THÔNG TIN TÀI LIỆU
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING CAN THO UNIVERSITY SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL THESIS Specialized: Rural Development Code: 9620116 VO VAN HA DIVERSITY ANALYSIS IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION TO INCOME AND FOOD SECURITY OF FARMER HOUSEHOLDS IN THE MEKONG DELTA Can Tho, 2020 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING CAN THO UNIVERSITY SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL THESIS Specialized: Rural Development Code: 9620116 VO VAN HA DIVERSITY ANALYSIS IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION TO INCOME AND FOOD SECURITY OF FARMER HOUSEHOLDS IN THE MEKONG DELTA Can Tho, 2020 DOCTORAL THESIS COMPLETED AT CAN THO UNIVERSITY Scientific supervisor: Dr Vu Anh Phap Scientific assistant supervisor: Dr Nguyen Hong Tin The doctoral thesis was evaluated by The Board of Examiners at basic level Meeting at: Meeting room 3, 2nd floor, administrative house, Can Tho University At 8:00 a.m, date 21/03/2020 Reviewer 1: Assoc Prof Dr Duong Ngoc Thanh Reviewer 2: Dr Tran Thanh Be The thesis can be referred at: Learning Resource Center, Can Tho University National Library of Vietnam LIST OF PUBLICATION Vo Van Ha, To Lan Phuong, Huynh Cam Linh and Tran Huu Tuan, 2016 Assessment of technical and economic efficiency of land-based shrimp production in My Xuyen district, Soc Trang province Journal of Science, Can Tho University No 46b (2016): 70-79 ISSN: 1859-2333 Vo Van Ha and Vu Anh Phap, 2017 Diversification of land use on the dike of shrimp-rice rotation system in brackish water area: Case study of Soc Trang province Journal of Science, Can Tho University No 53b (2017): 112-122 ISSN: 18592333 Dang Kieu Nhan, To Lan Phuong, Nguyen Ngoc Son, Vo Van Ha, Nguyen Hong Tin, Van Pham Dang Tri, Nguyen Hieu Trung, Roel Bosma and Gerardo van Halsema, 2016 Climate change adaptation strategies for freshwater agriculture in the coastal Mekong delta: Farm - scale opportunities and water management challenges Journal of TROPICULTURE, 2016, NS: 116-120 ISSN: 2295-8010 Le Canh Dung, Vo Van Ha, Vo Van Tuan, Dang Kieu Nhan, John Ward and Peter Brown, 2017 Financial capacity of ricebased farming households in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam In Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development Vol 14 No 1: 73-87 ISSN: 1656-4383 Vo Van Ha, 2019 Shifting of agricultural production in the Mekong Delta: Achievements and challenges before the industrial revolution 4.0 Proceedings of National Science Conference at Kien Giang University, December 22, 2018 pp 207-222 Ho Chi Minh City Science and Technology Publishing House CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Necessity of research Diversification in agriculture is a matter of current concern, especially in the context of agricultural production with many risks and impacts of climate change Many research results showed that production diversity helped farmers improve food supply and income, thus contributing to poverty reduction in rural areas (Ha et al., 2013; Olivier, 2018) Experience from several countries in the region (China, Korea, Japan and Thailand) showed that encouraging farmers to agricultural production diversify with competitive advantages and for product export were successful in restructuring of agricultural economy (Nguyen Trong Uyen, 2007) In the Mekong Delta region (MD), many farmers shifting to integrated farming systems had improved their household income Specifically, in the high flooded areas (such as An Giang province), when farmers rotated upland crops and rice crop, their household income were higher than farmers with monoculture of rice crops per year (Nguyen Sinh Cuc, 2003); In the central delta areas (Can Tho City), farmers implemented an integrated shrimp/fish with rice farming, their household income were 30% higher than household with rice monoculture (Duong Ngoc Thanh et al., 2008) In the coastal areas (such as Soc Trang province), farmers who convert from one rice crop per year to rice-shrimp farming and aquacultural diversity also had higher their household incomes (Le Xuan Sinh, 2000) However, not all transformation of production diversification was highly effective as expected, it depended on the ecological characteristics of the region and target group of households Research results in the MD region showed that production diversity in freshwater ecological regions were often higher than in other regions and in the medium household group were more than in other groups (Duong Ngoc Thanh et al., 2008; Vo Van Tuan and Le Canh Dung, 2015) Other assessments showed that producing a lot of rice had not a good effect on agricultural economic growth, total household income and household food security in rural areas; Meanwhile, poverty and low household income led to unsustainable agricultural production and higher impact on the state of malnourished children in the MD (Le Canh Dung et al., 2011) Up to now, there are limited studies in the MD that focus on the approach towards household production diversity to stabilize income and increase the ability to cope with food insecurity Therefore, this study is necessary to synthesize