Tag: Climate change

Today was perhaps one of the most challenging days we’ve had. With only one more week in Viet Nam we are working as hard as we can to get out and talk to grassroots people. We organized a van and guide for the whole day, again with the help of Mr Tu. In our discussions we made clear that we wanted to meet farmers away from the coast, people growing a mixture of forest trees, fruit trees, rice and other crops. Our guide didn’t grasp this initially so we started heading in the wrong direction. I sensed this and had to work hard to make clear what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go. By mid-morning we were driving along the banks of the Perfume River, which runs through Hue, towards the hills on the outskirts of the city. Aside from having to work hard with our guide we were also very challenged by temperatures hitting nearly 40°C and very high humidity.

We managed to meet and talk to two groups of people. The first group was a family, whose land is alongside the main north-south highway. We spoke with Mr Nguyen Chap, his wife Mrs Nguyen Thi Cam, and their son Mr Nguyen Xuan Thoi. They have 6 children, with the one son (aged 23) living and working with them. This family has about 2 ha of land and grows a mixture of citrus trees and a small area of rice.

The second group was a small community, who were helping with house extensions for a community member. We interviewed Mr Pham Dung and his sister Mrs Nguyen Thi Quyet.  Brother and sister both grow citrus, corn, peanuts and rice crops.  The community also works together to plant forest on the slopes behind their houses, with support from the government.

When we started out in Viet Nam I was told that the majority of Vietnamese farmers are poorly educated and ignorant of what is happening around them and in the world. This is an unfortunate perception held by too many people around the world who have little contact with farmers. Without much support in Viet Nam we have begun to focus more strongly on doing things ourselves, working with a guide to find people to talk to. Even our guide here initially had the view that it would be hard to find good thinking farmers, despite coming from a farming family. I think he has changed his point of view over the last couple of days.

The people we spoke to today, along with Mr Khoai yesterday, are experiencing hotter temperatures and more erratic weather. They read the paper and listen to the radio and know that what they are experiencing locally is connected to what is happening globally. They understand the problem to be the result of deforestation and industrial development and release of greenhouse gases. These people may not be well educated but they are far from ignorant. We are consistently hearing these people talk about the need to be planting trees and protecting our water resources. They are doing the best that they can in their local environments.

We managed to do a few things today, with mixed success.  In the morning Mr Tu, our contact here in Hue, took us to a small community who are growing vegetables and flowers communally for the local market.  It was interesting to see how this group of people is working together in a very positive way.

In the afternoon we hired a car and guide to take us out toward the coast, about 15 km away.  Our intention was to go to the beach and also hopefully meet and talk to some farmers along the way. After a brief visit to the beach we drove back on the lookout for a couple of farmers to talk to. Our first stop proved to be unsuccessful. We then met Mr Khoai, from Thuan An Village. He has been growing rice since he was 13 years old, for 40 years now. Mr Khoai grows two rice crops, in the November to January period and in the March/April to May period. He has noticed temperatures getting higher and the weather in general becoming less reliable. The rainy season is tending to be more extreme, with more flooding problems and the dry season is often drier than in the past. His greatest challenge with the less predictable seasonal climate is the timing of his crops. He has to think more carefully about what varieties he grows and the timing of his production. Mr Khoai and other farmers in his village have observed these changes locally and are also aware of what is happening globally from watching television and reading the paper. He said the only solution for them locally is through seed selection and timing of production. His message to people was to keep the environment clean.

