DUONG Le Thanh

NI Duong Van

SANH Nguyen Van

THANH Duong Ngoc

TUYEN Nguyen Quang

YAMAZAKI Ryoichi

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 Introduction In Vietnam,a liberalization policy called Doi Moi has been applied to the agricultural domain since 1988. The purpose of this paper is to clarify how the agricultural structure of the Mekong Delta of Vietnam has changed under Doi Moi.According to the 1994 agricultural census (the only such census conducted in Vietnam to date)medium-sized farmers (1-3ha of land)comprised 32.5% of total farmers, indicating their high distribution rate. Nevertheless, existing statistical data are unilluminating on our topic;therefore,we selected field survey as an effective research method.There are two primary institutional factors that have played a role in this situation. First, in Vietnam,after the promulgation of the 1988 land law, the land formerly held by agricultural cooperatives was allocated to farmhouses in proportion to the available manpower of each farmhouse. Second, the 1993 land law imposes an upper limit of farmland retention of 3ha for a farmhouse (in the case of annual crop planting).Therefore, the above-mentioned results of the 1994 census seem to reflect the effects of farmland allocation based on these land laws.The question at hand is how the agricultural structure has changed since 1994. Kerkvliet et al.［3］suggest that farmers polarized into two distinct classes under Doi Moi (rural enterprise and landless people). Are the facts that came to light in the 1994 census the starting point of this polarization?Or is the increase in the numbers of medium-sized farmers a later development?Research methodology For the purposes of this study,the data analyzed included statistical data published by the General Statistical Office of Hanoi to construct Fig.1,as well as data on the rural-residential household,collected by survey to construct tables. The latter included data on about 1,100 households,with about 440 households investigated at 2 points in time and counted as 880 households. The periods of survey were 1993 (about  340 households,data collected as part of the Oxfam project) and 1996-1998 (approximately 760 households,data collected as part of the JIRCAS project). In order to analyze the collected data,we adopted the methodology of agricultural structure analysis described by Kajii et al.［2］and used in Japan during the post-WWII period.Fig.1 shows the Mekong Delta divided into several agricultural zones,based on soil fertility and agricultural land size per household; our research sites are plotted (Yamazaki ［6］).Trung An village, located in Can Tho province belongs to a zone characterized by medium fertility soil and a paddy cropping frequency of from two to three times annually. In this village,we randomly selected 20 households from each?Paper presented at seminar of 24 October 2001 in Can Tho University(Vietnam)??Faculty of Dairy Science,Rakuno Gakuen University,Ebetsu,Hokkaido,069-8501,Japan??Mekong Delta Farming Systems RD Institute,Can Tho University,Can Tho City,Vietnam Ryoichi YAMAZAKI??, Duong Van NI??, Duong Ngoc THANH??,Nguyen Quang TUYEN??,Nguyen Van SANH??and Le Thanh DUONG??（October 2001）Changes in the Agricultural Structure of the Mekong Delta of Vietnam?J.Rakuno Gakuen Univ.,26(2):99～104(2002)farmer class of the village (rich farmer,middle-class farmer,poor farmer)and 10 land less people for a total of 70 households,and surveyed them in 1996. Although Hoa An village of Can Tho province is also characterized by medium fertility soil,this village belongs to a zone whose paddy cropping frequency is twice annually. All households of the two hamlets of this village,approximately 340 in 1993(at the time of the first survey),were surveyed twice (in 1993 and 1997),and the changes between these periods were observed. Additionally,in a new settlement site for landless people in Hoa An village, we conducted the census survey for about 130 households (number at the time of the first survey)in 1997 and 1998. The two research sites of Long An province (Go Den and Tan Buu villages)belong to a zone characterized by low fertility soil and a paddy cropping frequency of from once to twice annually. We randomly selected 33 households from each social class of the villages (rich