database on agricultural restructuring, to evaluate the effects of production diversity on household livelihoods and to have sustainable development strategies for the MD future 1.2 Research objectives - A brief history of the status of shifting agricultural production models to build a database of production diversity in new rural communes in the MD; - Evaluate the efficiency of shifting agricultural production models toward household income; - Analyzing the impacts of agricultural production diversity to household food security; and - Proposing appropriate technical factors, policy mechanisms and lessons learned in agriculture production and rural development for the MD future 1.3 Scope and subject study 1.3.1 Scope of study The study was conducted in three ecological regions representing the largest rice production area in the Southwestern region of Hau River of the MD region These places had been implementing the agricultural restructuring under the Government's policy (2008) and responding to the impacts of climate change on the national food security In particular, farmers in new rural communes were encouraged to production diversify on rice field area to improve income and ensure household food security (MARD, 2014) While the high flooded area in the upstream of the MD, the representative site (1) selected as Vinh Trach commune (Thoai Son district, An Giang province) had a dyke system for flood control, but was affected by drought and lack of freshwater in the dry season In the alluvial farmland of the central area, the representative site (2) with moderate feshwater flooding and saltwater intrusion was Thoi Tan commune (Thoi Lai district - Can Tho city) Representative site (3) for Hoa Tu commune (My Xuyen district, Soc Trang province) located in the coastal area so it was frequently affected by saltwater All selected sites were surveyed and assessed current status of agricultural production, the efficiency of diversification and impacts on household food security 1.3.2 Subjects and objects of study The object of the study was the agricultural production diversity of household level at three eco-regions of the MD The survey subjects included households growing commodity rice product (as control) to compare with the group of households that shifted with diversified production models on rice farmland Respondents included better-off, medium, and near-poor households according to local classification criteria in each study site In addition, the survey subjects also included relevant individuals such as: leaders, local technicians, traders and service providers in agriculture 1.4 Meaning of science, practice and novelty thesis The scientific significance of this study is the problem approach according to the research process of agricultural production and rural development At the same time, applying the theoretical framework "Diversification in agricultural production is related to characteristics of farmer households and to reach the goal of household food security" to analyze household livelihoods The analysis of income and food security status was not only understands the time of the incident, but also understood the effects of malnutrition related to food The results of the study had practical significance that producing a lot of cereal food (such as rice in the MD) could not ensure the full contents of food security at the household level; Income factors and access to food resources in rural areas had positive effects on the improvement of nutritious diets This result could be applied to national target programs on agricultural transformation, rural development, poverty reduction and environmental protection of agricultural production The new contribution of this study was to demonstrate that the diversification of agricultural production or the cropping patterns based on rice farmland increased household income compared to household with monoculture of commodity rice production The study also showed that low and unstable incomes reduced access to food sources of households At the same time, nutritional deficiencies were related to food deficiencies or the level of energy consumption in people's diets falling below defined thresholds Chapter 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 2.1 Approaches in research This study had a theoretical framework approach to agricultural production diversity related to farm household characteristics (Figure 2.1) In this theoretical framework, the characteristics of agri-ecological region and the market access had impact on the agricultural diversity The diversity of agricultural production affected the goal of household food security, and interact with household characteristics that indirectly affected the food security of the household In addition, the characteristics of the agro-ecological region and the approach to the market also directly affected the household food security Also according to this theoretical framework showed reciprocal interactions (two way) between the household characteristics with the agricultural production diversity and the goal of food securiy Agricultural production diversity Household characteristics (Age, sex, education, experience, labour, land, capital, society) Household