Quantitative assessment of rice farmers' livelihoods and marketing channels in the Mekong delta region of Vietnam | |
| Author | Ho Nguyen Diem Tien |
| Call Number | AIT Diss no.AB-21-02 |
| Subject(s) | Rice--Mekong River Delta (Vietnam and Cambodia) Agricultural diversification--Vietnam Mekong River Delta (Vietnam and Cambodia) |
| Note | A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Agribusiness Management |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Dissertation ; no. AB-21-02 |
| Abstract | Literature on rice farmers’ livelihoods and the adaptation to the harsh climatic events in the Mekong Delta Region (MDR) of Vietnam is scanty and policy implications are unspecific to ecological zones. The main objective of this study is to quantitatively assess rice farmers’ livelihoods and the marketing channels in the MDR of Vietnam based on the survey methods and statistical analyses. The study employed primary data collected from 405 rice farming households in Can Tho, Dong Thap, and Tien Giang provinces in the MDR. First, it descriptively assessed the livelihood vulnerability of the sampled households using the livelihood vulnerability index (LVI) and LVI-Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (LVI-IPCC) approaches. The LVI assessment revealed that the rice farming households in the study area were vulnerable in the aspects of food, social network, livelihood strategies, and natural disaster and climate variability. The LVI-IPCC assessment revealed that Tien Giang province was the most vulnerable to climate change, followed by Can Tho and Dong Thap. Second, the study attempted to investigate the extent of diversification of livelihoods using the Simpson’s Diversity Index (SDI) and assessed farmer’s tendency in adoption of improved rice variety, high-value crops, livestock, and off-farm work in the face of flood, drought, and salinity intrusion in the MDR. The SDI showed relatively low levels of livelihood diversification in the study area. The multivariate probit regression analysis indicated that farmers who were exposed to drought or flood were more likely to cultivate traditional rice varieties than improved ones. Those prone to salinity intrusion tended to engage in off-farm income opportunities. Moreover, the tobit regression analysis exhibited significant effects of asset endowment, family labor, extension visits, access to transportation, access to agricultural inputs, and membership of farmers’ organization on the extent of livelihood diversification. Finally, the research also examined the extent to which changes in the price of rice influenced farmers’ choice of rice marketing channels between direct (processors) and indirect (middlemen) channels, using the logit regression. The results revealed that higher prices of rice led to farmers’ choice of the direct marketing channel. Moreover, other factors, including distance to markets, asset endowment, farm size, sales v quantity, contract farming, organizational membership, access to credit, extension visits, access to transportation, and storage facility significantly influenced farmers’ choice between the two channels. The outcomes of this research would inform policy makers in efforts to enhance smallholders’ livelihoods, regional and national food security, and the sustainable development of the agricultural sector in the MDR of Vietnam. |
| Year | 2021 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Dissertation ; no. AB-21-02 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development |
| Department | Department of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (Former title: Department of Food Agriculture, and BioResources (DFAB)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Agribusiness Management (AB) |
| Chairperson(s) | Loc, Thai Nguyen;Tsusaka, Takuji W., (Co-Chairperson); |
| Examination Committee(s) | Datta, Avishek;Kuwornu,John K. M. |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | AITCV Silver Anniversary Scholarships;Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship; |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2021 |