17 March 2007
16 March 2007
16 March 2007
Today was perhaps one of the most challenging days we’ve had. With only one more week in Viet Nam we are working as hard as we can to get out and talk to grassroots people. We organized a van and guide for the whole day, again with the help of Mr Tu. In our discussions we made clear that we wanted to meet farmers away from the coast, people growing a mixture of forest trees, fruit trees, rice and other crops. Our guide didn’t grasp this initially so we started heading in the wrong direction. I sensed this and had to work hard to make clear what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go. By mid-morning we were driving along the banks of the Perfume River, which runs through Hue, towards the hills on the outskirts of the city.
Aside from having to work hard with our guide we were also very challenged by temperatures hitting nearly 40°C and very high humidity.
We managed to meet and talk to two groups of people. The first group was a family, whose land is alongside the main north-south highway. We spoke with Mr Nguyen Chap, his wife Mrs Nguyen Thi Cam, and their son Mr Nguyen Xuan Thoi. They have 6 children, with the one son (aged 23) living and working with them. This family has about 2 ha of land and grows a mixture of citrus trees and a small area of rice.
Mr Nguyen Chap, Mrs Nguyen Thi Cam, their son Mr Nguyen Xuan Thoi
The Nguyen family farm with forest behind
The second group was a small community, who were helping with house extensions for a community member. We interviewed Mr Pham Dung and his sister Mrs Nguyen Thi Quyet. Brother and sister both grow citrus, corn, peanuts and rice crops. The community also works together to plant forest on the slopes behind their houses, with support from the government.
Mrs Nguyen Thi Quyet and her brother Mr Pham Dung with Gavin … very hot even inside
Mid afternoon scenes on the Perfume River (above and below)
When we started out in Viet Nam I was told that the majority of Vietnamese farmers are poorly educated and ignorant of what is happening around them and in the world. This is an unfortunate perception held by too many people around the world who have little contact with farmers. Without much support in Viet Nam we have begun to focus more strongly on doing things ourselves, working with a guide to find people to talk to. Even our guide here initially had the view that it would be hard to find good thinking farmers, despite coming from a farming family. I think he has changed his point of view over the last couple of days.
The people we spoke to today, along with Mr Khoai yesterday, are experiencing hotter temperatures and more erratic weather. They read the paper and listen to the radio and know that what they are experiencing locally is connected to what is happening global. They understand the problem to be the result of deforestation and industrial development and release of greenhouse gases. These people may not be well educated but they are far from ignorant. We are consistently hearing these people talk about the need to be planting trees and protecting our water resources. They are doing the best that they can in their local environments.
Tomorrow we are catching the train to Ho Chi Minh City, a journey that will take about 18 ½ hours. We will be in HCM City on Sunday and are planning to head south to the Mekong Delta on Monday.
The people we spoke to today, along with Mr Khoai yesterday, are experiencing hotter temperatures and more erratic weather. They read the paper and listen to the radio and know that what they are experiencing locally is connected to what is happening global. They understand the problem to be the result of deforestation and industrial development and release of greenhouse gases. These people may not be well educated but they are far from ignorant. We are consistently hearing these people talk about the need to be planting trees and protecting our water resources. They are doing the best that they can in their local environments.
Tomorrow we are catching the train to Ho Chi Minh City, a journey that will take about 18 ½ hours. We will be in HCM City on Sunday and are planning to head south to the Mekong Delta on Monday.
A view across Mr Pham Dung’s farm to their community
Mid afternoon scenes on the Perfume River (above and below)
15 March 2007 Hue Viet Nam
A view of Hue from our hotel room
We managed to do a few things today, with mixed success. In the morning Mr Tu, our contact here in Hue, took us to a small community who are growing vegetables and flowers communally for the local market. It was interesting to see how this group of people is working together in a very positive way.
Watering the community garden in Hue
In the afternoon we hired a car and guide to take us out to the coast, about 15 km away. Our intention was to go to the beach and also hopefully meet and talk to some farmers along the way. The beach itself was a bit of a disappointment for the girls, who were hoping to go for a swim. There seemed to be a few cross currents and we weren’t sure enough about the quality of the water for swimming.
We drove back from the beach on the lookout for a couple of farmers to talk to. Our first stop proved to be unsuccessful. We then met Mr Khoai, from Thuan An Village. He has been growing rice since he was 13 years old, for 40 years now. Mr Khoai grows two rice crops, in the November to January period and in the March/April to May period. He has noticed temperatures getting higher and the weather in general becoming less reliable. The rainy season is tending to be more extreme, with more flooding problems and the dry season is often drier than in the past. His greatest challenge with the less predictable seasonal climate is the timing of his crops. He has to think more carefully about what varieties he grows and the timing of his production. Mr Khoai and other farmers in his village have observed these changes locally and are also aware of what is happening globally from watching television and reading the paper. He said the only solution for them locally is through seed selection and timing of production. His message to people was to keep the environment clean.