food security objectives characteristics of agricultural ecoregions and market access Figure 2.1: Theoretical framework on agricultural production diversity to characteristics of household and food security (Krishna et al., 2016; and Luitfred et al., 2018) 2.2 Select the sample for household survey The sample sizes selection for household survey were carried out through the results of KIP interviews (interviews with experts at provincial, district and commune levels) and focus group discussion in communities from participatory rural rapid (PRA) Primary data on household characteristics was collected through individual interviews with questionnaires prepared by random stratified sampling method for each cropping pattern The number of samples surveyed for each ecological region were presented in Table 2.1 Table 2.1: Sample sizes of households practicing different cropping patterns in three ecological region of the MD Ecological region 1) High flooded area 2) Medium flood area (Central delta) 3) Coastal area Total Cropping patterns 1.1 Commodity rice (as control) 1.2 Upland crops (melons, corn, beens) 1.3 Rice seed production 2.1 Commodity rice (as control) 2.2 Upland crops (melons, corn, beens) 2.3 Orchard (Grapefruit, lemon, mango, guava) 2.4 High-quality rice 3.1 Shrimp-rice (as control) 3.2 Shrimp farming Sample sizes 35 36 34 34 36 30 33 37 34 309 2.3 Methods and content of collecting information 2.3.1 Secondary data information Secondary data information was collected from document sources available at provincial, district and commune agencies At the same time, statistic sources and annual summary reports in the relevant sectors were collected The study also used sources of information from past research results, scientific reports, journals and internet resources 2.3.2 Primary data information Primary data information was collected through interviews with experts and individuals using the KIP method (Key Informant Panel) KIP interviews were conducted at provincial, district, commune and community levels (total of 18 interviews) Using tools of PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) to collect information by target groups in different communities, with total of 18 focus group discussions including: group of households with agricultural production diversity, group of rice farming households with less diversification of agricultural production, group of services providers (buyers, owners of agricultural In the coastal area, it was pointed out that variables "Number of main labour force and number of income sources" that affected the diversity of agricultural production However, the following variables “Non-farm income and off-farm income” had negative coefficients (-), so the farmer had more these activities, reducing the diversity of agricultural production Through the analysis model, there were variables affecting the diversity of agricultural production, namely labour, non-agricultural activities, off-farm and the number of income sources This result showed that the diversity of agricultural production in the coastal area had dominated the agricultural labour resources, so it affected the diversity of agricultural production 3.2 Livelihood capital and household economy 3.2.1 Analysis of household livelihood capital The analysis results showed that the characteristics of agro-ecological regions affected the diversification of production in households In which, farmland resources and land use structure for household livelihood activities differed by region and cropping patterns The total farmland area per household in the high flooded area was higher than that in the central and coastal areas (2.69 compared to 1.63 and 1.26 ha, respectively); and the structure of farmland use/household in the high flooded area was that of rice fields accounting for 93% of the area compared with 80% in the central and coastal areas Specifically, the farmers who owned large farmland but limited labour resources (high flooded area) still maintained rice farming; by applying mechanization to reduce labour days compared to other production models While in the central area, the conversion of farmland to upland crops, orchards or high-quality rice production or shrimp farming in the coastal area required more family labour Analysis data in the high flooded area also showed that the commodity and seed rice producing of households had larger farmland area than the upland crop households (3.21 and 3.71 compared to 1.49 ha/ household, respectively); Due to the system of dykes to control floods, smallholders had less farmland to convert upland crops to 14 increase the coefficient in land use and income for households In the central area, the group of farmers who grow orchards, upland crops and high-quality rice owned a larger area of farmland than the group of households producing commodity rice However, in coastal area there was no difference in farmland area among household groups Thus, diversifying agricultural production models according to ecological regions would effectively use farmland resources in households to access markets and local policies to support shifting production Human resources played an important role in the diversification of production