Files
Abstract
This dissertation examines how smallholders in upland Vietnam perceived and responded to state-sponsored efforts to improve rural livelihoods. I approach the question of improvement through the lens of political ecology, and I focus on understanding how government projects aimed at modernizing rural areas became meaningful to local stakeholders. From the French colonial era to today, there have been state-level policies and programs to end swidden farming in the uplands of Vietnam. Nevertheless, the practice remained widespread in the areas under study until recently, when acacia plantation programs aimed at replacing hill rice fields took hold. To understand local meaning within the context of livelihood changes, I designed the research to focus on the analytical scale of individual households. This research occurred in three phases. First, I conducted a series of semi-structured household interviews focused on livelihood strategies, land assets and rights, the introduction of acacia and cassava cash crops, and challenges like food and water security and environmental risks. Second, drawing on the relevant findings from phase one interviews, I conducted a comprehensive household interview with a separate set of households. This comprehensive interview included both closed-response and open-ended questions. Third, I conducted follow-up interviews with several households from phase one, which deepened my understanding of land claims and the issue of limited land availability in the area. This research highlighted the role everyday politics emerging from local inequalities play in intra-hamlet livelihood resilience. Acacia and cassava provide finite benefits to specific households, yet they cause diffuse environmental risks across the hamlets, placing the wellbeing of less-well off families at risk. People will assume authority over their own circumstances, even continuing illicit strategies as part of their efforts to manage barriers to livelihood sustainability and improvement in the context of the changing climate.