Stresses from salinity, droughts, floods, and heat
Current smallholder farming systems in the coastal areas of the Mekong Delta are under growing pressure owing to the increasing salinisation of surface water and accumulation of salt in the soil. Price volatility and government demands to switch to salt-based farming systems are putting even more pressures on farmers. A system perspective is necessary to understand the implications of new farming systems, and policy implementation must take local realities into account.
So, how can farmers cope with these pressures? It depends on their specific situation. Farmers operate in a variety of conditions. For example, they own different amounts of land, which usually translates into them having varying levels of wealth. It is also common for farmers to seek additional sources of income besides farming. We carried out a series of focus group discussions with farmers and local administrative workers to explore the similarities and differences of various groups of farmers in three selected sites. We let the stakeholders have their say about how they considered their situations and what room for manoeuvre they saw.
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