in households The analyzed data showed that the average number of people/household in the regions was about people and the number of main labour was people; In which, the central area tended to increase the number of people and labour were higher in the high flooded and coastal areas (respectively, number of people was 4.7 versus 4.5 and 4.1 people; and number of labour was 2.7 versus 2.3 and 2.5 people) High labour resources in households had a positive impact on agricultural production diversification such as: the central area was more diverse than the high flooded and coastal areas The age and education level of the household head had an impact on agricultural production diversification Survey results in each ecological region showed that the group of households that diversify production was younger than the group of commodity rice producers Specifically, the average age of household head in the upland crop, seed rice and shrimp farming groups were lower than commodity rice production and the horticultural group Similarly, the education level of the head of household was equivalent to grade 6-7, so this level was capable of receiving and applying effective technical advances in agricultural production This result was consistent with the results from focus group discussions showed the young and well-educated householders were boldly shifting to novel agricultural production models such as: high flooded and coastal areas 15 Experiences in cropping patterns practices had differed by eco-region and agricultural production diversity The earliest agricultural production shift in the central area, so farmers had many years of experience compared to the high flooded and coastal areas (13 years versus 11 and years, respectively) Within each eco-region, farmers converting to novel cropping patterns had fewer years of experience than commodity rice farmers Specifically, the householder's experience in shrimp farming were years, growing upland crops (7-10 years), highquality rice production (9 years) and rice seed production (11 years); but group of household practicing garden and producing commodity rice were 14 to 20 years This result was similar to the evaluation of agricultural experts on the field of agriculture was the transformation of agricultural production models in the MD about 10 years and in young people more than other groups The shortage of capital among farmers was different by eco-region and had a different impact on agricultural production diversity The proportion of households lacking capital was highest in the high flooded and center areas compared to the coastal area (69% and 61% compared to 55% respectively) In each eco-region, the group of households with agricultural production diversity had a higher rate of capital shortage than group of commodity rice production This result showed that diversification of cropping patterns required more capital investment than commercial rice production Thus, the limited financial status of households was an obstacle to agricultural production diversity according to eco-region Survey data showed that the majority of farmer households participated in local community organizations (such as: Farmer's Union, Women's Union, Orcharding Association, Agricultural Extension Club and Cooperative) Participation in the community organization was to support production activities such as: agricultural product consumption, water resource management, cropping seasonal calendar and other production support machines The results showed that in each ecological region, a 16 diverse group of agricultural production households had a higher participation rate in community organizations than a commodity rice production group In addition, the participation in community organizations was to support jobs, clean water and environmental sanitation The community network had created favorable conditions for farmers to establish cooperatives, production groups and the issue of food security, which were more interested in by diverse farmers than commodity rice production farmers Thus, social capital had been increasingly focused not only in agricultural production, but also in the field of rural development to ensure food security at the household and regional level 3.2.2 Household economic analysis 3.2.2.1 Diversity of household income sources The results showed that total farm household income differed according to cropping patterns and depended on the income sources index The data in Table 3.2 showed that in each ecological region, all of households with diversified cropping patterns had higher total income than household of commodity rice production Specifically, in the high flooded area, the rice seed production group was the highest (275 million VND/year), next the upland crop (186 million) and the lowest in the commodity rice production group (172 million) Although the total household income was not different in the central area, the trend in the horticultural group was highest, followed by upland crop, high quality rice and lowest in commodity rice production group In the coastal area, the shrimp farming group had a higher income than the shrimp-rice farming group (169 versus 70 million VND/year) In terms of income diversity index (SID), households in saltwater ecological region were lower than in freshwater ecological region Specifically, the high flooded area (0.21) and the central area (0.28) were higher than the coastal area (-0.18) In each ecological region, the SID index tended to increase in the group of households with diversified cropping patterns compared to group of commodity rice producers (central area) Thus, the 17 diversity of agricultural production increased the SID index and income sources for farmers Table 3.2: Income structure, total income/household and income diversification index (SID) in households according to ecological regions and cropping patterns (Unit: million VND/ household/year) Ecological region & cropping patterns High flooded area 1) Commodity rice 2) Upland crop 3) Rice seed production Sig difference Central delta area 4) Commodity rice 5) Upland crop 6) Orchard 7) High-quality rice Sig difference Coastal area 8) Shrimp-rice 9) Shrimp farming Sig difference Sources of income OnNonOff- Othe farm farm farm r 165.1 23.2 3.8 3.8 148.5 16.5 1.9 7.0 157.3 21.5 7.0 228.7 43.3 2.2 3.0 ns ns ns ns 82.0 27.8 5.8 7.6 57.5 17.9b 9.5 8.8 109.5 17.4b 5.1 6.9 92.0 50.3a 4.4 5.6 80.0 26.7ab 3.5 8.6 ns * ns ns 97.9 14.4 4.5 2.0 62.7b 5.7b 1.3b 0.4b a a a 133.1 24.2 8.1 3.8a * ** ** * Total income SID index 195.9 171.9b 185.7 ab 275.2 a ns 123.1 93.7 138.9 152.3 118.9 ns 118.7 70.0b 169.1a * 0.21 0.22 0.18 0.22 ns 0.28 0.39 0.45 0.46 0.12 ns -0.18 -0.11 -0.27 ns Note: The average values in the same column following the character (a, b or c) are different by Duncan and T-test Significant difference of the variance test: ns (no difference); * (5% significance level); ** (1% significance level) 3.2.2.2 Net income of farm households Net household income was the difference between total income/year and total expenditure/year, showing the degree of difference by region, cropping pattern and agricultural production diversity (Table 3.3) The net income of households was highest in the high flooded area (110 million) compared to the central and coastal areas (respectively, 56 and 59 million VND) In each ecoregion, households with agricultural production diversity had higher incomes than those of commodity rice production 18 Similarly, the group of households converted to the cropping patterns had a higher level of diversity in agricultural production than the group of households in commodity rice production (specifically: the high flooded and central areas) This showed that the agricultural production diversity had an impact on increasing the net household income of farmers Table 3.3: Net household income, income/person and agricultural production diversity by region and cropping patterns (Unit: million VND) Ecological region & cropping patterns High flooded area 1) Commodity rice 2) Upland crop 3) Rice seed production Sig difference Central delta area 4) Commodity rice 5) Upland crop 6) Orchard 7) High-quality rice Sig difference Coastal area 8) Shrimp-rice 9) Shrimp farming Sig difference Net income/ household/ year 110.4±20.3 79.1±24.3 110.6±25.3 188.2±59.6 ns 56.1±11.5 28.7±13.2 79.1±35.3 74.3±25.9 53.7±21.0 ns 59.4±31.4 20.3b±19.7 98.4a±42.2 * Income/ person/ month 4.0±0.4 3.5±0.5 4.0±0.8 5.1±1.2 ns 2.4±0.3 1.8±0.3 2.7±1.0 2.5±0.4 2.9±1.0 Ns 2.5±0.6 1.6b±0.6 3.4a±0.7 * Diversification of agricultural production 1.4±0.1 1.1b±0.1 1.8a±0.1 1.5a±0.2 ** 1.8±0.1 1.3b±0.1 2.3a±0.2 2.3a±0.2 1.7b±0.1 ** 2.5±0.1 2.7±0.1 2.2±0.1 ns Note: The average values in the same column following the character (a, b or c) are different by Duncan and T-test Significant difference of the variance test: ns (no difference); * (5% significance level); ** (1% significance level) 3.2.2.3 Factors affecting on household income by cropping patterns The analysis results showed that factors had different impacted on household income in each cropping pattern In which, the variables "income from agricultural production" and "nonagricultural production" had an impact on increasing household 19 income in most of cropping patterns, but the variables "off-farm income" and "agricultural production diversity" only increased household income of changing cropping patterns (such as: upland crops, seed rice production); even reducing the household income of commodity rice production Specifically, in the high flooded area, the diversification of income sources and agricultural production had increased household income; while in the center area, there were variables related to non-agricultural production and off-farm activities that increased household income Particularly in the coastal area, there were variables of age, education and labour resources that had increased household income, but the diversification of agricultural production had no significant impact on household income in this area; because the risk of crop failure was high for shrimp farming 3.3 Diversity of agricultural production and food security 3.3.1 Ensuring food availability The data analysis results showed that the food expenditure in household was relatively high, averaging about 45% of the total household expenditure (Table 3.4) Food expenditure levels in the flooded and the central areas were higher than in the coastal area; relative to