Abstract
The transboundary Mekong River is shared by six SE Asia countries (China, Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia, and Vietnam). In this paper the livelihoods of farmers and fishers of Lao PDR, Cambodia and Vietnam are examined to assess impacts of Mekong River development and modernization projects on the rural peoples of the Mekong River and Delta. A high proportion of the 190 million rural people of the Mekong basin are dependent on the diverse and abundant resources of the Mekong River and its tributaries for food security and basic necessities, livelihoods, and cultural identities. Although rice farming and fisheries occupations are primary income sources, many livelihoods involve a diversity of on-farm and off-farm activities. Agricultural specialization and intensification and hydropower dam construction on the Mekong main stem and tributaries are altering traditional rural patterns of household food security, income, and cultural ways of living at an increasingly rapid pace. Rural transformation projects must better assess how these modernization efforts change the ecology of the Mekong River and in turn affect the capacity of rural people to adapt in ways that ensure food security and improve household livelihoods. It will be critical that development efforts recognize, value, and invest in rural people’s roles in producing a stable, affordable food system and managing the integrity of river ecosystems upon which future prosperity depends. Interventions are needed to prevent degradation of the Mekong Basin soil and water resources from large-scale agricultural intensification, water diversion and overbuilding of hydropower dams which are threats to small-scale land holdings and farmers and fishers capacities to provide daily food for their own consumption and to feed SE Asia’s growing urban populations.
Highlights
Small-scale farmers and fishers of the Mekong River basin produce over 80% of the fish, rice, and vegetables of southeast (SE) Asia [1]
Rural transformation projects must better assess how these modernization efforts change the ecology of the Mekong River and in turn affect the capacity of rural people to adapt in ways that ensure food security and improve household livelihoods
We explore the connection Mekong farmers and fishers have with their water and soil resources; and how the geography and physical characteristics of the region affect livelihoods, income and food security, and shape cultural worldviews
Summary
Small-scale farmers and fishers of the Mekong River basin produce over 80% of the fish, rice, and vegetables of southeast (SE) Asia [1]. Much too frequently these projects leave rural people and their communities only marginally better off and often worse off [10] Many of these modernization and development efforts threaten the Mekong natural resource base and millions of small-scale farmers and fishers that are the underpinning of regional food systems and food security [1] [11]. The biophysical nature and diversity of the Mekong River Basin are presented in light of the resources they provide to rural people who live there This is followed by a discussion of two modernization efforts intended to bring economic prosperity to individual countries and the region: agricultural specialization and intensification and hydropower infrastructure. The impacts and potential solutions for mitigating the collision between modernization and rural livelihoods rooted in the natural environment and a culture that builds on past knowledge and experiences are discussed
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
