Farmer Perceptions and Demand for Pesticide Use: A Case Study of Rice Production in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Rice farmers’ perceptions and demand for pesticide use were analyzed using survey data in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. The study showed although the majority of farmers could recognize the harmful effects of pesticides, they did not wear protective clothing suggested by WHO for pesticide safety use because they did not feel comfortable to use under local climatic conditions. Most of farmers declared that they asked for information or instructions related to pesticide use and pest prevention from retailers (72.5 percent) and over half of them (52.5 percent) sold their pesticide empty packages. The study also investigated that an increase in output price or farmers who thought an increasing tendency of insects and diseases had positive impacts on pesticides, while farmers who had knowledge on natural enemies or took part in short trainings or workshops applied less pesticides than others

Assessing Consumer Preferences for Organic Vegetables: A Case Study in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

An increase in consumer’s demand for environmental and health quality has generated the movement of organic agriculture in terms of high-value products. Understanding consumer preferences is very necessary and important for policy-makers to design appropriate policies promoting and developing organic agriculture. This study employed a dichotomous choice contingent valuation model to analyze consumer’s willingness to pay for organic vegetables in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Results indicated that the majority of consumers were interested in organically grown products and willing to pay an average price premium of 59% for organic vegetables. Consumers concerned about health and food safety were more likely to purchase and those who have high household income and education also accepted to buy organic vegetables with higher price than conventional ones

The Demand of Urban Consumers for Safe Pork in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta

This study applied the contingent valuation method to analyze the consumers’ demand for the proposed safe pork. The data was collected by face-to-face interviewing 884 urban households in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta. The results revealed that the majority of consumers (about 64%) paid attention to the proposed safe pork. Their willingness to pay was about VND 176,000 ($ 7.65) per kg, nearly double compared to the market price of conventional pork. The results showed that the respondents who had higher household income, larger proportion of elderly and children in the family, paid higher price of a conventional pork, and get more knowledge score on the safe pork are more likely, while the respondents who have more number of family members are less likely to pay for the proposed safe pork

Transaction Cost, Price Risk Perspective and Marketing Channel Decision of Small-Scale Chili Farmers in Tra VInh Province, Vietnam

The aim of this study is to determine the marketing channel and the factors affecting farmer’s selection of a distribution channel of chili produced in Tra Vinh province, Vietnam. With primary data of 193 chili farmers, the study based on the theory of transaction cost economics to estimate the determinants of marketing channels using the approach of the Probit model. The results showed that the marketing choice decision of chili farmers was affected by transaction costs, price risk attitude and farmers’ characteristics. Cooperatives mainly used seedling supply as an interlocked exchange to encourage farmers to remain in the cooperative channel. The finding also revealed that cooperative channel was not just the preferred channel when farmers were confronted with selling pressure due to the perishable nature of the chili, but also was a safe channel for more risk-averse farmers