All in the Same Boat

Watch the documentary produced by the ResilNam project on women, Ecosystem Based Adaptation, and flood resilience in central Vietnam.

All in the Same Boat follows the lives of three women, Tran Thi Phuong Tien, Le Thi Xuan Lan, and Le Thi Hoa. All the women have faced challenges in regards to flooding and recount their experiences in the documentary. They also attend and participate in training’s about replanting mangroves and restoring ponds to improve flood resilience.

ResilNam works with Ecosystem Based Adaptation (EbA) in coastal and urban areas around Hue City, Vietnam. “EbA includes the restoration and sustainable management of ecosystems to provide services that help adapt to to the adverse effects of natural hazards and climate change. ”

In the coastal areas around Hue City, 5 hectares of mangroves have been planted by local communities. In the urban area, 3 bodies of water in the historical center of Hue are being restored. Mangroves reduce the force of waves during storm surges, protect against coastal erosion, absorb 50 times more carbon than other ecosystems, and provide important breeding grounds for fish, prawns and crabs. The urban bodies of water, which were often used as a garbage bin, are being restored to increase their water holding capacity and quality. By replanting mangroves along the coast and restoring bodies of water in the urban area of Hue City, ResilNam is enhancing flood resilience.

Watch the following animation to learn more about how ResilNam is working to enhance flood resilience in Central Vietnam.

Women, EbA, and flood resilience in Centre Viet Nam

Women, EbA, and flood resilience in Centre Viet Nam

In the last years, flooding has increasingly affected thousands of citizens of Thừa Thiên-Huế province in Central Vietnam.
Especially the low-lying coastal areas and Hue city have been repeatedly affected by severe flooding from the sea, rivers and heavy rainfall. Along with climate change, population growth and increasing urbanisation, the people of the province are highly affected by the impacts of flood hazards. Especially vulnerable to the impacts of flooding are women. Even though they are pivotal managers of natural and environmental resources and have the experience and knowledge to build community resilience, they only hold minor roles at the level of policy formulation. Through a combined approach of using ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) and strengthening the role of women in disaster risk management (DRM) and climate change adaptation (CCA), the ResilNam project wants to contribute to increasing flood resilience in Thừa Thiên-Huế province.

This documentary project wants to support this innovative approach by providing insights into the every day life of the women involved in ResilNam; making their thoughts and actions understandable and emotionally accessible to an interested public.

Advancing Women’s Leadership in Water Resource Governance

Advancing Women’s Leadership in Water Resource Governance

In September 2017, Oxfam and the IUCN held a regional forum in Vientiane, Lao PDR to discuss gender equity and women’s leadership in water governance in the lower Mekong basin. The forum’s participants came up with key opportunities to bridge existing gender gaps in the Mekong region.

“Gender equality is not just about men or women. Gender equality is about both, and built upon mutual understanding.”

Reportage: Raising awareness about pesticides

Reportage: Raising awareness about pesticides

Practical activities about clean and safe management and use of pesticides were coordinated by the Quang Tri Province Department of Plant Protection (DPP) and the Centre for Social Research and Development with support from the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.

Quang Tri is an important agricultural province. In order to improve economic value and productivity across the sector, there are many measures in place to support farmers to adopt intensive farming techniques which improve productivity and increase crop yield.

Our survey shows that farmers use inorganic pesticides in large amounts and with many different varieties, and with more than 4,000 different chemicals.  Pesticide abuse is particularly common when farmland quality is low.  Climate change also has an impact causing pests and diseases to mutate dramatically in comparison with the past.  In addition, many people do not hesitate to use pesticides which are not on the approved list and this causes soil pollution and adverse impacts on water, the environment, and human health. However, people still do not recognize or know of these risks and threats.

News: Raising awareness about pesticides

News: Raising awareness about pesticides

In recent years, the use of pesticides in Huong Hoa district in particular and Quang Tri province in general has increased rapidly leading to concerns about food security, and negative impacts on the environment, health and the community.

In order to raise public awareness about the use of pesticides, Quang Tri Department of Plant Protection has been working with the Center for Social Research and Development in Hue on many practical activities.
Ms Le Thi My Hanh – Staff of CSRD sharing: “Through this activity we want to raise the awareness of the people in Quang Tri province, and particularly in Huong Hoa district”.

Enhancing flood Resilience in urban and coastal areas in Thua Thien Hue province

Enhancing flood Resilience in urban and coastal areas in Thua Thien Hue province

The Centre for Social Research and Development (CSRD) in Hue is combining with the Institute of Earth and Environmental Science from Potsdam University in Germany to implement a project which will make Hue and nearby coastal areas more resilient to flooding and climate change. The project – “Enhancing Flood Resilience in Urban and Coastal Areas in Thua Thien Hue Province”
The project will inplement a technique called ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) to enhance flood resilience urban and coastal areas in Thua Thien Hue province. It will also focus on gender issues in relation to disaster risk management (DRM) and climate change adaptation (CCA).