Why is land use what is it? Northwest Vietnam (Dien Bien, Son La, Yen Bai)

Dien Bien, Son La and Yen Bai provinces are located in the mountainous Northwestern part of Vietnam. These total land area is covers about 3 million ha and has a population of about 2.4 million. According to statistical data in the year 2013, the tree cover account for 45% of total area and 14% is the area of agricultural cultivation. In general, mono-cropping and shifting cultivation are practiced in the three provinces. Maize is a main crop in slopping land. In 2013, maize was cultivated in more than 200 thousand ha (50% of agriculture land) with average yield of about 2.8 ton ha-1. The mono-crop cultivation in the sloping land has been identified as a cause of soil erosion, which related to soil degradation, low crop yield and water scarcity during the dry season.