Organisational Baseline Study: Overview report for Ma CSV, Vietnam (VN01)

According to the data provided by Yen Bai Statistics Department (YSD), the total area of Yen Bai about 668,628 ha, of which 87.5% (585,089 ha) are agricultural land. Most of the province’s agricultural lands are sloping. The province shares the common features of the North-western Vietnam: terrain is complicated and are strongly fragmented by mountain and stream systems; climate is tropical and with different climatic sub- regions. Over 70% of the population (over 70%) are agricultural. Yen Binh district locates in the south of Yen Bai province, with the total area of 77,262 ha, and is diverse and rich in natural resources. Having diverse agricultural production activities (including crop, livestock, aquaculture and forestry) and sharing the common features with the province, Ma village has been facing important challenges caused by natural resource degradation, environmental pollution and climate variability. On the other hand, there are also great potentials for this village to develop sustainable and climate smart livelihoods and agriculture. Ma village, Vinh Kien commune, Yen Binh district, Yen Bai province has therefore been selected to be a site for building Climate Smart Villages (CSV) under the CGIAR Program “Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). An organization baseline survey, was therefore conducted as part of the baseline effort for this village, which consists of three components – household survey, village study and organizational survey. The objectives of this organization baseline study (OBS) include: - Provide indicators to allow us to monitor changes in behaviours and practices of relevant local organizations over time; - Understand the current status of provision of information/services at the local level that informs farmers’ decision making about their livelihood strategies in response to climate change. To gather necessary information, we conducted survey of organizations of which activities covered a wide range in all the aspects: natural resources management, environment and climate change, agricultural production, agricultural product processing and input supplying. The list of these organization is presented in Table 1

Situation Analysis and Needs Assessment Report for Ma Village and Yan Bai Province, Vietnam

Ma village is one of the 15 villages of Vinh Kien commune, Yen Binh district, Yen Bai province in the northern mountainous region of Viet Nam. Ma village was selected as a site for the Climate Smart Village (CSV) development under the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). It has a topography, landscape and climate conditions representing most in the region and faces increasing challenges caused by climate variability, natural resources degradation, and environmental pollution. The village’s current production systems have low sustainability and profits. Maize and cassava are largely produced in dominant monoculture systems on sloping lands representing most of the village’s total arable lands, while rice is planted in a small area. Slash and burn practices are used largely in sloping lands, while unbalanced fertilizer levels (often with too much nitrogen) are applied for all the crops, and integrated pest management is yet to be promoted. All these have caused high intensity soil erosion, land degradation, and GHG emission. In addition, improper waste management, particularly from cassava, has resulted in severe water pollution in all river and lake systems. Organizations are present to support Ma village and the province in the areas of agriculture, forestry, food security, and climate change adaptation and mitigation. However, coordination between organizations remains poor. The local systems currently do not have the capacity to solve the multiple problems in the village. Human and financial resources. Inadequate. Support from CCAFS in important to help the village address the increasing problems caused by climate change, water pollution, soil erosion, and land degradation

Public health services use in a mountainous area, Vietnam: implications for health for policy.

AIMS: The aim of this study is to describe the use of public health services in different social and ethnic groups and to explore the implementation of user fee exemption in a mountainous area in Vietnam. METHODS: A cross-sectional household survey with a structured questionnaire and a four-week diary were used to collect information on illnesses, health seeking behaviour and socioeconomic factors. Three communes in a mountainous district in Northern Vietnam were selected and a random sample of 1,452 individuals in 300 households was drawn. RESULTS: Self-medication was most common (57%) while 30% used public health services when suffering from a health problem. Persons living far from health services attended public health services less frequently than the others (adjusted OR = 0.28; 95% CI 0.15-0.51). This was especially the case for ethnic minorities who were less likely to use public health services than the others were (adjusted OR = 0.47; 95% CI 0.25-0.87). Persons with mild conditions tended to use public health services less than those with more severe conditions (OR = 0.19; 95% CI 0.10-0.37). Health services use was similar among women and men, but the total expenditure per visit was higher for men. Almost no patients supposed to get free attendance had been exempted from user fees. CONCLUSIONS: It was found that there was a geographical inequity in use of public health services while there was relatively equal use of these services between social, gender, and ethnic groups. Long distance in combination with failure of the fee exemption may increase inequity in use of health services in remote and isolated areas. These observations contribute to the basis for implementation of the Vietnamese health policy, emphasizing efficiency and equity

Modelling the Hygrothermal Behaviour of Hemp Concrete: From Material to Building

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