Issues of Rice Policy in the Lower Mekong Basin

Abstract

The commercialisation of rice farming in the Lower Mekong Basin has been at the centre of that region’s remarkable journey out of poverty and food insecurity since the 1970s. A development strategy that centred on opening rice farming to productivity-enhancing investments had the double effect of increasing the incomes of large numbers of poor rural households while generating a marketable surplus to supply the rapidly growing urban population at low prices. The growth in export demand further added to the incomes of rice farmers in the more productive parts of the Basin. Thus, a development pathway emerged that was driven by political necessity to be broadly based and inclusive. However, the very success of this pathway has created new policy issues, requiring adjustments in the long-term emphasis on the intensification of smallholder rice production. The growth in production has led to a decline in prices while costs have been increasing. This has led to pressure from rice farmers for price support. Related policy issues include the persistence of smallholdings, the growing preference for more diversified farming systems, the role of the processing and exporting sectors, and the changing physical environment in the Basin. This chapter examines policies influencing access to resources (specifically, to land, water, and technology), the management of farm activities (whether specialised in production of high-quality rice or diversified into production of non-rice crops), and the appropriation of value (as determined by interventions in the marketing and pricing of paddy and rice).

Sustainable rice production in the Mekong River Delta: Factors influencing farmers’ adoption of the integrated technology package “One Must Do, Five Reductions” (1M5R)

“…The natural area of the MRD in Vietnam is 39,747 km 2 and the region is also home to 17.3 million people, of which approximately 80% are engaged in rice production, farming on a total of 1.6 million hectares (GSO, 2020). Although the average farm size for rice cultivation is 1 hectare (ha) per household, most landholdings (48%) are within the range of 0.5 to 2 ha (Ministry of Industry and Trade, 2017), 38% hold less than 0.5 ha (Cramb, 2020), and 10% have more than 2 ha (World Bank, 2016). For many decades farming methods have been steadily improving to meet the growing needs of the rice market.…”

Agricultural commercialisation, asset growth and poverty in rural Vietnam

“…Mainly motivated by food security concerns induced by the food price spikes in 2007/2008 and the continued importance of rice as a staple crop, large farmland areas are still designated for rice production. The paddy field designation policy restricts the conversion of paddy fields from rice to other crops (Huy & Nguyen, 2019) and rice export controls persist, despite the fact that by the mid‐2010s, rice contributed only 7% of the national GDP and 2% of export revenue (Cramb, 2020, p. 444). The goals of sustaining 3.8 million ha of paddy (rice) land and the restriction upon the conversion of paddy land are manifested in resolution No.…”