Forest land allocation to Co Tu ethnic group in Ca Dy commune, Nam Giang, Quang Nam

Abstract

Forest Land Allocation to the ethnic minorities is an essential policy of the Vietnamese Government to support these people to improve their livelihoods and alleviate poverty. The data comprise the primary data from direct interviews with 40 households and three officials at the study site and relevant secondary data. The results indicate that from 2016 to 2019, 1,392.70 ha of forestry land was allocated to 365 households for economic development, accounting for 9.72% of the commune’s total forestry land area. With the allocated forest land, Co Tu people had more means for production; therefore, more jobs and income were created, and the livelihood of the local households was improved markedly. The positive results, from the economic, environmental, and social aspects after implementation, show the necessity and suitability of the forest land allocation policy in Ca Dy commune. Some difficulties in the implementation process, arising from the allocation policy itself or the local management ability, were also pointed out in the study. Several measures were proposed to boost the effectiveness of the policy implementation.