Is Local Community the Answer?

Abstract

This article critically examines claims that “local community” and “local/traditional knowledge” are vital contributions to safeguarding socio-economic stability and securing sustainable resource uses in times of stress. The empirical focus is on Central Vietnam, but the argument is relevant in a broader context. The article specifically questions approaches to disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation that see “local community knowledge” as a vital means to achieving resilience in socio-ecological systems. We argue that rural villages in Central Vietnam are characterised by highly dynamic local actors who eagerly exploit new income opportunities arising both from internal and external sources. Although a wide range of knowledge is available about how to cope with adverse climate and environmental conditions, this knowledge is hardly “resilience” and “equilibrium” oriented. Rather, it is found to be anthropocentric, externally oriented, sometimes opportunistic, and ultimately oriented towards an urban lifestyle—traits that are strongly rewarded by the Vietnamese state. We conclude that, at present, local aspirations may not necessarily be part of the solution, but may form part of a social and political complex that exacerbates risk, particularly for weaker population segments. Instead, new and non-state actors should play a larger role.

Environmental Protection in the Hands of the State: Authoritarian Environmentalism and Popular Perceptions in Vietnam

“…Central government policy is in principle opening up to the effect that rice production strategies vary between provinces (Casse & Milhøj, 2015), yet there is still a dominant focus on rice despite many international concerns of low added value and little technological and institutional innovation (e.g., WB, 2017, p. 2). Fieldwork in the northcentral provinces of Ha Tinh and Nghe An showed that paddy is still mandatory for smallholder farmers in coastal areas with adequate soil and water conditions (Bruun & Olwig, 2015). This is a key area for hybrid rice farming, promoted by state and state-owned enterprise (SOE) corporate interests and linked to Vietnam's massive rice exports.…”

“…State ownership and a lack of long-term land tenure security severs villagers' attachment to the land and, combined with limited scope for higher value production, add to the unattractiveness of farming. On the part of farmers, there is at the same time a strikingly antirural ideology at play (e.g., Bruun & Olwig, 2015). Apart from a few remaining lineage-based villages, which may trace their history back 400 years, there is little rural romanticism or striving for living close to nature, and few strains of alternative values: Rural villages represent a rather narrow repertoire of life orientations.…”

“…Arguably, in accordance with "traditional" Confucian-type values, today priority is given to genealogical aims: Villagers display a strongly anthropocentric perspective on life in which the well-being of the family line takes precedence over the immediate environment that appears to have only passing significance. Traditionalist and modernist aspirations converge in materialism and the pursuit of social ascent, with life in the city, even in foreign lands, as the ultimate accomplishment (Bruun & Olwig, 2015;Pham & Rambo, 2003). 15…”

“…Other visible aspects in Ha Tinh and Nghe An were loans for poor households to build "safe houses" for themselves or elevated shelters for cows and buffalo during flooding, and in some cases loans for relocating entire hamlets to higher ground, all in a combined effort with the CCS. Although nothing is handed out for free, there was common agreement among respondents in the four provinces that "rural policies" in general have a positive impact on local livelihoods, although comments were that implementation could sometimes be better; furthermore, in many cases, the poorest households were left out due to not being able to provide a self-contribution (Bruun & Olwig, 2015). However, in particular, the obligatory construction of new "community halls" created tensions in many communes, because they were top-down initiated but bottom-up funded by mandatory payments from farmers; many complained about rough means of collecting the money.…”

Building Consensus with Local Residents in Community-Based Adaptation Planning: The Case of Bansong Pilbongoreum Community in Busan, South Korea

“…Communities are being recognized as a major source of adaptation. Thus, there is a need to incorporate indigenous, local, and traditional knowledge systems and practices into adaptation planning to holistically adjust to the effects of climate change [12]. Community-based adaptation programs strengthen social resilience within communities, better integrate efforts to reduce risk against extreme weather events, and make climate change adaptation possible [13].…”