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as a result of the government resettlement program. Despite these new sources
of income, people still occasionally gather forest products (e.g. honey, rattan)
and war wreckage from the nature reserve. Some villagers still depend on nature
reserve forests, but an increasing number of people depend on more permanent
agriculture and plantation for their livelihoods and for cash earning. Villagers in
the lowlands principally depend for their livelihoods on cultivation of seasonal
crops, plantations, livestock and home gardens, whereas those in the uplands are
relying on plantations and livestock (Figure 5).
Figure 5. Livestock and Acacia plantations are important in Khe Tran
Some important events have affected the livelihoods of the villagers. Until
recently, the inhabitants of Phong Dien districts, including Khe Tran village, had
to cope with problems of flooding, drought and forest fire. For example, floods
caused widespread damage to crops and infrastructure in 1983 and 1999. During
the 1999 floods, houses, crops and even lives were lost in Khe Tran. Widespread
fires and drought were also reported in the district in 1985, and another drought
occurred in 1990. We recorded these events which started from 1992, when some
villagers started to settle in the lower part of the village (Table 2).
5.2.5. Source of income
There is a big difference between the two parts of the village in terms of household
income (Table 3). According to the household survey, people from the lower part
have a higher annual income (average of VND 13.7 million) than those from the