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Oxfam in Viet Nam - mangrove planting
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Mr Khang takes great care of
his mangrove saplings. They will improve the land he looks
after and provide a habitat for shrimp and crabs
Photo: Jim Holmes/Oxfam |
Thirty years ago, farmers used to do well in Viet Nam’s Mekong
delta; it was covered in mangroves and home to a wide range of plants
and animals. People could grow rice, vegetables and fruit trees,
and harvest shrimp and crab to make a decent living for themselves.
Today, the land is pancake-flat, and after a heavy downpour the
dry, cracked soil turns to rusty-coloured mud. Most farmers left
during the Viet Nam war because chemicals were sprayed on the land
by US forces, killing the mangroves and polluting the water. After
the war, the mangroves grew back, but as more farmers returned,
they cut down more trees, and after a few years, the land was barren
again and the shrimp began to die. Many of the farmers knew that
they needed to conserve the mangroves if they were going to be able
to harvest shrimp again, but because they were so poor, mangrove
was often their only source of firewood and income.
This is where Oxfam came in. Farmers were paid to plant mangrove
saplings close to their homes, giving them an incentive not to cut
them down. "I look after ten hectares of land," said Mr
Khang, who now raises crab to support his family. "Oxfam paid
me 100,000 VND (£4.00) to plant mangrove seedlings. I take care
of them, water them, and plant them out when they are big enough."
Introduction
|| History ||
Geography & Environment
People & Society
|| Factfile || Oxfam
in Viet Nam
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