Why do people not learn from flood disasters? Evidence from Vietnam’s northwestern mountains

Iven Schad, Petra Schmitter, Andreas Neef, Marc Lamers, La Nguyen, Thomas Hilger, Volker Hoffmann and Camille Saint-Macary
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Camille Saint-Macary: LEDa - Laboratoire d'Economie de Dauphine - Université Paris Dauphine-PSL - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres

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Abstract: This article explores how the causes and impacts of a flood event as perceived by local people shape immediate responses and future mitigation efforts in mountainous northwest Vietnam. Local flood perception is contrasted with scientific perspectives to determine whether a singular flood event will trigger adjustments in mitigation strategies in an otherwise rarely flood-affected area. We present findings from interdisciplinary research drawing on both socioeconomic and biophysical data. Evidence suggests that individual farmers' willingness to engage in flood mitigation is curbed by the common perception that flooding is caused by the interplay of a bundle of external factors, with climatic factors and water management failures being the most prominent ones. Most farmers did not link the severity of flooding to existing land use systems, thus underlining the lack of a sense of personal responsibility among farmers for flood mitigation measures. We conclude that local governments cannot depend on there being a sufficient degree of intrinsic motivation among farmers to make them implement soil conservation techniques to mitigate future flooding. Policy makers will need to design measures to raise farmers' awareness of the complex interplay between land use and hydrology and to enhance collective action in soil conservation by providing appropriate incentives and implementing coherent long-term strategies.

Keywords: Flood response; Agro-environmental perception; Mitigation strategies; Interdisciplinary research; Vietnam (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-06
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

Published in Natural Hazards, 2012, 62 (2), ⟨10.1007/s11069-011-9992-4⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-01686732

DOI: 10.1007/s11069-011-9992-4

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