I do not worry, I live in the Mekong delta : exploring local farmers’ understanding of hydrosocial relations in Thanh My Tay commune, Vietnam

Sammanfattning

The Mekong River is affected by changing water dynamics due to climate change and human activity, such as upstream hydropower development. How this affects farmers is highly relevant, especially in river deltas such as the Mekong Delta, where the relationship between humans and water is highly prevalent. Based on this knowledge, this study aims to build an understanding of how changing water dynamics affect agricultural practices and social structures in the rural commune of Thanh My Tay, Mekong Delta, Vietnam. The study employs the hydrosocial relations framework to apply an understanding of water flow as both socially and naturally constructed. The study further uses social capital as a relevant complement to the hydrosocial framework since changing water dynamics are closely linked to social structures. Understanding social relationships, therefore, provides this study with further insights into the relationship to water. Based on 15 semi-structured interviews with farmers in Thanh My Tay, our findings show how both water dynamics and social relations have a significant influence on farmers’ agricultural practices in Thanh My Tay. Water and society shape and are shaped by one another, and can, when interlinked, be a way to understand the complex hydrosocial relations. We found that although informants experienced changing water dynamics, this was not seen as problematic but rather as a natural event of life in the commune. We argue that changes in hydrosocial relations are something that has become normalised in Thanh My Tay to the extent that living with the changing water regime is not seen as a challenge, but rather something normal and natural. Additionally, our findings show how collaboration among farmers is present in their agricultural practices, and the farmers are dependent on one another, and how water dynamics is one prerequisite that makes it so.