Trees and agroforestry for coping with extreme weather events: experiences from northern and central Viet Nam

Although tree-based farming systems are
often assumed to be “resilient” or “climate-smart”
options, adoption is limited. It could be that the
sensitivity of individual tree species to extreme
weather events is poorly documented or new systems
include unfamiliar species and technologies. This
paper reports on initial results of an evaluation of
farmers’ experiences with trees and crops for
responding to major climatic exposures in 21 villages
in northern and north-central Viet Nam. Our study
assessed the suitability and roles of trees by analyzing
data gathered through focus group discussions,
workshops and a survey of 661 households. The
results showed that a majority of households were
exposed annually to what they perceived as natural
hazards. Experiences with using trees for coping and
adaptation depended on household income status,
awareness and policies. In particular, farms with trees
had shorter recovery time after most types of natural
disasters, except for cold spells, demonstrating economic
and environmental buffers. Many leaders were
unfamiliar with agroforestry and mainly looking for
economies of scale, hence oriented to land use rather
than landscape planning. This indicates disconnects
between farmers’ needs and policymakers’ priorities
with respect to climate change adaptation strategies.
Existing agroforestry systems reflected a transition
from indigenous or current farming systems via
changing to either new species or technologies rather
than changing both at the same time. Gaps in current
adaptation strategies and key areas for policy and
research interventions are finally discussed.