Activities in Vietnam

Due to precipitous mountains and narrow plains, central Vietnam is an area prone to frequent landslides and floods. Additionally, in recent years, global climate change has caused extreme rainfalls and has changed the timing of the rainy season, severely affecting agriculture, animal husbandry and fish farming. This has thwarted efforts of poverty reduction for socially disadvantaged people, such as mountain ethnic minorities and people living on water. It is also the cause for economic stagnation and the degradation of environmental resources in the region.

In disaster-prone areas, it is necessary to go further than constructing dams and responding to disasters such as by providing emergency assistance only when the disasters strike – as practiced in the past. It is now realized that even the smallest efforts for disaster preparedness conducted on a daily basis is important and effective. These daily activities may include community participation to improve livelihood and being able of rebuild normal lives after disasters and community development activities that includes disaster preparedness activities. Following the suggestion from Kyoto University Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, JICA has decided to implement this grassroots technical cooperation project in cooperation with Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University.

The target areas for this project includes 3 geographical types which are mountainous, plain and coastal areas, located in the Bo River Basin of central Vietnam’s Thua Thien Hue Province. While reflecting the unique characteristics of each geographical area, the project engages in activities which cover wide range of issues shown below and provide environmental disaster management camps for children that also has a role at the community level.

With Bo River Basin as a case study, a practical system will be established to improve the disaster management capacity in the disaster-prone areas in central Vietnam and to improve the household economic situation of the local residents.

• Kyoto University Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies Asia Platform
  (Japanese/English)
• Hue University for Agriculture and Forestry (English)

Environmental disaster prevention camps for children		Farmers raising goats