Ethnic Minority Households Research Articles

Community-based tourism homestay model: a study in Lao Cai Province, Vietnam

Since the development of homestays, the lives of people in the villages offering this service have significantly improved. Ethnic minorities have recognized the importance of their cultural heritage in the process of tourism development in their villages. Several new community-based tourism sites, such as Ta Van Chu (Bac Ha district), Cat Cat (Sa Pa town), and Cao Son (Muong Khuong district), have been established and proven effective. On average, the number of tourists visiting Lao Cai province exceeds one million each year. Besides generating income, the homestay model has created an environment for the revival and development of certain traditional crafts of ethnic minorities in Lao Cai. Many national and international organizations have helped localities in the province to "revitalize" some traditional industries. For example, Craft Link has supported the Dao ethnic people (Ta Phin commune) and the Mong ethnic people (Hoang Lien commune, Sa Pa town) in developing the Brocade Club, creating jobs for nearly 100 Mong and Dao women. The International Labour Organization, in collaboration with the Vietnam Institute for Rural Crafts Development, has supported the establishment of five pilot craft models serving tourism in Sa Pa, providing direct employment for over 100 ethnic minority households. Keywords: Homestay, Community-based tourism, Tourism.

The contribution of livelihood diversification activities to poverty reduction of ethnic minority households: A case study in Son La Province, Vietnam

The contribution of livelihood diversification activities to poverty reduction of ethnic minority households: A case study in Son La Province, Vietnam

Improving Human Capital to Support Ethnic Minority Families: The Case of Thanh Hoa, Vietnam

Abstract This study analyses the current situation and solutions for supporting minority ethnic households in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam, in improving their sustainable poverty alleviation capacity, by interviewing 3,400 representatives from poor and poverty-alleviated households of six ethnic minorities (Thai, Tho, Muong, Hmong, Dao, and Khmu) in Thanh Hoa province. The statistical results describe the number of laborers in the households, the educational level of the head of the household, health capacity, skills, labor production experience of the households, capital mobilization capabilities for business, and proposed solutions for enhancing human capital to leverage sustainable poverty. Minority ethnic households need to participate in training and vocational programs to improve their educational level, knowledge, understanding, and skills to enhance their sustainable poverty alleviation capacity.

Multidimensional poverty of ethnic minority households: A case study in A Luoi district, Thua Thien Hue province

“Poverty” is widely known as a multifaceted concept and could be evaluated using multidimensional measurements. In Vietnam, there is still too little research conducted at the micro level in villages, communes, and households. This study explored multidimensional poverty in ethnic minority communities in the Central region of Vietnam. Based on the result of the survey of 221 ethnic minority farmers in A Luoi district, Thua Thien Hue province, this study applied the Alkire-Foster method to measure the multidimensional poverty of farmers through 11 indicators of 6 aspects of poverty, including income, education, health care, housing, living standard, and information access. The results showed that about 39.82% of households are in multidimensional poverty. The degree of deprivation in the 6 poverty dimensions was not consistent, with a large proportion of shortages related to income (72.64%), housing area (6.04%), and adult education (6%). Using the Binary Logistic Regression model showed that 8 factors affect the multidimensional poverty of ethnic minority households, including family size, farm size, number of livestock, irrigation, diverse farm income sources, diverse non-farm income sources, distance to central markets, and number of adverse external influences. Critical recommendations from the study to reduce multidimensional poverty of ethnic minority households include: diversifying livelihood activities for households, both non-farm and on-farm, with a greater focus on livestock; maintaining and developing good agricultural production land, including investment in irrigation and mechanisation of production; strengthening support for farmers to access the market...

Results of the implementation of social assistance policies for ethnic minority migrant families in Lai Chau province

The Fifth Central Executive Committee Meeting of the Eleventh Tenure on Several Social Policy Issues for the Period 2012 – 2020 claimed that “For many years, our Party and State have always paid attention to constructing and organizing the implementation of social policies, considering them not only objective but also driving forces for sustainable development and stable political and social conditions”. The view point at the conference emphasized that “Ensuring social security is a regular and mandatory task of the Party, the State, the entire political system, and society as a whole.”, especially for the ethnic minorities migrating from poor and disadvantaged areas. The article discusses the results of implementing social assistance policies for ethnic minority migrant families in Lai Chau province. The content of the article reflects that Lai Chau has an undeveloped economy, with outdated customs still prevailing, and many ethnic minority households continue to face difficulties. The reasons for migration among ethnic minority people are primarily due to a lack of farming land and challenging living conditions, leading to migration with family members

