Altogether it is estimated that there are 24.3 million people living in Vietnam on and near forest lands, accounting for 30% of the country's population (Van Tien, 1991:13).
The importance of NWFPs on the domestic level cannot be overestimated. This particularly applies to the ±7.8 million people of rural ethnic minorities in Vietnam and the 1,8 million people of ethnic minorities in Laos, who make up 45% of the total population of Laos. Some ethnic groups (e.g. the Than and the Tai) spend up to 235 days per year on hunting and collecting forest products (Tran Van Nao, 1987). As is the case elsewhere in Southeast Asia, gathering, hunting, and fishing are all vital adjuncts of traditional forest farming. These activities, together with farming, form an integrated system of resource utilization. In rural households, NWFPs fulfil several functions. They provide food security, health care, materials for implements and construction, fodder, fuelwood, and income.
Food and fodder
Food from the forest, such as game, bamboo shoots, ferns, fruits and nuts, honey, and mushrooms, are consumed as side dishes and snacks. As such it provides a considerable supplement to agricultural crops. Various species of wild tubers, vegetables, and other forest foods are widely used as buffers against seasonal and emergency shortages. In many areas of Vietnam rural people rely entirely on the forest as the source of food and fodder for pigs and cattle for four months per year or more (Gammelgaard 1990:8, Tran Van Nao 1987:5).
The same phenomenon is reported in Laos. The provinces of Savanaketh and Sayaboury, for example, had a bad rice harvest for three consecutive years since 1987, because of droughts and pests. During this time most people relied on wild tubers and other forest food for about four months every year.
Health care
All over rural Indochina traditional practitioners represent the major medical facility which is available. A large part of the ingredients for traditional prescription originates from natural forest resources.
Construction and implements
In rural Indochina wood, rattan, palm and imperata leaves are used. Bamboo however, mainly from secondary forest, is a particularly important material. Houses, furniture, barns, fences and a whole range of implements are made of bamboo. It is appropriately called the poor man's timber (Rao 1991).
Fuelwood
In Vietnam an estimated 23 million tonnes of fuelwood are used annually. In rural areas, together with rice straw and other residues, it is the common fuel for cooking. In thinly populated areas which are still under closed forest cover, fuelwood collection is not considered a problem. In many other areas there is an acute scarcity of the product. In the rural areas of Laos fallen branches, litter, and dead wood are widely gathered from secondary forests and swidden fields to use as fuelwood. With its low population densities, Laos has no scarcity of fuelwood.
Income
As a source of income the sale of NWFPs, both in Vietnam and Laos, often exceeds income derived from the sale of agricultural products, such as rice. In some isolated provinces of Laos, NWFPs indeed do form practically the only source of income apart from opium.
For an example from north Vietnam, see the box below. A few other examples are discussed in the section on products (see also Van Tien, 1991).
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NWFPs in the local economy: an example from North Vietnam Food: almost all meals are supplemented by vegetables collected in the forest. The forest is thus an important supplier of vitamins and minerals. Three small children accompanying the researcher during the walk came up with four different wild fruits and with edible stems of creepers. Hunting is much practiced in Bat Xat. The main game are wild boar, deer, wild goat, monkeys and many species of birds. Wildlife is however declining at an alarming rate. Wild honey is collected commonly and consumed locally. The wax is used by the Mhong to make textiles shiny. Certain perrenials are collected from the forest floor as supplementary pig-feed. Traditional medicines: there is a quite common knowledge of the medicinal uses of a wide range of bark, resin, fruit, root, flower or root from trees or herbs occurring in the area. An unidentified bark is locally used for incense. Construction and implements: bamboos are commonly grown, sometimes covering areas of more than 200 hectares. Different species of bamboos are used for whatever purpose one can think of. It is widely used in construction, but also for purposes from Income: the herb Tao Qua (Amomum aromaticum) produces aromatic seeds, which are used in China as a spice and in medicines. It is cultivated on the forest floor under a relatively closed canopy in difficult accessible areas. Raising Tao Qua from seeds takes about eight years, from sprouts two to three years. It is a labour extensive crop. Once a year in October-November the men go to the Tao Qua growing areas in the forest and stay there for a week; collecting and drying the fruits that are later on transported on horses. In spring the men have to return only once in order to clean the areas from grasses and the old Tao Qua plants. Apart from the Bat Xat area, Tao Qua is also grown in the districts of Sa Pa and Va Ban. In Bat Xat it is found in 19 of the 22 villages where many families are involved in cultivating and harvesting Tao Qua. A plot of one hectare can yield up to 300 kg of fruits. The fruits are sold over the border to China. One kilo of dried fruits containing the seeds is worth 8000 to 20,000 Dong (mid-1991 price = US $ 1 2.50). On top of this, a considerable amount of a very valuable mushroom (possibly Lentinus edodes) is collected. In the town of Sa Pa dried mushrooms are sold at 25,000 to 45,000 Dong/kg dry weight. Co thom, an unidentified herb, is collected from the forest floor and sold in dried form in Sa Pa for a price of 50,000 Dong per kilo. The latter two products are also exported to China. Finally, rattan is collected for the market in small quantities. Depending on the quality one meter of rattan sells for 200-250 Dong. |