AN INVESTIGATION OF LOCAL COMMUNITY EXPERIENCES ON THE IMPACTS OF EDIBLE CANNA CULTIVATION AND PRODUCTION IN CAO BANG PROVINCE

DOI: 10.18173/2354-1067.2023-0065

Tóm tắt

Vietnam is well-known for its agricultural production, a backbone of the country’s economy since Doi Moi in 1986 and even after the pandemic. Many areas have witnessed the positive impacts of poverty reduction and livelihood boosted by expanding the food crops areas nationwide. This study focuses on edible canna, one of the most preferred crops to local people in many provinces in the Northern Midlands and Mountainous region due to its suitable natural resources. While this highly productive crop has led to socio-economic improvement, it also entails to myriad of impacts on local. By applying the qualitative research method through 20 semi-structured in-depth interviews and field observations conducted in early September 2023, this paper analyzed the spectrum of impacts through the lens of local people in Nguyen Hue commune, Hoa An district, Cao Bang province. We show that apart from the widely known optimistic effects, the challenges of edible canna cultivation and production have emerged. Key questions addressed include: How does the local community maintain the earnings from edible canna production? How has the local community fared amidst the current situation as results show that branding and environmental issues have affected severely to the future of this crop? This paper contributes to debates on matter production of edible canna given the concern that this plant has its life cycle.