Agritage model in Buot, Son La

AGRITAGE VAN HO IN BUOT VILLAGE, VAN HO, SON LA

Van Ho Agritage, the first Heritage Agriculture Village established in Buot village, initiated by TABA, Agritage Vietnam Social Enterprise and the local community, operates with the ambition of offering more sustainable livelihood solutions through ecological farming and community tourism. The village is committed to five criteria: Sustainable livelihoods and food security; Biodiversity in agricultural and forestry cultivation; Conservation of natural landscape systems; Building a cohesive community infrastructure; Conservation and development of local culture.

WHERE WE WORK

Buot village was established in 1952, initially called Buoi (Grapefruit) village (because of the abundance of wild grapefruit trees within the area, whose fruits were notably delicious). The name Buoi village appeared on map #364 of Van Ho district, Son La province. Later, as the old people narrated, the village was renamed Buot village because they saw water everywhere, the name “Buot” means wet, as in lush green. In 2023, Buot Village was merged with Co Ba Village by the state and renamed to Hop Thanh Village. For administrative purposes, it is referred to as Buot Residential Group.

Buot Village consists of 56 households, with a population of 239, primarily of the Thai ethnic group. It spans a natural land area of 540.05 hectares, with 421.29 hectares dedicated to forest land, and the remainder for residential and production purposes. The village is in a valley, surrounded by ancient forests and a small stream, located 1.5km from National Highway VI. The average height is from 400 to 450m above sea level.

WHO WE WORK WITH

56 households 

1 Local Cooperative

WHAT WE DO

In mountainous regions where life is entirely dependent on the forest, conserving it without exploiting natural resources means the community must seek new livelihoods. Agriculture has become the mainstay of their livelihood. However, the limited arable land, coupled with challenges in accessing markets, compels many Ban Buot residents to migrate to cities in search of employment. This migration threatens the erosion and loss of local culture and indigenous knowledge with every step away from their homeland.

Since 2019, Agritage has been involved in Ban Buot, collaborating with villagers and local authorities to establish Vietnam’s first heritage agricultural village. Together, we engage in agriculture and ecological forestry, reclaiming degraded slopes. The indigenous knowledge of the Thai and Muong people is preserved and disseminated through agricultural farming and community tourism activities. This effort has provided job opportunities within the village itself. Fifty-nine households, comprising more than 200 individuals in Buot village, have united under the Dong Rung Cooperative. At Van Ho Agritage, we adhere to five key criteria that define the concept of a Heritage Agricultural Village from Agritage Vietnam’s perspective, which are:

• Sustainable livelihoods and food security
• Biodiversity in agriculture
• Restoration and preservation of indigenous knowledge systems in agricultural cultivation
• Cultural value system and community organization
• Characteristic landscape system