We drove back from the beach on the lookout for a couple of farmers to talk to. Our first stop proved to be unsuccessful. We then met Mr Khoai, from Thuan An Village. He has been growing rice since he was 13 years old, for 40 years now. Mr Khoai grows two rice crops, in the November to January period and in the March/April to May period. He has noticed temperatures getting higher and the weather in general becoming less reliable. The rainy season is tending to be more extreme, with more flooding problems and the dry season is often drier than in the past. His greatest challenge with the less predictable seasonal climate is the timing of his crops. He has to think more carefully about what varieties he grows and the timing of his production. Mr Khoai and other farmers in his village have observed these changes locally and are also aware of what is happening globally from watching television and reading the paper. He said the only solution for them locally is through seed selection and timing of production. His message to people was to keep the environment clean.
Mr Khoai talked about the challenge of less reliable weather patterns, which is making him think more carefully about seed selection and timing of his crop.
14 March 2007
14 March 2007
Yesterday morning we visited ‘The Museum of the Cultures of Vietnam’s Ethnic Groups’. After lunch we were headed back to Hanoi to organize our bags before catching the night train to Hue, in central Viet Nam. We arrived in Hue at 10.30 am today and since then have been working to organize things for the next two days. All going well we will be going out to talk to a local farmer tomorrow morning. We’ll see what else happens. On Saturday we are catching the train south to Ho Chi Minh City with a very strong focus on getting out onto the Mekong Delta next week.
From Lena in Hue
We arrived in Hue this morning on the night train from Hanoi; what an adventure we had, so much fun! Ali thought it might be a bit like on the Hogworts Express in the Harry Potter books, but it took longer than it takes them to reach Hogworts.
We haven't done much filming, yet, in Viet Nam because it's taken a while to get organized and try and connect with people. I think we're all feeling frustrated with this, but hopefully we can get some good footage in the rest of our time here.
When we were up in Thai Nguyen we met with Mao (a former student of Dad's) and her family - it was really nice to see them, especially Thuy Linh because we all remember when she celebrated her birthday at Grandma's place all those years ago.
Anyway, Mao took us to meet her in-laws and we all got to go traipsing up the hill behind their house, as her Father-in-law showed us various plants and trees; some with medicine/healing qualities. He was a real character and looked at all of our hands and told us what he could see; I can't repeat what he said though cos that would be telling too much. However, what I can tell you is he said Dad has good hands and people are going to listen to what he has to say.
He also gave Dad a ring with an engraved character on top which means 'Happy'; it's going to be Dad's good-luck charm. It was very emotional and special.
We also went and filmed their family, who were planting trees that day and Mum joined and helped them for a bit. After that we went and meet her Mother, who was very honoured that we visited her; she was a lovely lady.
The only downer on that day was seeing this huge open coal mine towering above all there rice paddie. It created a real scar on the beautiful landscape and this was really sad to see.
We haven't done much filming, yet, in Viet Nam because it's taken a while to get organized and try and connect with people. I think we're all feeling frustrated with this, but hopefully we can get some good footage in the rest of our time here.
When we were up in Thai Nguyen we met with Mao (a former student of Dad's) and her family - it was really nice to see them, especially Thuy Linh because we all remember when she celebrated her birthday at Grandma's place all those years ago.
Anyway, Mao took us to meet her in-laws and we all got to go traipsing up the hill behind their house, as her Father-in-law showed us various plants and trees; some with medicine/healing qualities. He was a real character and looked at all of our hands and told us what he could see; I can't repeat what he said though cos that would be telling too much. However, what I can tell you is he said Dad has good hands and people are going to listen to what he has to say.
He also gave Dad a ring with an engraved character on top which means 'Happy'; it's going to be Dad's good-luck charm. It was very emotional and special.
We also went and filmed their family, who were planting trees that day and Mum joined and helped them for a bit. After that we went and meet her Mother, who was very honoured that we visited her; she was a lovely lady.
The only downer on that day was seeing this huge open coal mine towering above all there rice paddie. It created a real scar on the beautiful landscape and this was really sad to see.
From Viet Nam 12 March 2007
Today we drove out to ….. Commune, one of the main green tea growing areas of Thai Nguyen Province. We went to meet with ………, leader of a group of 19 organic growers. These growers have moved to organic production because of health and environmental concerns from heavy use of pesticides in the area. The majority of the growers in this group are presently struggling with both lower yields and lower prices for their product, but are committed to staying organic because of their concerns. Mr ……. is aware that temperatures have been getting warmer, both locally and globally, and that weather patterns are becoming more erratic. However, these don’t seem to be major issues at present. Water is not a concern for them with many ponds in the area. These are fed from nearby Coc Lake, as part of an irrigation scheme. His focus is to build up the soil on his farm. He and others have already noted that the soil has considerably softened in the time that they have been in organic production. More immediate concerns of this group of growers are problems with an insect pest and marketing of their product. They are calling for support to assist them further in their efforts to both improve their local environment and make a reasonable living.
