Agricultural and Rural Development

In Mekong countries, agriculture, forestry, and aquaculture constitute major sources of earning for the poor and nearly two thirds of the rural population. However, agriculture is highly affected by climate change and extreme weather events, as well as price fluctuations of inputs and outputs. Further, while achievements in agriculture and rural development have contributed significantly to the economy and environmental sustainability of Mekong countries, agricultural production in these countries has negative effects on the environment through pollution and the degradation of the quality of land and water sources. Productivity is reaching a limit, and further research is necessary to address the problems facing agriculture in rural areas.

 

MDRI contributes valuable input to national policy formulation and implementation by working to raise awareness on the importance of investment in the agricultural sector and rural development as a crucial instrument to eradicate poverty and improve food security. We demonstrate this by emphasizing the linkage between agricultural livelihoods and economic empowerment. In our research, we cover a wide range of topics related to agricultural development, especially in the context of rising globalization and economic integration. By addressing emerging and urgent topics, we provide important inputs to policy-makers.

 

In 2013-2014, MDRI completed a project for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment that assessed land use and management of areas under the Vietnam Land Administration Project. This assessment evaluated ethnic minorities’ accessibility to land services, land use and management of ethnic minorities, and the effectiveness of awareness raising activities through the study of community participation and use of mass media. In the same time period, we provided an assessment of the export potential of the agriculture sector in Vietnam for the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency, which evaluated the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges of different agricultural product groups and identified key areas of intervention and related policies that can promote future export growth.

Research on Agriculture Insurance in Vietnam
EUDR assessment of the coffee and timber sector in Vietnam
Advancing Jurisdictional Sustainability in Vietnam, focusing on the Central Highlands Region
Strengthening the resilience of smallholder agriculture to climate change-induced water insecurity in the Central Highlands and South-Central Coast regions of Vietnam (GCF2-SACCR Project) – Baseline Data Collection
Endline Survey for the Project of “Improved business through seasonal forecasting for coffee in Vietnam” (WeFoCoS Project)
Research for Climate-Smart Agriculture in Vietnam: Climate Change Response Modeling and Application
Project-level endline assessment of the Australia-Vietnam Program for Gender Equality in Agriculture and Tourism (GREAT)
Study on Gender Impacts of Climate Change in Vietnam
Project-level midterm assessment of the Australia-Vietnam Program for Gender Equality in Agriculture and Tourism (GREAT)
AgResults Emissions Reduction Field Survey in Vietnam
Baseline Data Collection for Sustainable Pepper Project in Vietnam
Cao Lanh Bridge Impact Evaluation – Midline Survey
Central Highlands Poverty Reduction Project Impact Evaluation – Endline Survey
EOWE/FLOW Mid-term Review using Women’s Empowerment In Agriculture Index (WEAI) Survey
Rural Piped Water Connection Project – End line Survey and Willingness-to-accept Elicitation Experiment
Monitoring 2030 Agenda implementation in Vietnam
In-depth Reviews of SDGs 1, 2, 3, 4
The Baseline Survey for Scaling up Rural Water Supply and Sanitation in Vietnam
Rural household survey for “Towards more profitable and sustainable vegetable farming systems in north-western Vietnam” project
Rural piped water connection project – Baseline survey & Monitoring survey
Rural piped water connection project – Time preference elicitation experiment
Policies for sustainable coffee development
Household survey on Rural Piped Water Connection Project in My Huong commune
Export potential assessment of agricultural products