Effect of Land Acquisition and Compensation on the Livelihoods of People in Quang Ninh District, Quang Binh Province: Labor and Income

Tran Tuan NGUYEN,Tien Long NGUYEN,Gábor HEGEDŰS

doi:10.3390/land8060091

Abstract

Researchers and development practitioners have an interest in the relationship between land and rural livelihoods. In this context, agricultural land is being increasingly lost because of developing industrialization in the provinces of Vietnam. The livelihoods of people, whose land is appropriated, are affected. Therefore, this article investigates the impact of land acquisition and compensation on the labor and income of people when the State acquires their land to construct Industrial park projects. For the research methods, secondary data from select governmental agencies were gathered, and 50 households were interviewed to collect primary data. The results of this research indicated that although household livelihoods have been reconstructed after land acquisition, many issues are also emerging that may challenge equitable and sustainable development. These include a high proportion of households with insufficient employment, as well as those that are spending compensation money in ways that do not generate income.

Highlights

Land is the main means of livelihood in any agricultural economy [1]
From the viewpoint of rural supporters, land conversion has a negative impact, for example, the loss of agricultural land will lead to agricultural underemployment and waste of investment in irrigation infrastructure
Urban supporters agree that land conversion is a reasonable result of industrialization and modernization

Summary

Introduction

Land is the main means of livelihood in any agricultural economy [1]. Land conversion is a method where land is modified from agricultural to urban uses, and is a development that seems almost inevitable during periods of economic development and growth [2]. According to the Quang Binh Economic Zone Management Board, until 2017, industrial parks and economic zones of the province had attracted 94 projects, with a total registered capital of over 43,000 billion VND (nearly $1.8 billion USD), in which there were four projects with foreign investment with a total registration of $26 million USD [20]. With such a large demand, land acquisition for implementing these projects is inevitable.

Research Area

Methodology

Results and Discussion