the total household income was higher In each ecoregion, the household group of agricultural production diversity had lower food expenditure than the households group of commodity rice production Specifically, in the group of farmers who grew upland crops (high flooded area) or group of upland crops and gardens (central area) spended less on food than in the rice production group The results showed that there was a relationship between income and food expenditure in the household; Specifically, household income increasing was demanding for food (such as rice) decreasing, but spending on other food was increasing (drinks and other nutrients) Thus, ensuring food availability in households not only produced a lot of rice, but also needed to diversify of food supplies to meet the need of household income increasing and food nutritional quality 20 Table 3.4: Food expenditure per household and capita in the three Mekong Delta ecological regions (Unit: million VND) Ecological region & cropping patterns High flooded area 1) Commodity rice 2) Upland crop 3) Rice seed production Sig difference Central delta area 4) Commodity rice 5) Upland crop 6) Orchard 7) High-quality rice Sig difference Coastal area 8) Shrimp-rice 9) Shrimp farming Sig difference Spending food/ household /year 38.6±1.6 40.2±1.9 35.5±2.9 40.5±4.5 ns 29.7±1.6 33.8a±3.0 23.2b±2.8 31.4ab±2.7 28.5ab±3.7 * 19.4±2.0 15.1b±1.6 23.6a±2.7 * Food expenditure /household (%) 48.5±1.8 47.2±2.7 49.4±3.0 50.3±4.5 ns 45.2±1.6 52.4±2.7 41.9±5.1 41.7±2.1 42.9±2.5 ns 33.2±2.5 32.7±3.0 33.6±2.3 ns Food costs/ person/ month 0.78±0.04 0.79±0.05 0.76±0.07 0.76±0.08 ns 0.57±0.04 0.64a±0.08 0.41b±0.05 0.58ab±0.05 0.61ab±0.09 ** 0.43±0.06 0.37±0.07 0.48±0.05 ns Note: The average values in the same column following the character (a, b or c) are different by Duncan and T-test Significant difference of the variance test: ns (no difference); * (5% significance level); ** (1% significance level) The results of data analysis also showed that the cost of food/person/month was relatively high, averaging about 0.6 million VND for the whole region In particular, the high flooded area had a higher expenditure than the other two areas (Table 3.4) In each eco-region, the expenditure for food/person in the group of households with diversified agricultural production models tended to be lower than the households group of commodity rice production This again showed that expenditure in the diet was related to the household income level in general and the individua nutrition level in particular 3.3.2 Stability of food Survey results at research sites showed that food prices were stable throughout the year, but there were changes at special 21 times related to seasonal calendar factors (by region) For example, rice prices fluctuated between the beginning and the end of the period in each crop, according to the law of supply and demand of the market; Or the upland crop, fruits and shrimp were also similar fluctuations The data in Figure 3.3 showed that farmers facing food difficulties at different times by eco-region The difficult time for food in the high flooded area was high before harvest season period (February, May and December); During these periods, farmers had to spend a lot of money on agricultural production, so they faced financial difficulties to spend on food In the central area, food shortages occured at the end of the year (September to December), as farmers did not have income from agricultural production due to annual flooding effects In the coastal area, food shortages were more frequent (many months) because of the crop seasonal calendar was different Rice production activities in the rainy season (May August) farmers should cultivate more kind of crops to improve food supply; While shrimp farming in the dry months (salt water from December to February next year) were high risks of crop failure; causing food crisis in farmers Obviously, the problem of food shortage among farmers was due to seasonal calendar in each region and natural disasters; Therefore, diversification of agricultural production was a necessary solution to ensure the availability of food supplies and the stability of household income sources in order to cope with the current food shortage 22 30.0 25.0 20.0 Percent (%) 15.0 10.0 5.0 0.0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec The months of the year Central Delta Area High Flooded Area Coastal Area Figure 3.3: Difficulties in financial situation to buy food in farmer households by month in three Mekong Delta regions (Source: Survey data of farmer households, 2017) 3.3.3 Accessibility to food The research results showed that the average rate of households having difficulty in accessing food sources (at least month/year) accounts for 23% of the households and there were differences by eco-region The proportion of households having difficulty accessing food was highest in the central area (32% of households), in the coastal area (22%) and in the high floods area (15%); relative to the total household income Specifically, the reasons that farmers found it difficult to access food sources in the central and coastal areas were: (1) low income sources restricting food access; (2) the lack of