From Viet Nam 11 March 2007
At last, the sort of day I’ve been waiting for since we arrived in Viet Nam a week ago. Mao collected us at 8.30 am with the intention of taking us out to the main tea growing area near Thai Nguyen City. However, as we set out we were discussing options and she talked about her parents-in-law and mentioned that her extended family would be planting trees today. So we turned around and went there instead. It was the right choice. Mao’s home village and her in-laws village are next to each other. To get to both we drove past a massive open-cast mining operation. It was a real education for the girls to see first hand both one of principal sources of climate change (mining and burning of fossil fuels) and one of the principal solutions (planting trees, working and living harmoniously with the natural environment) in one place, in one day.
When we came to the home of Mao’s parents-in-law we were met, and very warmly welcomed, by a very sprightly, vibrant couple … Luu Chi Kien, 78 years and Nguyen Thi Xuyen, 72 years old. We had most of the day, so there was no rush. First was the welcoming ritual of green tea, and also a toast “Chuc Mung Nam Moi” of herb-infused rice wine to the New Year.
When we came to the home of Mao’s parents-in-law we were met, and very warmly welcomed, by a very sprightly, vibrant couple … Luu Chi Kien, 78 years and Nguyen Thi Xuyen, 72 years old. We had most of the day, so there was no rush. First was the welcoming ritual of green tea, and also a toast “Chuc Mung Nam Moi” of herb-infused rice wine to the New Year.
11 March 2007: Gavin and Karen with Luu Chi Kien and Nguyen Thi Xuyen
11 March 2007: Lena and Alice with Luu Chi Kien and Nguyen Thi Xuyen
It was very evident that here was a wise couple, people who have been farming the land since they were children and have seen many changes. We set up an interview in their home. They talked about the clearing of forest that happened in the 1960s. Temperatures have become warmer and they are not getting as much water as in the past. They have replanted the forest behind their home garden and are busy planting trees in other areas to protect precious water resources and keep local temperatures cooler. Their neighbours are doing the same. It is clear to them that humans are the source of the problems they are experiencing locally and that they are aware of globally. The solution is simple, to live more harmoniously with the natural environment.
Luu Chi Kien then took us for a walk through his forest and along the way shared his deep knowledge and wisdom about medicinal values of the many plants growing there. He is man full of energy, vitality, humour, compassion and much wisdom. It was a great honour to spend time with him.
After a very simple, delicious, lunch prepared in their farmhouse kitchen we walked along the country path to the place where the rest of the family were busy planting trees. The taxi that we had hired in the morning collected us from there and we drove back towards Mao’s village where we met her mother. It was wonderful to also meet her and unfortunate that we didn’t have more time.
Luu Chi Kien then took us for a walk through his forest and along the way shared his deep knowledge and wisdom about medicinal values of the many plants growing there. He is man full of energy, vitality, humour, compassion and much wisdom. It was a great honour to spend time with him.
After a very simple, delicious, lunch prepared in their farmhouse kitchen we walked along the country path to the place where the rest of the family were busy planting trees. The taxi that we had hired in the morning collected us from there and we drove back towards Mao’s village where we met her mother. It was wonderful to also meet her and unfortunate that we didn’t have more time.
13 March 2007
.jpg)
12 March 2007
11 March 2007
From Viet Nam 12 March 2007
Today we drove out to ….. Commune, one of the main green tea growing areas of Thai Nguyen Province. We went to meet with ………, leader of a group of 19 organic growers. These growers have moved to organic production because of health and environmental concerns from heavy use of pesticides in the area. The majority of the growers in this group are presently struggling with both lower yields and lower prices for their product, but are committed to staying organic because of their concerns. Mr ……. is aware that temperatures have been getting warmer, both locally and globally, and that weather patterns are becoming more erratic. However, these don’t seem to be major issues at present. Water is not a concern for them with many ponds in the area. These are fed from nearby Coc Lake, as part of an irrigation scheme. His focus is to build up the soil on his farm. He and others have already noted that the soil has considerably softened in the time that they have been in organic production. More immediate concerns of this group of growers are problems with an insect pest and marketing of their product. They are calling for support to assist them further in their efforts to both improve their local environment and make a reasonable living.
It is worth noting that many of the small farmers in Thai Nguyen Province are traditionally organic, as typified for example by the people in Mao’s home village and that of her husband.
It is worth noting that many of the small farmers in Thai Nguyen Province are traditionally organic, as typified for example by the people in Mao’s home village and that of her husband.
Sharing with the young
The wise Nguyen Thi Xuyen sharing with the young, planting trees for the future
Luu Chi Kien
Luu Chi Kien, a very wise man, imparting local knowledge about the medicinal value of the many plants in the forest, carrying a global perspective
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