farmer, middle-class farmer,poor farmer,landless people), totaling about 130 households,and surveyed them in 1997.Changes in agricultural structure and functions of farmer organization:A case study of existing hamlets in Hoa An village Table 1 shows changes in household number according to land-holding size from 1993 to 1997 at the two studied hamlets of Hoa An village.100  Ryoichi YAMAZAKI et al.Fig.1 Agricultural zones and saline water intrusion in the Mekong Delta (Yamazaki［6］)Table 1  Number of households by land size Class  1993  1997  Variation＜0.1ha  73  58 －15 0.1－0.5  76  82  6 0.5－1.0  95  81 －14 1.0－1.5  44  47  3 1.5－2.0  20  30  10?2.0  33  31 －2 Total  341  329 －12 Ex.) The number of households who belonged to the class of more than two hectare ranged from 33 to 31 during the period 1993-97,representing a decrease of two.Source:Survey in two hamlets, Hoa An village, Phung Hiep district,Can Tho province,carried out in 1993 and 1997.Note the following four changes which can be seen in this data (Yamazaki et al.［5］):first, the set of households whose land totaled 0.5-1.0ha decreased by 14 (95→ 81), which reveals the general tendency of farmers of this class to polarize to both the upper and lower classes.However,second,in the polarization process,the upward development of farmers was curved, as shown by the fact that the number of households with the largest  amount  of land (?2.0ha)decreased. Third, households with little land intensively migrate to other areas, as shown by the plummeting  number (73→ 58) of the smallest-sized households (＜0.1ha, including landless). Fourth, therefore, the number of medium-sized farmers (1.5-2.0ha) increased the most markedly (20→ 30) and farmers in the research site tended to concentrate into this class.A comparison of the 1997 land distribution among land-holding classes at the research site with that of 1993 confirms again the idea that land concentrates into the medium-sized class (1.5-2.0 ha);the total land area attributed to this class increased the most substantially,from 34ha in 93 to 52ha in 97 (Table 2).Observation of the total cropping areas by crop in the relevant hamlets shows that paddy cropping occupied 68% of the total cropping area,a strong preference for this utilization of the land (Table 3). However, deviation from the predominant Changes in the Agricultural Structure of the Mekong Delta of Vietnam Table 2  Land distribution among land size classes(1993) (unit:ha,%)Class  Total (ha) Average(ha) %＜0.1ha  1.0  0  0.4 0.1－0.5  19.1  0.3  7.1 0.5－1.0  68.0  0.7  25.2 1.0－1.5  54.6  1.2  20.2 1.5－2.0  34.3  1.7  12.7?2.0  93.1  2.8  34.5 Total  270.2  0.8  100(1997)Class  Total (ha) Average(ha) %＜0.1ha  1.0  0  0.4±0 0.1－0.5  21.3  0.3  7.8△0.7 0.5－1.0  58.2  0.7  21.4▼3.8 1.0－1.5  57.9  1.2  21.3△1.1 1.5－2.0  51.5  1.7  18.9△6.2?2.0  82.1  2.6  30.2▼4.3 Total  272.0  0.8  100 Ex.) In 1997, 82.1ha of land belonged to the ?2ha class,representing 30.2% of the total land area in the surveyed hamlets. Contribution of this class to the total land area decreased by 4.3% during the period 1993-1997.Source:Survey in two hamlets, Hoa An village, Phung Hiep district,Can Tho province,carried out in 1993 and 1997.Table 3  Area planted with crops on agricultural land in 1997 (unit:ha,%)Class  Paddy Sugar cane  Vegetables  Total sown area Agricultural land (ha)Utilization rate(%)＜0.1ha  Average(ha) 0.0009  0.0009  0  0.0018  0.0018  100(%) 50  50  0  100 0.1－0.5  Average(ha) 0.1035 0.0838  0.0073  0.1946  0.1411  138(%) 53  43  4  100 0.5－1.0  Average(ha) 0.5122 0.2459  0.0056  0.7637  0.5315  144(%) 67  32  1  100 1.0－1.5  Average(ha) 1.0806 0.3504  0.0128  1.4438  0.9551  151(%) 75  24  1  100 1.5－2.0  Average(ha) 1.1603 0.8047  0.0043  1.9693  1.3767  143(%) 59  41  0  100?2.0  Average(ha) 2.0513 0.7029  0.0290  2.7832  1.8609  150(%) 74  25  1  100 Whole  Average(ha) 0.6055 0.2712  0.0081  0.8848  0.6077  146(%) 68  31  1  100 Ex.)On the average,the households in the? 2.0ha class planted 2.0513 ha of paddy,0.7029 ha of sugar cane and 0.029 ha of vegetables.The total planted area on their agricultural land was 2.7832 ha.The utilization rate of agricultural land was 150%.Source:Survey in two hamlets,Hoa An village,Phung Hiep district,Can Tho province,carried out in 1997.101 paddy land