Today we drove out to Tan Cuong Commune, one of the main green tea growing areas of Thai Nguyen Province. We went to meet with Mr Kim, leader of a group of 19 organic growers. These growers have moved to organic production because of health and environmental concerns from heavy use of pesticides in the area. The majority of the growers in this group are presently struggling with both lower yields and lower prices for their product, but are committed to staying organic because of their concerns. Mr Kim is setting an example by now achieving comparable yields to other tea growers and is working to resolve the marketing problems. He is aware that temperatures have been getting warmer, both locally and globally, and that weather patterns are becoming more erratic. However, these don’t seem to be major issues at present. Water is not a concern for them with many ponds in the area. These are fed from nearby Coc Lake, as part of an irrigation scheme. His focus is to build up the soil on his farm. He and others have already noted that the soil has considerably softened in the time that they have been in organic production. More immediate concerns of this group of growers are problems with an insect pest and marketing of their product. They are calling for support to assist them further in their efforts to both improve their local environment and make a reasonable living.

At last, the sort of day I’ve been waiting for since we arrived in Viet Nam a week ago. Mao collected us at 8.30 am with the intention of taking us out to the main tea growing area near Thai Nguyen City. However, as we set out we were discussing options and she talked about her parents-in-law and mentioned that her extended family would be planting trees today. So we turned around and went there instead. It was the right choice. Mao’s home village and her in-laws village are next to each other. To get to both we drove past a massive open-cast mining operation. It was a real education for the girls to see first hand both one of principal sources of climate change (mining and burning of fossil fuels) and one of the principal solutions (planting trees, working and living harmoniously with the natural environment) in one place, in one day.

When we came to the home of Mao’s parents-in-law we were met, and very warmly welcomed, by a very sprightly, vibrant couple Luu Chi Kien, 78 years and Nguyen Thi Xuyen, 72 years old. We had most of the day, so there was no rush. First was the welcoming ritual of green tea, and also a toast ‘Chuc Mung Nam Mo’ of herb-infused rice wine to the New Year.

It was very evident that here was a wise couple, people who have been farming the land since they were children and have seen many changes. We set up an interview in their home. They talked about the clearing of forest that happened in the 1960s.Temperatures have become warmer and they are not getting as much water as in the past. They have replanted the forest behind their home garden and are busy planting trees in other areas to protect precious water resources and keep local temperatures cooler. Their neighbours are doing the same. It is clear to them that humans are the source of the problems they are experiencing locally and that they are aware of globally. The solution is simple, to live more harmoniously with the natural environment.

Luu Chi Kien then took us for a walk through his forest and along the way shared his deep knowledge and wisdom about medicinal values of the many plants growing there. He is man full of energy, vitality, humour, compassion and much wisdom. It was a great honour to spend time with him.

After a very simple, delicious, lunch prepared in their farmhouse kitchen we walked along the country path to the place where the rest of the family were busy planting trees. The taxi that we had hired in the morning collected us from there and we drove back towards Mao’s village where we met her mother. It was wonderful to also meet her and unfortunate that we didn’t have more time.

We’re leaving Hanoi in just under three hours time. It has been a mixed week for us and a real contrast to our busy and productive time in Thailand. Hanoi is a lovely city, although a lot more cars and tourists than when I first came here in the mid 1990s have spoilt some of the charm of the old part of the city. Regardless, it was good to have some rest and the girls have loved exploring all the little streets and many interesting shops. The latter part of the week became a bit frustrating for me. It was good to get out in the countryside on Thursday and do a bit of informal filming, but not as much as I had hoped to achieve in the Red River area.

By yesterday I was ready to be moving, but we’ve had to wait for my former student to return to Thai Nguyen City, two hours north of Hanoi. That’s where we are heading this afternoon and will be going out to see some farmers in that area with Mao. Thai Nguyen province is famous for its green tea production. We’re not sure about internet access from there, so may not be able to send updates until we come back through Hanoi on Tuesday evening.

We’ll be catching a night train then down to Hue.

My number one goal in Viet Nam is to get down into the Mekong Delta and will be doing as much as I can to ensure we make the most of the remainder of our time here. I read this morning in the English Viet Nam News that the Mekong Delta is experiencing drought, forest fire risk and salination problems because of low water levels. Current predictions are for a late start to the monsoon this year. I’m very interested to get out into the Delta area and talk more to people about what they are experiencing, and hopefully we can meet some people who are working for the future.