Factors affecting incomes of ethnic minority households: a case study in Khanh Vinh district, Khanh Hoa province

This study aims to determine factors affecting incomes of poor ethnic minority households in the Khanh Vinh district, Khanh Hoa province. Through survey data of ethnic minority households in Khanh Vinh district, this study used an econometric model to analyze the influence of factors on the incomes of ethnic minority households in the area. The research results found that the factors having the impact on the incomes of ethnic minority households in this area include: ethnic characteristics, household size, number of livelihood activities, leisure time during the year, and time to access productive land. The results of this study provide more empirical evidence in the study on factors affecting the income of ethnic minority households in Vietnam in general and in Khanh Hoa province in particular. By detailed analysis the factors affecting the income of ethnic minority households in Khanh Vinh district, Khanh Hoa province, the study enriches the literature on poverty and livelihoods in ethinic minority household’s community and provides useful information for policymakers and practitioners in designing effective programs to improve household incomes and develop sustainable livelihoods for ethnic minority households in this area.

Insight into the Multidimensional Poverty of the Mountainous Ethnic Minorities in Central Vietnam

Eliminating extreme poverty and reducing poverty levels among marginalized groups are essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Despite broad national-level studies on multidimensional poverty, there is a lack of specific research focusing on marginalized groups, particularly ethnic minorities. This study aims to identify the multidimensional poverty status and determinants of poverty among ethnic farmers in Thua Thien Hue province, Central Vietnam, based on a survey of 283 respondents. The Alkire–Foster method was utilized to measure multidimensional poverty, and a binary logistic regression model was applied to identify the determinants of multidimensional poverty among farmers. The results showed that about 33.57% of households are in multidimensional poverty. The deprivation in the six poverty dimensions was inconsistent, with income at 68.23%, education and health at 9.69%, housing at 7.19%, information access at 3.65%, and living conditions at 1.56%. Nine factors significantly affect the multidimensional poverty of ethnic minority households, including the age of household heads, family size, number of shocks, labor, farm size, tropical livestock units (TLUs), customers, traded input values, and training participation. Diversifying livelihood activities, building the infrastructure system to have closer access to central markets and main roads, and enhancing the capacity of farmers to cope with shocks are necessary solutions to reduce the multidimensional poverty of ethnic minorities in Central Vietnam.

Reframing Climate Change Resilience: An Intersectional Perspective of Ethnicity and Gender from Vietnam

This study breaks away from traditional macroeconomic-data-based research that often overlooks the subjective experiences of communities and social groups in assessing their resilience to external stressors. Instead, we conducted a nuanced analysis of self-assessments provided by 364 household heads in the Nam Dong District, Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam, to gain a comprehensive understanding of household resilience. Our investigation focused on two upland communities—the Kinh majority and Co Tu ethnic minority households—evaluating their resilience levels in terms of the five livelihood capitals and identifying significant disparities among different ethnic and gender groups. Our findings reveal notable differences in livelihood resilience to climate change and variability among these groups, particularly for women, the poor, and ethnic minorities who exhibit lower resilience levels. This underscores the need for policies and programs designed to improve resilience capacity while taking into account these groups’ cultural and social norms. We suggest focusing on improving financial, human, and social capitals to increase households’ resilience to external shocks. Specifically, building resilience for disadvantaged groups must go hand in hand with promoting their overall well-being and alleviating poverty. Additionally, we recommend tailored training programs to raise awareness among households and strengthening institutional systems to enhance overall resilience.

Inter-ethnic differences in self-reported alcohol-related harm to children in Han vs. Yi ethnic minority households in Yunnan Province, China

China is a multi-ethnic country, but inter-ethnic disparities in alcohol-related harm to children have not been described. In this study, we assessed differences in prevalence of self-reported alcohol-related harm to children in Yi and Han households in Chuxiong Yi Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. We conducted a cross-sectional study among caregivers in households with a child age less than 18 years using structured questionnaire interview. Participants included 241 Yi caregivers and 610 Han caregivers (overall refusal rate = 1.1%). Heavy drinking was more common in Yi households than Han households (41.9% vs. 30.8%, respectively), but there was no difference in alcohol-related harm to children (21.2% vs. 17.9%; Adjusted OR = 0.98; 95% CI = 0.65, 1.46). Caveats such as social desirability in reporting sensitive issues and the cross-sectional study design should be considered in the interpretation of the study findings.

