The Push for Plantations: Drivers, Rationales and Social Vulnerability in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam

Abstract

This chapter compares the impact of land use changes in two municipalities. We look at the long-term changes regarding the expansion of acacia production and the effects of tropical storms. Due to households experiencing significant economic gains after only a few years, both primary forest and agricultural land are being replaced with acacia tree plantations. The downside to this is an increasing social inequality, which follows in the wake of both government decree support given to monoculture promotion, and the influences of market forces. We observe signs of social differentiation, where poor households end up serving as casual labour for the richer families on their acacia plantations. In addition, the poor can be rendered even more vulnerable after becoming labourers for the richer families, because they may no longer have an alternative source of income, yet they still face the risk of an increasing frequency of typhoon exposure.