capital to invest in converting the cropping patterns from rice field to other crops had affected the source of food expenses; and (3) the income from the cropping patterns were not stable, but the high initial capital investment in the crop transformation (gardens, upland crops and aquaculture) had affected on the money for food expenditure Therefore, the 23 diversification of agricultural production helped stabilize the income source, thus increasing the farmers' access to food The research results also showed that the percentage of households having difficulty accessing food sources was different according to cropping patterns Although the proportion of farmers having difficulty in accessing food was not different among cropping patterns (equivalent to 15%) in the high flooded area, there was a difference in the central and coastal areas The rice farming households in the central area had the highest rate of difficulty in accessing food (30-54%) compared to upland crop farming (25%) and horticulture households (11%) Similarly, in the coastal area, shrimp-rice farmers had a 30% rate of difficulty in accessing food compared to the shrimp farming farmers (13%) Thus, the income factors in the cropping patterns had different impacts on the ability to access food in the household; the highincome households group had more options to access food resources than the low-income households group 3.3.4 Safety and food quality The analytical results in Table 3.5 showed the effect of food shortage on the health status of family members in ecoregions In the high flooded area, food shortages affected the state of children suffering from malnutrition and developmental delay (accounting for 50% of households opinion), and also indicated bad health of family members (50%) In the central area, food shortage affected the bad health of family members (80%) and increased annual family costs for medical treatment (20%) Particularly in coastal area, food shortages affected the cost of medical treatment (50%), bad health of family member (33%) and state of child development retardation (17%) The results of this study did not analyze the malnutrition situation in children as indepth studies, but the data showed that a food shortage had an impact on the health and nutritional status of children In particular, the nutrition regimes of some people in the MD areas were not guaranteed; although there was no widespread hunger and rice production increasing 24 Table 3.5: Impacts of food security temporarily on household members' health in ecological regions and production models (Unit: %) Ecological region & cropping patterns High flooded area 1) Commodity rice 2) Upland crop 3) Rice seed production Central delta area 4) Commodity rice 5) Upland crop 6) Orchard 7) High-quality rice Coastal area 8) Shrimp-rice 9) Shrimp farming Children malnourished and develop slowly 50 50 50 0 0 17 25 Poor family member health 50 50 50 80 67 100 100 33 25 50 Many costs for treating the disease 0 0 20 33 0 50 50 50 Source: Survey data of farmer households, 2017 The temporary impact of food shortages also differed according to cropping patterns in households (Table 3.5) In the high flooded area, the households group of rice production had a high rate of malnourished or retarded children and bad health of family members was higher than the households group of upland crop farming Whereas, in the center area, the bad health of family members was high in the group of upland crop farming and highquality rice production, compared with gardening group In the coastal area, food shortages affected the physical fitness of children, family members, and treatment costs were high in the rice-shrimp group compared to the shrimp farming group Thus, the diversity of cropping patterns increased food supplies, reducing the impact of temporary food shortages on the health status of household members 25 3.4 Solutions and lessons learned 3.4.1 Technical solution The research results showed that the demand for technical assistance in agricultural production in eco-regions was high In particular, techniques to improve soil nutrition due to rice monoculture and excessive intensification need to be applied more in the central and high flooded areas The supporting techniques helped farmers improving production capacity to create more services (off-farm and non-agricultural) and increasing income for households such as: farm management skills in linking the value chain of production (cooperation and Clubs), applying mechanization and advance techniques in model fields to reduce production costs The storage of fresh water to grow rice was essential to ensure food security, but required new techniques in the transition to increase income for food producers and improve the quality of products to meet the food market in the future 3.4.2 Policy solution Research results showed that policies need to be improved to be more appropriate (such as loans, stabilization of prices and quality of inputs, output markets, breeding, water and environmental management) by region and cropping patterns Furthermore, policies related to the food security (such as: protection and land used of rice farming) should be considered for each region and specific