Adaptation Strategies and Livelihood Vulnerability of Ethnic Minorities in Vietnam: A Case of the Khmer Community in Mekong Delta

This study investigates the impact of climate change adaptation strategies on the livelihood vulnerability of ethnic minority households in Vietnam, specifically the Khmer people in the Mekong River Delta. Research data were collected from 426 Khmer farming households in three provinces—namely Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, and Kien Giang—which comprise the largest Khmer population. Vulnerability is measured using the Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) with weights based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The results show that Khmer households have a moderate level of vulnerability, and that Khmer households in Tra Vinh province have a significantly higher level of vulnerability than the other two localities. Multivariate regression analysis reveals that adaptation strategies have a significant impact on reducing livelihood vulnerabilities. Moreover, results highlight the relationship of the livelihood vulnerability level to factors such as education level of household head, gender of household head, household's land area, household labor force, dependency ratio, poor household, housing status, agricultural and nonagricultural income, information access, social network access, local support policies, credit access, climatic shocks, and perception of climate change.

Tourism impacts of poverty alleviation on ethnic households: Comparing difference between Cham, Khmer, and Chinese ethnic households in An Giang province, Viet nam

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to compare the effects of tourism on poverty alleviation in minority households and to propose tourism development solutions to effectively reduce poverty for ethnic groups. This study surveyed ethnic households in An Giang Province, Vietnam, where the majority of Khmer, Cham, and Chinese households live in crowded conditions, and tourism was identified as an alternative means of poverty alleviation for the households. Theoretical framework: Different ethnic groups, according to Kyle et al. (2019), have different perspectives on tourism in general and ethnic neighborhood tourism. Academic research on poverty alleviation in tourism has advanced from concept to development model (Jin et al., 2019), influencing factors, and implementation path (Jin et al, 2019; Guo, 2020). Even if no jobs are created, investment in tourism infrastructure can connect villagers to the larger economy, which will benefit local agriculture. (Lor et all 2019, Hall, 2007; Li et al., 2016; Oraboune, 2008). Aside from focusing solely on household income and consumption, Sen (1999) emphasized the importance of addressing the problem of capability deprivations in any effort to reduce poverty. For this reason, household capacity must be taken into consideration when assessing poverty reduction among different households. According to Duong & Dung (2018) and Ngoc (2018), the factors influencing livelihoods include objective and subjective household factors, while Nui (2019) indicated that the choice of household livelihood strategy differs depending on the household's economic level. Farmers will face a wide range of influencing factors when implementing livelihood strategies, and as a result, the livelihood outcomes experienced by each farmer will differ, Tuan and Dung (2015). Based on the literature review and the situation in the study area, it is evident that comparative studies on the level of poverty reduction among ethnic minority households have few research documents; therefore, the implementation of this study is insufficient. Design/methodology/approach: The research was done in Tinh Bien, Tri Ton, An Phu, Tan Chau, and Chau Doc, An Giang. This was chosen as the study site because ethnic households exist there, affecting tourism development. Fieldwork was done in 2021 and 2022. The second phase allowed for data verification and gap filling. In the first phase, the sampling technique evolved as the author became more familiar with case studies and could assess the number of persons to approach given time restrictions. Questionnaires were utilized to acquire data. The 390 samples of questionnaires were from Tinh Bien, Tri Ton, An Phu, Tan Chau, and Chau Doc by employing Taro Yamane's algorithm to determine the number of households to survey. Post hoc one-way ANOVA was conducted to compare the poverty reduction impact of tourism on three groups of households by assessment of the different demographic characteristics of the respondent. Findings: The findings reveal that the poverty reduction impact of tourism on ethnic households differs before and after tourism implementation; ethnic households feel the poverty reduction impacts more strongly after tourism development. When comparing the impact of poverty reduction on economics, access to essential social services, livelihoods, and socio-cultural factors, Khmer, Chinese, and Cham households have significantly lower levels of poverty. Meanwhile, tourism has a greater impact on poverty alleviation in Khmer households than it does in Cham households, and Chinese groups wield more power than Khmer groups. When comparing the Human, Social, Natural, Financial, and Institutional assets of three ethnic minority households to understand the causes of different poverty alleviation, the Chinese have the most of all five assets, followed by the Khmer, and finally the Cham. Research, Practical & Social implications: Tourism has provided an additional source of income for ethnic minority households in Vietnam, thereby reducing poverty, according to the study's findings. Despite this, the level of poverty reduction among ethnic minority households is contingent on the household's livelihood assets, which include human capital, social capital, natural capital, financial capital, and institutional capital. Due to a lack of education, professional tourism skills, and access to information technology, the human capital of ethnic minority households is limited. To enhance the efficacy of tourism development and alleviate poverty among ethnic minority households, it is necessary to improve means of subsistence. Originality/value: The results indicate that the number of publications is growing, and the management and business area is the one that contributes the most, with the countries that produce in co-authorship also providing the most publications.

