The Impact of Social and Cultural Factors on the Khmu’s Ways of Coping with Food Shortage

Abstract

The Khmu in Binh Son is a severely food-deprived community. Factors that contributed to prolonged food shortages among the community included eroded and nutrient poor soils, unfavorable climate, unpredictable natural disasters and failure to adopt advanced technology in highland agricultural production, along with expensive rituals and arbitrary spending habits, dependent and egalitarian mentality and over-reliance on external assistance, both from the government and charity organizations. Since poverty was widespread among all households, mutual support from family and clan members remained extremely limited. To increase their food supply, the Khmu had to collect forest products, seek part-time jobs and take high-interest loans. However, none of these proved to be a sustainable method, one that would help the community escape the vicious cycle of poverty. This study showed that human resource plays a key role in ensuring food security.