time period In addition, it was necessary to upgrade the irrigation and transport systems for the diversification of agricultural production; Specifically, these systems could not only design and operate for to rice crops/year, but must be flexible for growing upland crops, orchards, and aquaculture to make more profit and improve agricultural production environment 3.4.3 Lessons Learned The research results showed that diversification production, restructuring of agriculture and rural development in the MD over 26 the past time according to the Government's policy had changed the face in the new rural communes However, these changes were still small and limited in application of advance science and new technology in agricultural production The model fields and the large-scale fields were not many, and the value chain linkage models were not sustainable While the trend of land degradation in the central and flooded area was increasing due to intensive farming in rice production and the change in flood regime In the coastal areas, the abnormal changes in water salinity, together with increasingly extreme weather changes, which had affected agricultural production activities in the study sites Therefore, the diversification production needed long-term oriented policies and prediction of impact factors in preventing risks of agricultural production At the same time, investing in irrigation systems met agricultural production diversity and adapted to climate change Particularly, farmers had changes in their approach to advance techniques to produce crops and animals with high economic value to meet market needs Ensuring food security was not only maintaining farmland for food crops, but also was improving the quality of agricultural products to increase income and diversify alternative products Chapter 4: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 4.1 Conclusion The process of agricultural transformation in the Mekong delta region going up from agriculture for food security, diversification production for export, climate change adaptation by ecological region, and the future of agriculture high-tech value chain At each time of transition, it had had a positive impact on economic growth and stabilizing social security in the region Although the contribution of the agricultural sector had decreased gradually following the process of economic restructuring, the total value of production still increaseed every year In particular, rice production remained stable (about million hectares), upland crops and short-term industrial crops change with each time of market demand In particular, the area of aquaculture farming 27 increased rapidly (nearly 800,000 hectares), becoming an important economic sector in the Mekong delta Diversification of agricultural production increased household income by region and cropping patterns, thus improving farm household livelihood sources Total income and household income diversity index (SID) in freshwater areas were higher than in salinewater areas (from 123 to 196 million compared to 119 million VND/household/year; and household income diversity index from 0.21 to 0.28 compared to -0.18) In each ecological region, households with diversified production models gave higher income than commercial rice households Diversification of agricultural production improved the content of food security in the farm household The resulting diversification was not only increasing food supplies and responding well to the effects of temporary food shortages, but also increased accessing to food and nutritional resources through increased household income sources Technical solutions and supporting policies suitable for each eco-region were necessary for agricultural production diversity This helped farmers improve their capacity to effectively implement of cropping patterns; At the same time, it also opened up opportunities for providing services to increase income and contribute to ensuring food security for farmers 4.2 Recommendation There was a need to continue research evaluating agricultural diversification for a wide range of target groups (including ethnic minorities) in different agricultural regions to have more comprehensive impact assessments for regions across the country In addition, it was necessary to review and adjust land use plans to be more suitable for each region; At the same time, upgrade the production support service systems more for the regions where production had been transformed to meet the trend of high quality agricultural production 28 ... 2295-8010 Le Canh Dung, Vo Van Ha, Vo Van Tuan, Dang Kieu Nhan, John Ward and Peter Brown, 2017 Financial capacity of ricebased farming households in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam In Asian Journal of... regions were often higher than in other regions and in the medium household group were more than in other groups (Duong Ngoc Thanh et al., 2008; Vo Van Tuan and Le Canh Dung, 2015) Other assessments... Office Excel and SPSS 20.0 software to analyze data ANOVA variance analysis, Duncan test and T-test were used to compare differences between means Meanwhile, the correlation function and linear
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