The child education and health ethnic inequality consequences of climate shocks in Vietnam

This paper provides a new explanation for ethnic disparities in education and health in Vietnam by studying the relationship between frequent, small-scale adverse rainfall shocks and child human capital. Exploiting plausibly random year-to-year variation in weather data that are linked to a longitudinal household- and individual-level dataset over the period 2008–2017, I find that excess rainfall during the annual typhoon season results in lower child subjective health status and school enrollment, with disproportionate effects on children of ethnic minorities. The negative lagged effects on education are concentrated in children at primary school start age, suggesting delaying children’s school entry is a shock–coping strategy for poor ethnic minority households, albeit with potentially big negative long-run effect on their child lifetime earnings. Estimates suggest that rainfall shocks can explain approximately 28% of the observed ethnic gap in enrollment rates of children age 16–18 in the sample during the study period, and most is due to heterogeneous effects of rainfall shocks among ethnic groups, not differences in exposure to rainfall shocks.

Solar adoption inequality in the U.S.: Trend, magnitude, and solar justice policies

With the rapid diffusion of solar photovoltaic systems in the U.S., there is a growing concern about justice and equity issues in the technology deployment process. Previous studies found that low-income and minority households are less likely to install solar PV systems, indicating that these households would miss the opportunities to benefit from low-cost and independent solar energy systems and government financial incentives. This study shows that while households in Asian-, Black-, and Hispanic-majority census tracts installed fewer solar PV systems than those in White-majority census tracts across all income bins, racial and ethnic disparities in residential solar deployment have been reduced from 2012 to 2019 at the census tract level. It indicates that racial and ethnic minority households are more exposed to solar within their neighborhoods. We also find that utility- and local-level solar justice policies are positively associated with solar adoptions by low-income households, but the positive policy impact is not statistically significant for Black-majority census tracts.

Comparing the Receipt of Social Assistance in Urban and Rural China and the Role of Ethnicity

This article compares receipt of dibao social assistance in rural and urban areas of China using household data from seven province-level units. The probability of dibao receipt is positively related to the number of persons in the household who are older, adults who do not work and to the possibility that the head of household is in poor health. Means testing based on household income is more stringent in urban areas while low household wealth is a more important factor of dibao receipt in rural areas. In rural China, membership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) increases the probability of dibao receipt. A larger proportion of ethnic minority households than majority households receive dibao.

Rural income growth, ethnic differences, and household cooking fuel choice: Evidence from China

This paper investigates the associations between rural income growth, ethnic differences, and household cooking fuel choice, using the 2016 China Labor-force Dynamics Survey data. We consider the presence of fuel-stacking behavior (using multiple fuels) among survey households and categorize cooking fuels into clean fuels, non-clean fuels, and mixed fuels. Data collected from 6461 rural households are estimated using a multinomial logit model. Findings suggest that relative to households at the lowest income quintile 1, those at the income quintiles 2–5 are more likely to use clean fuels but are less likely to use non-clean fuels for cooking, and the magnitudes of the effects increase across the income quintiles. Compared with the majority Han Chinese households, ethnic minority households are more likely to use mixed fuels but are less likely to use clean fuels for cooking. Only those ethnic minority households at the highest income level (quintile 5) appear to be more likely to use clean cooking fuels.

Comparing Receipt of Social Assistance in Urban and Rural China and the Role of Ethnicity

Dibao receipt in rural and in urban areas of China is contrasted using household data from seven province-level units. The probability of Dibao-receipt is positively related to how many persons in the household who are older, adults who do not work, and if the household head is not healthy. Means testing of household income is more stringent in urban areas while low household wealth is more important for Dibao-receipt in rural areas. In rural China, membership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) increases the probability of Dibao receipt. A larger proportion ethnic minority households than majority households receive Dibao.