utilization appeared markedly in the medium-sized class (1.5-2.0ha), as the planting ratio of upland crops represented by sugarcane was the highest in this class(41%). Furthermore,the introduction ratios of fish, pig, and duck raising were the highest in the 1.5-2.0ha class,47%, 67%, and 43%, respectively, which shows that diversified farming was most promoted in this class (Table 4).It is worth noting that,in general,the availability of funding and technology are two necessary factors for farmers to be able to introduce diversified farming. In Hoa An village,various organizations such as Farmers’Union, and Women’s Union,organized under the umbrella of the Vietnam Fatherland Front(VFF),have played an important role in promoting and providing both funding and technology. The VFF was organized in 1955 in North Vietnam succeeding the Viet Minh,and in 1977 in South Vietnam after the integration of two organizations(one of them is Nation Liberation Front)(Ishii［1］). The VFF is an organization that  has a hierarchical structure corresponding  to each class  of administrative organization. The smallest unit of the VFF exists at the village level in rural areas. When the VFF was organized in the South, the political aspects of the organization appeared to take precedence. However, the VFF has had to deal with the daily demands of its members and has challenged agricultural development. In Hoa An village, for example,this organization has been involved in the following  activities: 1) planning  of rural development  strategy; 2) organization of production groups (Piglet PGs, Muskovy Duck PGs,etc.);and 3)introduction of new varieties of pig, duck, and paddy through the production groups. Funding  for these activities  was provided by joint projects of Can Tho University and a NGO of UK,Oxfam (Ni& Xuan Chapter,Xuan et al.［4］).In addition, the participation rates in the Farmers’Union and the Women’s Union by the medium two classes (1.5-2.0ha and 1.0-1.5ha classes)were the highest among all the classes(circa 15%) at the study site (Table 5). This situation suggests that farmers of these two classes  play important  participation and management roles in these organizations.Differences of productivity in paddy cropping among the land size classes: A case study in Trung An,Go Den,and Tan Buu villages Table 6 shows land productivity in paddy cropping by land size class at the research sites(income and surplus of paddy cropping per 10a per year),which was computed by the formula shown in the table note. We included the value of paddy for home consumption in the gross income,evaluating this value at the home gate price of paddy. The value of self-supplied seed was also Table 4  Percentage of livestock-breeding,fish-breeding and fruit tree cultivation by land size class,1997 (unit:%)Class  Pigs  Chickens  Ducks Fish Fruits＜0.1ha  17.2  17.2  13.8  3.4  27.6 0.1－0.5  36.6  34.1  25.6  12.2  57.3 0.5－1.0  51.9  46.9  43.2  14.8  79.0 1.0－1.5  66.0  66.0  40.4  25.5  87.2 1.5－2.0  66.7  60.0  43.3  46.7  83.3?2.0  51.6  67.7  38.7  38.7  80.6 Whole  45.3  44.4  32.8  18.8  66.3 Ex.)Among the households in the? 2 ha class,51.6% raised pigs.Source:Survey in two hamlets, Hoa An village, Phung Hiep district,Can Tho province,carried out in 1997.Table 5  Participation in farmers’organizations by land size class,1997 (unit:%)Class  FU  WU  YG  RSG  EG  EC＜0.1ha  1.7  3.4  1.7  1.7  0  0 0.1－0.5 4.9  9.8  6.1  7.3  3.7  7.3 0.5－1.0 4.9  17.3  6.2  1.2  1.2  11.1 1.0－1.5 10.6  19.1  6.4  4.3  6.4  27.7 1.5－2.0 13.3  16.7  6.7  6.7  3.3  20.0?2.0  6.5  6.5  9.7  6.5  12.9  16.1 Whole  6.1  12.2  5.8  4.3  3.6  11.9 Acronym:Farmers’Union (FU),Women’s Union (WU),Youth Group (YG) Retired Soldier Group (RSG), Elder Group (EG),Extension Club (EC)Ex.) 6.5% of the households in the?2ha class participated in the FU.Source:Survey in two hamlets, Hoa An village, Phung Hiep district,Can Tho province,carried out in 1997.102  Ryoichi YAMAZAKI et al.calculated as a cost. In the computation of surplus,it is important to consider how the family labor cost should be evaluated. For the purpose of this study,we consider it to be 25,000 dong per day per person in all research sites,based on the wage structure of hired people there.We would like to make two observations concerning the data presented