Overuse of resources and the lack of a caring attitude towards Human-Nature relationships in many sensitive watershed ecosystems have been the major causes leading to land desertification problems, gradual erosion of social traditions, and the losses of ecological biodiversity. The rush toward increased agricultural productivity, with the prioritization of mechanized, industrialized, and urbanized “development” approaches has created new problems to add to the above concerns. However, in the most isolated highland areas in Vietnam millions of indigenous youths aged from 18 to 35 are continuing the challenge of making a livelihood in the hard setting of natural landscapes even while these are being destroyed by outsiders. Indigenous communities have on the one hand, to fight against their everyday poverty, and on the other struggle to maintain the ground on which they can stand firm to keep at least certain of their cultural values and identity alive. It is an extreme challenge for indigenous groups to remain strong in dealing with the pressures of a rapidly changing global economy.
Social Policy Ecology Research Institute, with its network of Satellite Field Schools based in key highland areas
[1], is trying an Alternative Development Approach to promote capacity-building for young indigenous farmers. We do this by continuously upgrading our own Practical-based Training Program on Agro-Ecological Farming System. This training program is designed to assist Indigenous Youths to become good, genuine, and professional
[2] indigenous farmers and willing to take up the challenge of putting agro-ecological farming into practice once they are in leadership positions. We strongly belief in the ability of our educational focus built on sound solutions and long term strategies to reduce Global Warming impacts and other current threats to the existence of many vulnerable ecological niches.
[1] Quang Binh, Ha Tinh, and Lao Cai provinces.
[2] Training Manuals for Professional Farmers on Agro-Ecological Farming System.
