Tran Duc Toan & Nguyen Duy Phuong

Soils and fertilizers Research Institute (SFRI)

MK1 Project – Optimizing Reservoir Management for Livelihoods

Sharing Benefits of the Yali hydropower Reservoir, Vietnam - farming in drawdown area

Yali hydropower

Yali HP was built from 1993-2003

Sources: Cao Thi Yen 2003

Total basin of Yali reservoir: 7445 Km2

Effective water level: 515 m

Dead water level: 490 m

Objectives: National Economic development

Yali HP and Social Impacts

It has large impacted on social aspects

Items Unit Amount

1.Resettled people Individual 5384

2.Resettled households HH 1149

3.Resettlement villages Villages 9

4.Inundated land ha 6480

5.Farming land ha 1933

+ Wet rice field ha 871

+ Other crops ha 1100

6.Forest land ha 3492

Table 1: Major loss due to Yali reservoir

Sources: Cao Thi Yen 2003

1.Resettled people Individual 5384

3.Resettlement villages Villages 9

Major Challenges in Consequence

Paddy land limited due to inundated

High pressure of population (Local & Immigration)

Upland, forestland has been exploited inappropriate approach for farming activities, causing land rapid degradation

Unattainable livelihood

Consequence of Resettlement

+ High poverty rate (40-45%) remains mostly Jarai ethnic people

+ Food insecurity at HH level /Jarai people

A story after 20 years of resettlement in Yali HP:

+ Shortage cultivated land & Poor irrigation system

+ Poor livelihood resources

Opportunities for Enhance Local Livelihood

It estimated about 26.000 ha of semi-flooded land area in Yali reservoir

+ Of which 1900 ha of semi-flooded land belongs to resettled communities & 1500 ha can serve for agriculture

+ More than 600 ha of semi-flooded area has cultivated, mostly with cassava, by 500 HH

BSS and livelihood survey indicated that the drawdown area is high productive and crucial to the livelihood of local people, but high risk due to short duration of land exposition and sudden flooding occurred

+ Paddy rice only cultivate one crop per year

Hydrological behavior in Yali reservoir

Months 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Water level        

505-510 mls ---- ////////////////////////////////////////////////

-----------------

    Land exposition 170 days Water flooded 510 – 512 mls ---- ///////////////////////////////////////////////

//////-----------------------

-    Land exposition 210 days Water flooded 512-515 mls ---- ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////

//////-----------------

    Land exposition 240-260 days Water flooded

Duration of Land Exposition in reservoir

Which crops can grow in context of reservoir? and give a better income for farmer HH ?

Pilot Trial Activities

Pilot trails

- Short term variety of cassava KM98-7 has been selected among four tested varieties to test in semi-flooded area “ Higher income for farmer HH)

- Short term variety of Rice P6DB has been selected to test a second rice crop in semi-flooded area “ More rice for food security”

Pilot Results of cassava in semi-flooded area of Yali Reservoir cassava

Varieties Yield

(ton/ha)

Starch content

%

Gross income

(M.vnd/ha)

Input cost (M.vnd/ha)

Net income

(M.vnd/ha)

KM140 25,222.8 35.28 14.54 20.74

KM98-7 32,6 26.2 45.64 16.02 29.62

KM21-12 28,5 23.0 39.9 15.20 24.70

KM94 (Control) 21,4 21,0 29.96 13.74 16.22

Varieties Yield

(ton/ha)

Starch content

%

Gross income

(M.vnd/ha)

Input cost (M.vnd/ha)

Net income

(M.vnd/ha)

KM140 26.6 23.0 43.3 13.3 30.0KM98-7 34.8 27.7 63.9 15.8 48.1

KM94 (Control) 24.4 21.4 37.5 12.1 25.1

1.Result of pilot 2012

2. Result of pilot 2013

Pilot Results of rice in semi-flooded area of in Yali Reservoir

Varieties Yield (ta/ha)

Gross income

(M.vnd/ha)

Input cost (M.vnd/ha)

Net income (M.vnd/ha)

Q5 34,525,51 9,5 16,01

P6DB 41,0 28,70 9,5 19,20

IR64 28,5 19,95 9,5 10,05

3. Result of pilot 2013

This gave an evidence that second rice in semi-flooded area, food security at HH level can achieved

Upscale of MK1 Project in Yali Reservoir

Results of pilot in 2012 & 2013 has attracted farmers

The district (DARD) plan to increase the area of KM 98-7 to 400-500 ha in 2016 -2017

Result of upscale: 20 ha of short term variety of cassava has expanded by 34 farmer HH in semi-flooded area in 2013

Different training courses and field visits has been organized in period of 2012-2013 for more than 500 farmer HH in four communes reservoir affected

Economic term: It roughly estimates about 9.0-12.0 billion VND could be obtained if KM98-7 will replace old varieties after 4 years of MK1 project

Lesion Learn from MK1 in VietnamA) Anthropology: Ethnic minority: Jarai Backward farming activities: Shifting

cultivation, monoculture, extensive farming. Low education level No experience on intensive farming Resettlement on the areas which land have

been degraded Ineffective farming, land is being sold to buyer

(majority Kinh people which also has been resettled, leading to inherently lack of arable land, causing more stress.

Lesion Learn from MK1 in Vietnam (cont.)

The fluctuation of Water level depends on Hydropower operation

Understand water regime of reservoir is a key point to design cropping system in semi-flooded area

Introducing shorter term variety to fit the crop planting calendar with the duration of land exposure in the drawdown area could be achieved the objective of limiting the risk of food security

A mechanism to exchange between Yali HP Company and local government on water regime information is crucial for farmer to use semi-flooded area, increase income “It has been established”

Early harvest of cassava in semi-flooded area, it is hard to keep seedling for coming year, so it strictly requires “Seedling must be multiplied on upland”

Pilot of paddy rice in second crop has succeeded, but it can not upscale because local objective doesn't focus on rice “Less area for paddy rice in semi-flooded area”

B) Natural conditions

Further Actions after MK1 Project

Local government/DARD has committed to multiple the seedling at farmer house for next years. “This has been done by farmers in 2013, about 2 ha of seedling for 2014, and 5 ha for 2015”

Improvement of Diversify income for farmers , this action is not only in semi-flooded area, but also on upland: mixed/inter-cropping (annual with perennial (rubber, coffee) for multi-products “DARD’s requirement”

Capacity building for local extension workers and farmers on ICM for suitable crop systems on inundated area as well as on the sloping land

Training on soil conservation and conservation agriculture for sustainable agricultural production for farmers and local extension survice staffs on both soil topography.

THANK FOR YOUR ATTENTION