Environmental policy and administrative management

Coastal sandy areas in Ha Tinh Province, one of the poorest provinces in Viet Nam, have faced with the problem of soil degradation and desertification in recent years. The rate of flying and moving sand to encroach on the land is about 3m on the average annually, leading to the significant reduction of cultivated land and threatening community life in the areas. The area of barren land in coastal areas in the province has significantly increased. As a result, the community living in these vulnerable areas have had to leave their home land and migrated to other areas. Desertification has accelerated in these areas. Thach Dinh Commune is one of the communes of Thach Ha District, Ha Tinh Province, where the local authority and community is facing with the problem of land degradation and desertification in recent years. The barren coastal sandy land accounts for 42.55% of the total land area in the commune. Most of the natural ponds and irrigation systems in the area have been filled up with sand, causing many difficulties for agricultural production which is the main source of income of the community in the area. Because of flying and moving sand and unsustainable agricultural practices along with the poor irrigation systems, the soil has been seriously degraded and resulted in the loss of cultivated land. In the past two years, the area of rice field in Village 1 of the Commune has decreased by 28%. Ten (10) households in this village have migrated to other areas in the past five years due to the strong lack of cultivated land for their daily subsistence and the threat of natural disasters. The main causes of the problem of land degradation and desertification in the commune of Thach Dinh are attributed to deforestation, ecosystem degradation, unsustainable agricultural practices and the unfavourable weather conditions in the area. In order to address this issue, it is necessary to stabilise community life in the coastal sandy areas and solve the problem of land degradation and desertification. The project`Developing a community model to prevent land degradation and desertification in coastal sandy area in Thach Dinh Commune, Thach Ha District, Ha Tinh Province` aims to raise awareness among the local authorities, relevant agencies and community about the issues of land degradation and desertification, and sustainable development. The main purpose of the project is to establish two residence areas on coastal sandy land and transfer technology to the community in developing ecological household gardens. Appropriate crop structure which suits the physical and socio-economic conditions of the area will be introduced. The project aims to regreen the barren land, improve the fertility of soil and prevent desertification in coastal sandy area in Thach Dinh Commune. The model has the large potential to be replicated in other coastal sandy areas in not only Ha Tinh Province but also other provinces along the central coast of Viet Nam.

Vietnam