Research

Work Packages 1–9

Work Package 4

Land Management and Governance – ITT, HUAF, IRRI

Work package 4 aimed at setting up the socio-economic and agricultural framework for the analysis of Land Management options for the project region. It engaged in a multi-level qualitative and quantitative analysis of all agricultural activities carried out in the river basin, its impacts and CC mitigation potentials.
Interdependence in Land Management decision processes were analyzed through micro-economic optimization modelling. Possibilities for win-win outcomes increasing welfare and environmental gains were explored in the framework of the REDD mechanism or potential CDM projects. Work involved local stakeholder interests in accordance with the National REDD scheme (collaboration with MARD). At the plot and farm level of analysis ecological and socio-economic aspects of the land uses were explored. These included the assessment of agro-biodiversity associated to land use types and the assessment of socio-economic uses of biodiversity.

Furthermore, quantification and modeling on yields, input demands and GHG fluxes for relevant actual and alternative cropping systems were performed. The quantification of these parameters defined production technologies in the bio-economic optimization model. Further steps included the upscale of changes in C-Stocks and GHG balances from the farm to the landscape level.

Different objectives have been achieved:

• A multi-level environmental governance and stakeholder analysis has been carried out in the context of climate change. This was done by means of interviews, literature reviews and participatory approaches.
• For each agro-ecological zone representative districts were identified: Dien Ban, Duy Xuyen, Que Son and the city Hoi An for the lowlands (the floodplain sub-watershed), Dai Loc for the midlands and Nam Giang for the uplands.
• Most frequent Land Use Types (LUT), in the VGTB, have been determined by means of collected information during small workshops with local stakeholders and key-informants and secondary literature.
• The fertilization and productivity of actual Land Use Systems in the VGTB basin have been determined.
• Land Units were derived for representative lowland irrigation zones (for the relevant districts mentioned above) and the suitability for each LUT was assessed.
• A questionnaire for the farm-household survey has been designed.
• Agricultural experimental fields (Duy Xuyen District, lowland; Dai Loc District, midland) have been implemented for the evaluation of GHG and production constraints and a gas chromatograph has been installed at the HUAF University. To ensure that the gas chromatograph is used correctly, the ITT-HUAF coordination team also organized a week of capacity building on gas analysis and usage of the GC for the HUAF scientists.
• Agro-biodiversity and land use data have been collected in interviews in the Hiep Hoa and Hiep Thuan communes in the Hiep Duc district.