Livelihood Capabilities and Pathways of Shrimp Farmers in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Abstract

& Shrimp farming is a major livelihood activity in the Mekong Delta in the southernmost part of Vietnam. The Vietnamese government has promoted shrimp farming as a way to reduce poverty, provide employment opportunities and increase exports to support economic development. The shrimp farming system, however, is economically and ecologically risky and may negatively influence the environment and the sustainability of local people's livelihoods. Because very little is known about the diversity of strategies people employ to deal with these risks, a study was performed in the Mekong Delta across four shrimp farming systems: (1) improved extensive non-forest, (2) mixed mangrove-shrimp, (3) intensive and (4) clustered intensive. The risks and livelihood strategies that were encountered differed systematically across the four farming systems. It was found that the uncertainties that the shrimp farmers faced include limited access rights to the mangrove forest, crop failure due to regular occurrence of shrimp disease, high investment costs and volatile markets for shrimp. Shrimp farmers have created several strategies for coping with these uncertainties, including redesigning farms, producing salt, changing the species farmed from Penaeus monodon to Penaeus vannamei, becoming involved in a cooperative cluster, integrating aquaculture and agriculture, and farming shrimp by organic standards.

Fishery livelihoods and (non-)compliance with fishery regulations—A case study in Ca Mau Province, Mekong Delta, Viet Nam

“…Sixty-five percent of the parents did not want their children to become fishers, and 54% of households considered their livelihood worse than it was 10 years ago. Although the mean annual net income per household of approximately VND 40 million (USD 2300) was not lower and even higher than that from aquaculture (VND 34 million) [46], fishers were not satisfied with their job because of the high risks and uncertainties. Fishing villages are usually located in distant areas with little access to education and alternative job opportunities.…”

Multifunctionality and agrarian transition in alternative agro‐food production in the global South: The case of organic shrimp certification in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

“…This shows that farmers value the ecological services of mangroves together with the economical return expected from this farming method. In terms of multifuctionality, Ha et al () report that the majority of mangrove–shrimp farmers in Nam Can district reported that mangroves play an important role in maintaining ecological function and thus in the success of shrimp farming. Also, harvests other than tiger shrimp diversify their livelihood for both market and subsistence purposes, at a lower cost than other methods.…”

“…Even though when mangroves get to year 11 or older they can be harvested (Ha et al , ), the calculation of benefit sharing between forestry companies and shrimp farmers is unclear and unfair (Ha et al , , ). Thus farmers sometimes cut some mangrove or do not care about the quality of the mangrove forest (Ha et al , , ). Farmers are also concerned that mangroves occupy too much of the water surface that could otherwise be used for shrimp farming or that older mangroves do not provide effective habitat for shrimp (Ha et al , ).…”

Shrimp Aquaculture, Social Capital, and Food Security in Rural Vietnam

“…Despite its distance from major commercial and industrial centers, the village represents well the legacy of rapid economic development that has transformed much of rural, coastal Vietnam (Ha et al. ; Thu and Populus ).…”

“…Dông Hải Commune is a fairly isolated village in Duyên Hải District, 70 kilometers from the provincial capital, TràVinh, and about 275 kilometers from the commercial center of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City (Figure 1). Despite its distance from major commercial and industrial centers, the village represents well the legacy of rapid economic development that has transformed much of rural, coastal Vietnam (Ha et al 2013;Thu and Populus 2007).…”