Green livelihoods in buffer zone of Dong Nai World Biosphere Reserve

Since 2023, a livelihood development project based on grass cultivation and cattle and goat farming has been implemented in Gia Canh Commune, now part of Dinh Quan Commune in Dong Nai Province. After three years, the project has delivered positive results, helping residents in the buffer zone improve their incomes while strengthening the protection of the Dong Nai World Biosphere Reserve.

Creating sustainable livelihoods for people in the buffer zone

In the early days of the lunar Year of the Horse, we visited Ka Tuyen's family in Gia Canh 9 Hamlet and saw a remarkable change. She happily showed off her new house, built at the end of 2025. This initiative is a great unity house built with financial support from the local authorities and her family's savings. Since moving into the new home, she no longer has to worry about living in a temporary, dilapidated house.

Ka Tuyen's family has a stable life thanks to the support of local authorities and the livelihood development project. Photo: Thuy Linh

Previously classified as a poor household with no farmland, Tuyen borrowed funds from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies to rent 5 rods of land for intercropping cashew, agarwood, and bananas. Her income was modest, mainly from selling banana leaves. In 2023, she received an additional loan of 15 million VND from the livelihood project to purchase two breeding cows. After a year, she sold them for 25 million VND and reinvested in cattle fattening and agarwood cultivation. “Now I have a proper home and forest land to cultivate. My life is much more stable. I no longer have to go into the forest to collect bamboo shoots or firewood,” she shared.

Not far away, Tran Van Dac's house sits tucked away in the garden, about 300m from the asphalt road. Having lived and built his livelihood in Gia Canh 9 hamlet for more than 50 years, Dac regards this place as his second hometown. Dac said that in previous years, this area had only dirt roads, which became very muddy during the rainy season. Now, the buffer zone of the biosphere reserve is dotted with a network of concrete and asphalt roads extending to remote areas.

With a large area of land, Dac set aside 6 sao to grow grass for raising goats. In 2023, Dac borrowed 7 million VND from the livelihood development project to buy 3 more breeding goats. From an initial herd of 5 breeding goats, and thanks to his skillful care, the herd grew to more than 40. He now sells two batches of goats a year and earns a net profit of about 70 million VND annually after expenses. After successfully implementing the grass-growing and goat-raising model, Dac repaid the loan after 2 years, allowing the capital to be rotated to other households for livelihood development.

According to statistics, 551 households in the buffer zone have received loans and technical training for environmentally friendly grass cultivation and livestock farming, with loans ranging from 7 to 15 million VND. The total investment exceeds 7.7 billion VND, including more than 1.9 billion VND from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). After 2 years, borrowing households will repay the capital, allowing it to continue circulating among other households for economic development. The project has contributed to transforming the production structure and increasing incomes for many households in the biosphere reserve's buffer zone. After three years, the project has generated an estimated added value of 14 billion VND. By the end of 2025, more than 10 households in Gia Canh 9 hamlet had escaped poverty thanks to these livelihood models.

Linking economic development with forest protection

Dinh Quan commune has over 13,000 hectares of forest land managed by the Tan Phu Protection Forest Management Board. Alongside livelihood support, local authorities have intensified awareness campaigns on forest protection.

Ka Duong is a respected figure in Gia Canh 9 hamlet, regularly meeting with residents and encouraging them to raise awareness and take an active part in forest protection efforts. He often reminds people that “the forest is our home, and we must protect it as we would our own house.” If any incident is detected, residents must immediately report it to the authorities to coordinate a timely response. Thanks to strong community solidarity, there have been no recent cases of illegal exploitation of forest resources in the area. Duong confided, "The lives of ethnic minority people in the buffer zone of the biosphere reserve are becoming more stable. Many households have escaped poverty by growing grass and raising cattle and goats. From there, they become more conscious of protecting and developing the forest."

"The livelihood development project associated with forest protection has had a positive impact on reducing illegal exploitation of natural resources, especially in the Dong Nai World Biosphere Reserve. Many local laborers have found employment, have stable incomes, and there are no longer any cases of illegal forest resource exploitation. In addition, the project also contributes to protecting and developing natural forest areas, while promoting biodiversity conservation, protecting the ecological environment, and contributing to responding to climate change in the region."

BIEN HUU TAN,

Deputy head of the economic department of Dinh Quan Commune, Dong Nai Province

For many years, the Tan Phu Protection Forest Management Board has signed contracts with local households to combine agroforestry production with forest protection.

Sub-station 1, under the Tan Phu Protection Forest Management Board, is tasked with managing over 1,500 hectares, including about 900 hectares of natural forest, and the remaining over 500 hectares of planted forest land under contract. Over the past 15 years, Sub-station 1 has implemented 229 contracts, covering a total area of 342 hectares. Pham Van Hung, Manager of Sub-station 1, stated, "Contractors use the land for agricultural production and livestock farming under the forest canopy, but they must plant trees and ensure the regulated proportion of forested area. They also receive all products obtained from agricultural production activities combined with tree planting."

Following a narrow trail, we visited the intercropped cocoa and agarwood garden of Tran Van Man's family, a household contracted to manage forest land in Gia Canh 9 hamlet, Dinh Quan commune. On the 2.5-hectare plot, the family cultivates 1,300 cocoa trees intercropped with 3,000 agarwood trees. The cocoa garden is currently yielding 700-800 kg per week, bringing in profits of more than 4 million VND. The agarwood trees are now in the resin-forming stage and sell for about 500,000 VND apiece. In recent years, Tran Van Man's family has become increasingly better off thanks to this intercropping model of cocoa and agarwood trees.

Tran Van Man is not alone. Many other households in the biosphere reserve's buffer zone have also improved their livelihoods through intercropping under the forest canopy. Models combining cocoa and fruit trees with agarwood, acacia, and hopea have delivered high economic returns. As a result, local people can develop their economy while also protecting and developing the forest.

After three years, the Farmers’ Association of Dinh Quan Commune (the Steering board of the livelihood development project) continues to maintain and expand these models integrating them with eco-tourism, orchard farming, and integrated “garden–pond–livestock” systems. These initiatives are creating jobs for thousands of local laborers, contributing to improving the lives of people in the buffer zone of the biosphere reserve.

By Thuy Linh – Translated by Mai Nga, Minho