Who Lost Most Wages and Household Income during the COVID‐19 Pandemic in Poor Rural China?

China managed to eliminate all extreme poverty in rural areas in 2020. Poor households, however, may risk falling back into poverty due to the COVID‐19. This paper examines the impacts of the pandemic on wages and household incomes among different groups in poor areas of rural China. Using a unique dataset from five poverty‐stricken counties, we found that the pandemic has had large negative effects on wage income for migrant workers and workers in manufacturing, the private sector, and small enterprises. Compared with households relying on wage income, households relying on small businesses have suffered much more from the pandemic, whereas households depending on farming or transfer payments have been less affected. Although poor and ethnic minority households lost significant amounts of wage income due to the pandemic, they did not lose more household income than nonpoor and nonminority households. We conclude that support from the government has kept vulnerable households from suffering more than other households from the effects of COVID‐19. Our findings suggest that the government can play a strong role in alleviating the negative impacts of the COVID‐19.

Multidimensionl Poverty and The Role of Social Capital in Poverty Alleviation Among Ethnic Groups in Rural Vietnam: A Multilevel Analysis.

This paper empirically examines the disparities over time across six dimensions of poverty (monetary, education, health, housing, basic services, and durable assets) between ethnic minority and majority households in rural Vietnam. Using the five-wave panel data of the Vietnam Access to Resources Household Survey (VARHS) 2008–2016, we observe improvements in most non-monetary dimensions of poverty for both ethnic groups, while the monetary dimension shows the highest degrees of deprivation and the lowest rate of decrease during the studied period. Health is the only dimension in which ethnic minority households are not only better off than those of majority households during the studied period, but also report improvement. We further explore the role of social capital in ethnic minorities and non-minorities at household and community levels in multiple dimensions of poverty by employing multilevel models. Our study reports the significant effects social capital have at the community level on reducing poverty in the monetary, education, housing, and basic services dimensions for ethnic minorities, while social capital at the household level shows significant effects on monetary, basic services, and durable assets. These findings indicate that policy makers ought to consider the role of social capital when designing poverty alleviation strategies for the country.

Indigenous pig production and welfare of ultra-poor ethnic minority households in the Northern mountains of Vietnam

Eliminating ultra-poverty has received particular attention of policymakers and scholars. The ultra-poor in mountainous regions often live on subsistence farming and natural resource extraction. One of the sustainable ways to support them is to find alternative livelihood options that reduce natural resource extraction and increase household income. During the last decades, Vietnam has reduced its poverty significantly. However, the ultra-poor still exist especially among ethnic minority groups in the northern mountains, increasing pressures on already degraded forest resources. This paper assessed the contribution of indigenous pig production to the welfare of ultra-poor ethnic minority households using the propensity score matching method and identified the factors affecting indigenous pig production using generalized Poisson, negative binomial and binary logistic regression models. The analysis was based on the data of 495 rural households surveyed in 2019. Results showed that (1) indigenous pig production had significant and positive effects on household income of and multidimensional poverty reduction among ultra-poor ethnic minority households and (2) the factors positively affecting indigenous pig production are access to credits, number of motorbikes, government support under the poverty reduction programs, road type at the villages, and irrigation systems, while the effects of distance from home to the nearest agricultural input shops and access to the national electricity are negative. We suggest the government to continue improving irrigation systems, road conditions and access to national electricity grids in this mountainous region.

The impact of land fragmentation on food security in the North Central Coast, Vietnam

AbstractWhile the effect of land fragmentation on farm efficiency and production diversification in Vietnam has been well established, no evidence exists for its effect on household food security. Using a unique dataset from household surveys in combination with micro‐econometric models, the current study examines the impact of land fragmentation on food security in the poorest districts of Vietnam’s North Central Coast. Even after controlling for other factors in the models, we provide the first evidence that in Vietnam, ethnic minority households whose land holdings are fragmented are more likely to suffer from food insecurity. A higher likelihood of achieving food security is found for households whose members have better education and non‐farm self‐employment. The findings suggest that land policies that encourage land consolidation and improve the access of ethnic minorities to better education and non‐farm self‐employment would help them improve their food security. Such policies should be promoted in the study area.