Income diversification in fishing and aquaculture in the Tam Giang Lagoon : adaptation to climate change or not?

Abstract: Adaptation is strongly recognized as a means to cope with the impact and threat from climate change. The capacity which people use to make an adequate living for themselves determines how people respond to climate change. A better understanding of processes of adaptation is important to inform policies aimed at reducing the negative effects of climate change. Using qualitative interviews, including focus group discussion and in-depth interviewing, as main methods this research examines the heterogeneous nature of adaptation to climate change of the fishers and aquaculturalists in the Tam Giang lagoon and identifies the factors that prevent them from adaptation by focusing on income diversification. The results show that income diversification is used to respond to the impacts of not only climate but also non-climate stimuli. The absence of local labor markets, unfavorable climate conditions and animal epidemics prevent both fishers as well as aquaculturalists from income diversification. The qualification of income diversification as an adaptation process depends much on specific context of rural livelihoods. While income diversification can be considered as adaptation process in the case of aquaculturalists, it is considered as maladaptation process in case of the fishers. Local prejudice, low education, unskilled labor and inability to access agricultural land are the important factors impeding the fishers’ adaptation process. Bases on this analysis the thesis concludes that (1) adaptation should be defined as a successful and sustainable adjustment to alleviate the negative impacts of change; (2) the interrelation between climatic and non-climatic factors needs to be addressed in policies aimed at mitigating the negative effects of climate change.