in Table 6. First,medium-sized farmers achieved the largest amount of surplus in paddy cropping in research sites both in Can Tho(2.0-3.5ha class)and in Long An (1.5-3.5ha class) provinces. Second, in Can Tho province,the paddy surplus of medium-sized farmers surpassed paddy incomes of the? 3.5ha class,while in Long An,the paddy surplus of the medium-sized farmers surpassed the paddy income of every other class. The latter point indicates the possibility that  medium-sized farmers of both sites could pay a land rental fee equivalent to the paddy income of these classes.According to our observations,the superiority of productivity in the medium-sized class depends primarily on the higher yield realized by this class,and reflects the higher level of agricultural technology in this class. Unfortunate location of the land was found to have a certain influence in the low agricultural income of the largest-sized class.Conclusion This paper can be summarized as the following:First, the number of medium-sized farmers has increased even under the Doi Moi policy.Second, we have observed a tendency toward polarization among  farmers, leading  to an increasing number of landless people. Third,the medium-sized farmers have realized a high productivity in paddy cropping superior to that of the other classes, and have successfully introduced diversified farming. Fourth,a strong foundation of the high productivity and successful diversified farming of medium-sized farmers can be found in the positive activities of organizations like the VFF. And finally, such organizations tend to attract medium-sized farmers as core members. There exists,therefore,an important link between the increasing  distribution of medium-sized farmers and the development of farmers’organizations.Acknowledgement The authors would like to express their appreciation to all  the staff members of MDFSRDI and JIRCAS for their cooperation in this research work.Table 6  Land productivity of rice cropping by land size class (unit:thousand dong/10a/year)1）Can Tho（Trung An),1996 Class  Income  Surplus0.1－1.0 1,044 7141.0－2.0 950 7262.0－3.5 1,073 945?3.5ha 885 777Whole 1,011 7832）Long An（Go Den＆ Tan Buu),1997 Class  Income  Surplus0.1－0.3 538 －30.3－0.5 496 1360.5－1.0 485 2681.0－1.5 489 3771.5－3.5 791 691?3.5ha 285 132Whole 511 2171)〝Income”is computed based on the following formula：Ｉ＝Ｏ－Ｍ－HL－Ｒ－Ｔwhereby O is the gross output,M is the material cost(including the depreciation),HL is the hired labor cost(hired labor working days＊25,000dong),Ｒ is the rent paid out,and T is the land tax．2)Surplus＝Income－Family labor cost3)〝Family labor cost”is computed based on the following formula：FL＝Family labor working days＊25,000dong Ex.) In Long An,the farmer of the0.1－0.3ha class derived538thousand dong per10a per year as income from rice cultivation.His family labor cost was beyond this value by3thousand dong per10a per year.Source:Survey in Trung An village,Thot Not district,Can Tho province,carried out in 1996.Survey in Go Den and Tan Buu villages,Ben Luc district,Long An province,carried out in 1997.103 Changes in the Agricultural Structure of the Mekong Delta of Vietnam References［1］Ishii,Y.ed.Vietnam no Jiten (Encyclopedia of Vietnam). Tokyo: Douhousya, 1999.［in Japanese］［2］Kajii,I.ed.Nouminsou Bunkairon I(Theories of peasants’ polarization I). Tokyo:Nousangyosonbunkakyoukai, 1985. ［in Japanese］［3］Kerkvliet,B.J.T.and Porter,D.J.Vietnam’s Rural Transformation. Colorado: Westview Press,1995.［4］Xuan,V.T.and Matsui,S.ed.Development of Farming Systems in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam.Ho Chi Minh City:Saigon Times,1998.［5］Yamazaki,R.and Ni,D.V.“Modification of Farmers’Differentiation Process and Role of Farmers’Organizations:A case study in Hoa An village, Mekong delta of Vietnam,”JIRCAS Journal for Scientific Papers, No.7,1999,pp.117-132.［6］Yamazaki,R.“Agricultural Zoning Based on an Economic Viewpoint in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam,”JIRCAS Journal for Scientific Papers,No.8,2000,pp.61-74.104  Ryoichi YAMAZAKI et al.

Changes in the Agricultural Structure of the Mekong Delta of Vietnam

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Changes in the Agricultural Structure of the Mekong Delta of Vietnam

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