fields at a greater distance from homesteads possessed a younger cropping history
with higher yield potential, when compared to fields closer to homesteads. The
scenario analysis confirmed this spatial trend. Remaining options for local land
managers lay in the change of current cropping practices or the abandonment of
fields for fallow, as also described by farmers in the participative discussions. In
that sense, farmers tended to amend the fallow period from a couple of months to
years.
7.4.3 Conclusion
The study presented here shows that a change to the current cropping practices in
Chieng Khoi commune is urgently needed, as environmental degradation will
adversely affect the livelihoods of farmers and will be increasingly difficult to
reverse. Yet this problem has a much broader regional dimension, as this case study
represents a typical example of the regional challenges faced by both the north-west
mountainous provinces of Vietnam and also other, similar areas in Southeast Asia.
7.5 Methods Used to Monitor Soil Conservation with Respect
to Soil Degradation: Science and Farmer-Based Approaches
During the past few years, various studies of SCT and soil degradation have been
carried out within the sloping environments of northern Thailand and northern
Vietnam (i.e., Dung et al. 2008; Pansak et al. 2007, 2008).
4 A common feature of
these studies has been the use of run-off plots to estimate the amount of soil erosion
occurring under different cropping regimes and also SCT (see also Sect. 7.2). Given
the emergence of global challenges such as climate change, such field trials have
the advantage of being able to produce information on the quantity and quality of
soil loss under different farming practices, information which can be used to
develop policy recommendations on land use planning (Blanco and Lal 2008).
Despite the advantages from a researcher’s point of view, homogenous
measurement plots do not well represent the often very heterogeneous agricultural
fields in mountainous Southeast Asia. The resulting epistemic uncertainty in environmental assessments calls for participatory and context-sensitive research to be
carried out (Lippe et al. 2011; Neef et al. 2006). Participatory research can
incorporate local knowledge and local stakeholders’ perspectives into sciencebased approaches, enhancing the opportunity to jointly identify solutions to environmental problems such as soil degradation. From this viewpoint, participatory
approaches can serve as a bridge between research and farmer-based approaches,
4 This section was written by Melvin Lippe and Thomas Hilger.
7 Soil Conservation on Sloping Land: Technical Options and Adoption Constraints
251
with higher yield potential, when compared to fields closer to homesteads. The
scenario analysis confirmed this spatial trend. Remaining options for local land
managers lay in the change of current cropping practices or the abandonment of
fields for fallow, as also described by farmers in the participative discussions. In
that sense, farmers tended to amend the fallow period from a couple of months to
years.
7.4.3 Conclusion
The study presented here shows that a change to the current cropping practices in
Chieng Khoi commune is urgently needed, as environmental degradation will
adversely affect the livelihoods of farmers and will be increasingly difficult to
reverse. Yet this problem has a much broader regional dimension, as this case study
represents a typical example of the regional challenges faced by both the north-west
mountainous provinces of Vietnam and also other, similar areas in Southeast Asia.
7.5 Methods Used to Monitor Soil Conservation with Respect
to Soil Degradation: Science and Farmer-Based Approaches
During the past few years, various studies of SCT and soil degradation have been
carried out within the sloping environments of northern Thailand and northern
Vietnam (i.e., Dung et al. 2008; Pansak et al. 2007, 2008).
4 A common feature of
these studies has been the use of run-off plots to estimate the amount of soil erosion
occurring under different cropping regimes and also SCT (see also Sect. 7.2). Given
the emergence of global challenges such as climate change, such field trials have
the advantage of being able to produce information on the quantity and quality of
soil loss under different farming practices, information which can be used to
develop policy recommendations on land use planning (Blanco and Lal 2008).
Despite the advantages from a researcher’s point of view, homogenous
measurement plots do not well represent the often very heterogeneous agricultural
fields in mountainous Southeast Asia. The resulting epistemic uncertainty in environmental assessments calls for participatory and context-sensitive research to be
carried out (Lippe et al. 2011; Neef et al. 2006). Participatory research can
incorporate local knowledge and local stakeholders’ perspectives into sciencebased approaches, enhancing the opportunity to jointly identify solutions to environmental problems such as soil degradation. From this viewpoint, participatory
approaches can serve as a bridge between research and farmer-based approaches,
4 This section was written by Melvin Lippe and Thomas Hilger.
7 Soil Conservation on Sloping Land: Technical Options and Adoption Constraints
251