3rd Mekong Forum on Water, Food & Energy. Presentation from Sessions 4 & 6: M-POWER Solutions for Mekong Region Governance

1. Water, faming governance and adaptation to climate
change for “dike compartments”: a case study in An
Giang province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam
Dr. Nguyen Van Kien (MK7)
Acting Director – Research Centre for Rural Development
An Giang University
Email: kienanu@gmail.com
CPWF Water and Food Forum
Hanoi 19-21 November 2013

2. Outline of the presentation
Challenges
Water
Governance?
Farming
Opportunities
Floods/dikes

3. Dikes are rapid developing across the flood
prone areas of the delta since 1998
Traditional farming
3

4. Dikes are rapid developing across the flood
prone areas of the delta since 1998
Intensive rice farming – 3 crops
Traditional farming:
One floating rice – vegetables
during dry season
4

5. Research questions
• What are the existing institutional arrangements for governance
of water and farming activities inside the “dike compartments” in
the flood prone provinces of the MRD?
• How do farmers make decision on selection of irrigation and
farming activities inside the “dike compartments” in the flood
prone provinces of the MRD?
• What are the challenges and opportunities of the existing water
and farming governance inside the “dike compartments” in the
flood prone provinces of the MRD?
• What are the strategies for sustainable use of water and
adapting to climate change inside the “dike compartments” in
the flood prone provinces of the MRD?

6. Methods- Study Site Selection

7. Methods
• In depth interview at the province, district and commune
levels (10 interviews)
• Focus Group Discussion: 10 FGDs at two communes
• Synthesize the results from in depth interview and FGDs
• Collected 68 questionnaires (structured interviews)

8. Key findings

9. Comparison of water and farming governance
before and after dike installment
Before dikes
After dikes
• Water/irrigation was managed by
individual base
• Collective actions are applied for
making decision in the choices of
water/irrigation services/ farming
calendar/ practice
• Difficult to manage water/irrigation
due to the floodwater
• Easier to manage water/ irrigation
with the support of pump machines
• Government control and operate
the irrigation services via old
agricultural cooperative forms
•Diversity of irrigation water service
providers involve in water
management
• Farmers manage their farm
calendar individually
• Farming calendar is operated in a
collective way
• Less diversity of farming activity
• More diversity of farming activity

10. Comparison of existing and new institutional
arrangement
Existing institution/dikes
New institution (CMB)/dikes
•Top – down approach in irrigation
management
• Decentralizing water management
•Enhancing the role of communitybased organization (Compartment
Management Board)
• Decentralize water/irrigation/dikes
management up to commune level
• Decentralize management of sluices,
small ditch and dikes into communitybased organization
• Farmers play a key role in water and
farming management at compartment
level
• Environmental costs associated with
dikes – soil degradation and water
pollution
• Less environmental impacts on soil,
water

11. Farm diversity after dikes were built
Activities
Winter-spring
rice crop (ha)
2000
1,806.00
2001
1,775.00
Summerautumn rice
crop (ha)
1,789.00
1,768.00
Autumnsummer rice
crop (ha)
0.00
Fish cages
(number)
Water
buffaloes
(number)
Cows (number)
Pig (number)
2003
2004
1,743.00
2005
2006
1,743.00
2007
1,736.00
1,743.00
1,743.00
1,736.00
0.00
305.00
887.00
550.00
4.00
3.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
13.00
10.00
7.00
8.00
23.00
23.00
17.00
2.00
36.00
9.00
12.00
26.00
48.00
48.00
1,362.00
1,324.00
1,564.00
2,101.00
1,218.00
2,741.00
1,204.00

12. Flood management - challenges
Existing institution/dikes
New institution (CMB)/dike
• Difficult for flood management to
implement “8 crops for three years)
• Easier for flood management to
implement the “8 crops for three
years) – CMB is very active for
enforcement of land use planning
•
•
Dike was built in 1998, but did not
open the gate for flooding
Dike was built in 2007, but strictly
enforce the rule of flood management
“8 crops per three years”

13. Dealing with conflicts in a overlapping
compartment – new challanges
Old/existing system do not have CMB
to deal with water conflict in a
overlapping compartment
In a new institutional
arrangement, CMB is active to
manage overlapping compartment

14. Conclusions
• Dikes provide more opportunities for diversity of farming;
• However, dikes may create environmental costs
• The existing institutional arrangement does not provide
incentives for effective irrigation management;
• The new institutional arrangement allows rooms for
participation and create flexibility for flood management;
• The existing institutional arrangement should be
reformed, decentralize into community as the role of CMB
Thanks!