Agricultural Development Around Protected Areas in Vietnam: Agroecology Perspective

Agricultural development nearby protected areas is required to minimize negative impacts from uses of off-farm resources as well as improper activities on the ecosystem and ensure livelihood for local farming communities. This research aims at assessing agricultural management practices and outcomes toward agroecology of rice cultivation in the buffer zone of Xuan Thuy National Park. Data were gathered from ecosystem managers, communal authorities and 96 rice cultivators living in 14 villages adjacently to the park in 2017-2018. “Traffic light” approach developed by FAO was used as an analytical technique to evaluate and visualize the environmental sustainability of rice cultivation with three levels of desirable, acceptable and unsustainable. The assessment reveals that none of the environmental indicators achieved at sustainable including fertilizer management, soil fertility, pesticide management, biodiversity preservation, and water conservation. Therefore, agricultural development in this area is required to be scrutinized for improvements especially the overdependency on nitrogen fertilizers, improper application of pesticides, limited adoption of biodiversity-friendly practices as well as other environmentally-friendly practices. The research highlights the need of implementing agroecological approach and special regime for protected area buffer zone to strengthen environmental preservation.