPCC). Vulnerability = f (exposure, sensitivity, adaptive capacity) IPCC

CVCA (climate vulnerability and capacity analysis) methodology of CARE - hazard mapping - historical timeline - seasonal calendar - group discussion to identify the top problems related to flood’s impacts Assessing adaptive capacity Human capitalKnowledge of climate risks, conservation agriculture skills, education Social capitalSupport from government in agricultural produce, farmer-based organizations, participatory of households’ members in social organizations Physical capitalFurniture, production tools Natural capitalCultivated land, aquaculture land Financial capitalIncome, loans, rate of agricultural employment in every household Adaptive capacity of househoulds Questionnaire Community surveys Adaptive capacity of communities

Household survey (August 2013): 164 households in Hung Nhan and 190 households in Yen Ho Community surveys (June 2014): 20 key informants in Hung Nhan and 15 key informants in Yen Ho being representatives for different income groups in the villages participated in two separated survey. Assessing adaptive capacity

Nghe An Ha Tinh Lam River

Hung Nhan commun e Yen Ho commun e Lam River

Hung Nhan communeYen Ho commune 674ha, 3856 inhabitants, the most part live based on agriculture ha, 4536 inhabitants (2011), the most part live based on agriculture. Economic structure: agricultural sector 53%, industrial sector: 30%, service sector: 17% (2012). Economic structure: agricultural sector 50%, industrial sector: 30%, service sector: 20% (2013). Be affected by the Lam River Causes of floods: completely outside the dyke Cause of floods: the lowest land in Duc Tho district Case study areas

Season of crops and flood in two case study areas

Result 1. Impact of flood in Hung Nhan and Yen Ho (perception of community) 81.9% interviewed-households in Yen Ho and 95.3% in Hung Nhan ranked flood impacts as strongest in compared with other natural disasters (salinization, sea level rise, extreme cold, extreme hot, drought and heavy rain).

Result 1. Impact of flood in Hung Nhan and Yen Ho (perception of community) Impact of floodHung NhanYen Ho Cultivation Decrease productivity (of plants)5571 Totally lost crop in some typical years8960 More diseases of plants3729 Slow growth (of plants)13 Cattle and poultry breeding Reduce natural foods5363 Increase disease3450 Lower productivity of cattle and poultry2946 Destroy cages2943 Received impacts of flood in Hung Nhan and Yen Ho (% households)

Result 2. Adaptive capacity to flood of communities Livelihood of households in Yen Ho and Hung Nhan Human capital Physical capital

Hung NhanYen Ho Human capital -Education level of household headers (Job, Indigenous knowledge) % graduated from secondary % graduated from high schools % graduated from secondary % graduated from high schools Physical capital -Roads - Irrigation works -Housing + tile-roofed houses: + two-floored houses: -Means of transport + Motobikes: + Wagon: + Boats: -only main roads connecting communes are paved and a tiny proportion of concrete roads inside the villages, the remainders are dirt road -failed to promote efficient % - 6.1% -76/9% -48% -46.6% -100% of concrete roads -failed to promote efficient % -3.2% -72.2% -48% -7.5%

Result 2. Adaptive capacity to flood of communities Livelihood of households in Yen Ho and Hung Nhan Financial capital: average income, accessibility to loans and debt levels Average income/personYen Ho (%)Hung Nhan (%) Poor (under 400,000vnd) Nearly poor (401, ,000vnd) The remainder Average income/person in the villages (applying Vietnamese poverty standard)

Result 2. Adaptive capacity to flood of communities Livelihood of households in Yen Ho and Hung Nhan Financial capital: average income, accessibility to loans and debt levels Debt level of households Debt levelYen Ho (%)Hung Nhan (%) 5-20 million VND million VND million VND More than 80 million VND8.53.1

Result 2. Adaptive capacity to flood of communities Livelihood of households in Yen Ho and Hung Nhan Natural capital: Land and land ownership, inequality in access land Proportion of owning agricultural land area Debt levelYen Ho (%)Hung Nhan (%) Owning > 2500m Owning < 1500m

Result 2. Adaptive capacity to flood of communities Livelihood of households in Yen Ho and Hung Nhan Social capital: - Mostly people did not appreciate participation in social groups.

Institutional adaptation - The term “institutions” covers not only formal political structures but also the more diffuse “rule of the game” and social and cultural norms. - Building houses in higher height in comparison to the past since historical flood in 2010 (at least above water level in flood). - Choosing alternatives in low-lying paddies - Cultivating short-day rice varieties in the summer-autumn season to harvest by full moon in July (the lunar calendar). Despite low quality in comparison with long-day rice varieties, short-day varieties have still been viewed as appropriate choices. Result 2. Adaptive capacity to flood of communities

Hung Nhan - poor household can get a loan of 10 million VND without interest rate in 10 years to build “chòi” (hut) as a shelter of cows and buffalos. - Building a community house in high land to be shelter for elderly and children in flood in Organizing maneuvers to response to flood and storm every fifth year. Each maneuver costs roughly 100 million VND, however district just funds for this activity a tenth of cost -> cooperated to Hung Chau commune to conduct the maneuver. Result 2. Adaptive capacity to flood of communities

Chòi (hut) for cows and buffalos in Hung Nhan

Yen Ho - restructuring the plant and livestock. + peanut -> planting corn in some areas due to not good quality soil since In spite of being higher price when selling, peanut takes more effort to care than corn. + cultivating rice -> farming fish in low-lying fields for the reason of high economic efficiency + cultivating high quality rice Result 2. Adaptive capacity to flood of communities

Main livelihood of people in both areas is agriculture, in which, cultivation plays decisive role -> unstable poor households have low access to financial capital -> more dependent on their membership of social Yen Ho’s residents have better livelihood Result 2. Adaptive capacity to flood of communities

Result 3. Identifying the top priorities in each community Finding out alternative livelihood strategies to diversify income For example, in Hung Nhan, developing breeding cows is a feasible one because of its high economic efficiency, whereas, aquaculture is an appropriate option in Yen Ho. More finance supports (to get larger loans/credits from banks) Technique supports in production In Hung Nhan, increasing accessibility to evacuation of people and assets in flood (improving road system) In Yen Ho, - finalizing the part of ditch along the dyke running through the Village 5 to eliminate petechial fever and pollution in rain season - local authority needs to check and change regulations in land lease policy to help farmer promote their production.

DISCUSSIONS method of assessing adaptive capacity measuring losses due to flood and comparing losses (an important aspect of defining adaptive capacity) Human factors causing flood are not taken into account in this study Policy “New rural program” (top-down) Different societies face different threats, and have different resources as well as coping mechanisms. The approach here can be applied in other circumstances to have insight into adaptation strategies in each locality.