The International Geographical Union's Commission on Land Degradation (COMLAND) and Nong Lam University (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) are pleased to co-sponsor a Workshop/Study Tour on
LAND DEGRADATION AND POVERTY
in Vietnam, April 18-29, 2005
The co-coordinators of the event are Dr. Tran Dac Dan (Nong Lam University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) and Dr. Steffanie Scott (University of Waterloo, Canada).
Format
The workshop/study tour will last 10 days, and will include one day of paper presentations at Nong Lam University in Ho Chi Minh City, and excursions to selected field sites in the Central Highlands and Mekong Delta of southern Vietnam.
Themes
This event is expected to attract geographers and others from related fields. Emphasis (in papers and study tour excursions) will be given to the interactions of human and biophysical aspects of land degradation and environmental change, as they shape and are shaped by processes of poverty. This links to a range of issues, including:
- sustainable livelihoods and protection of soil and water resources
- institutional change, property rights, resource conflicts, agricultural
decollectivization, aquaculture development, environmental histories
- pressures of tourism and urban development affecting land degradation
- university, government, and community actions to address land degradation
problems
- ethnic and gender dimensions of land use practices and land degradation
- environmental decision-making
- GIS applications in land degradation research
Participants are welcome to present papers on other aspects of land degradation not linked directly to poverty or to Vietnam.
For more information contact:
Ms. Hoang Thi Thuy, International Relations Office,
Nong Lam University of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam,
htthuy@hcmuaf.edu.vn
Dr. Tran Dac Dan, Dept of Rural Development,
Nong Lam University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam,
tddan@hcm.ftp.vn
Dr. Steffanie Scott, Dept of Geography,
University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada,
sdscott@fes.uwaterloo.ca
IGU Commission on Land Degradation and Desertification
http://www.comland-commission.com/
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STUDY TOUR ON LAND DEGRADATION AND POVERTY IN VIETNAM
APRIL 18-29, 2005
NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: approximately 40 persons, including:
- 20-30 international participants, coming from several countries or subjects of interest. These participants have to pay registration fee (as indicated in the Term of registration fee).
- 20 ASEAN participants. These people include Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian scholars and practitioners, who are working on related issues, and interested in contributing to future development research and efforts. Fund for these participants will be supported from IGU. The workshop will be advertised in ASEAN countries through IGU networks and through the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO).
TIME OF THE STUDY TOUR
This study tour is designed to take 10 days (excluding the arrival and departure days) in early May 2005. These include attending the workshop hosted by Nong Lam University (NLU), excursions to selected field sites in the Central Highlands and Mekong Delta. The tentative program is described as follow:
TENTATIVE PROGRAM
Day 0: Arrival of participants. Check into hotel. Overnight at Bong Sen Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 1: At HCMC - NLU. We will spend half day for the welcome and overview, goals, and objectives of the workshop and study tour at. General information about the study sites. First session of paper presentations. In the afternoon, the participants will visit some of the landscapes in HCMC (including the beautiful neo-Romanesque Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office, the Opera Pagoda also known as "Saigon Concert Hall", the Reunification Palace and Ben Thanh Market) before attending to the welcome party on board at Sai Gon River.
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City to Phan Rang. We will take an interesting excursion to Phan Rang province. We will visit some fields along the street, which demonstrate the land degradation of the coastal area with some protected solution of local people/ government as planting casuarina to protect land against ocean windy. Overnight at hotel on Ninh Chu beach in Phan Rang Province.
Day 3: Phan Rang to Da Lat. We will depart northwest for Dalat (drive
300 kms/186 miles). Participants will have opportunities to see the
land degradation with a lot of bare hills, deforestation, erosion, etc.
Some traditional livelihood practices of local people would be introduced.
Check in hotel in Da lat city.
Day 4: Da Lat. We will spend one day excursion around Da Lat city,
it located on highland area. This is the very beautiful city with a
lot of flowers, beautiful landscape, especially the terraced fields
planting vegetables and highly impact for urbanization of the area.
However, the
over-use of chemical for vegetable and flower planting, hydrological
plan brings bad effects to the environment and livelihood activities
of local people for tourist and agricultural activities. Participants
will observe and analyze the problems, which will be discussed more
details in the mid-tour workshop. Overnight in Da Lat City.
Day 5: Da Lat - Ho Chi Minh City. We will depart Ho Chi Minh City through Lam Dong province through several mountain passes and hilly sections. The practices of slash and burn, deforestation and planting new kind of trees (such as coffee, cashew nut, etc.) without considering the environment and land protection .We also visit some green tea fields and the small tea production of local farmers. Overnight at Bong Sen Hotel, Ho Chi Minh city.
Day 6: HCMC. Full day workshop (paper presentations and discussion) at NLU. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 7: Depart to Ca Mau. We change to explore the different kinds of land degradation: land devolution, landslide, exhausted soil... in the Mekong Delta and wetland. Participant will see some poor nutrition areas. Overnight in Ca Mau province.
Day 8: Ca Mau. Participants will take excursion to coastal area of South Vietnam where we can see more in erosion process along the sea. It's a full day to explore on river and canal (both man made and natural) by canoes (Four participants per each canoe)
Day 9: Return Ho Chi Minh City by river. We will visit some river mouths that open to sea, with a lot of mangrove forests. The practices of aquaculture (raising fish in cage, shrimp ponds, etc.), here we can see more problems of environmental degradation.
Day 10: Summary of the study tour finding. Evaluation of the study tour. Discuss suggestions for future plans and collaboration. Free time.
Day 11: Depart Ho Chi Minh city. This morning we depart Vietnam with memories and future plan for research and development.
Note:
- Meals will be provided with Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Other personal expenses will be covered by participants themselves.
- Study tour information and plan is subject to change
- For international participants, the fee includes the cost of hotel accommodation, all meals, buses, canoes, lectures and guides, and facility entrance fees. The study tour is open to all interested persons, especially who work on the area of environment protection, development, poverty reduction
- Visa requirements: a visa to enter Vietnam may be required for citizens of other countries. Kindly consult your nearest Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate. The fastest way is sending NLU's staff your passport details and place you want to get your visa, we then sending you the visa code that can show to the Vietnamese Embassy to get your visa.
- The Vietnamese climate is hot and humid as a typical tropical country. Our climate provides us with comfortable warm and long daylight. The weather in South of Vietnam in July can be quite warm, reaching high of between 27 to 33oC, with some heavy rains that can cool down the weather somewhat.
CONTACT INFORMATION
International Relations Office
Nong Lam University of Ho Chi Minh City
Linh Trung Ward - Thu Duc District Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: +84.8.8966946 - 8961051
Fax: +84.8.8966946- 8960713
Email: sdscott@fes.uwaterloo.ca,
tddan@hcm.ftp.vn,
htthuy@hcmuaf.edu.vn,
ndthanh@hcmuaf.edu.vn
Website: http://www.hcmuaf.edu.vn