Massive withdrawal of groundwater resources due to population growth and rapid industrialization has led to seawater intrusion into the coastal aquifers across the globe. The problem is an emerging challenge as the coastal areas host ≈40% of the total global population. Impacts of the seawater intrusion on the health of the local community, economic and socio-cultural developments in the coastal areas have led to a wide variety of research being conducted. The objective of the present study is to provide a detailed review of the processes that control the seawater intrusion into the coastal aquifers and the necessary measures to mitigate the same. Various methods of investigation and their applicability are explained. Finally, the status of seawater intrusion in India has been discussed in greater detail.

Seawater intrusion in the coastal aquifers of India - A review

Why are cluster farmers adopting more aquaculture technologies and practices? The role of trust and interaction within shrimp farmers' networks in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

What drives the adoption of integrated shrimp mangrove aquaculture in Vietnam

Understanding the potential of eco-certification in salmon and shrimp aquaculture value chains

Rural revitalization of Xiamei: The development experiences of integrating tea tourism with ancient village preservation

Agriculture and rural development has continuously been a hot debate and received significant attention from literature. In this context, endogenous development is considered to be basic approach for rural development strategies in many countries of which the Japanese model namely One Village One Product (OVOP) is a successful one. This paper studies the OVOP movement and analyzes its early adaption in Vietnam, the so-called One Commune One Product (OCOP). This question is addressed by reviewing the existing literature on OVOP following by a case study in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam. The results, reveal, in practice, despite some criticism, OCOP strategy in general generate employment opportunities, incomes; enhance creativity and capability of local people.

One Village One Product (OVOP)—A Rural Development Strategy and the Early Adaption in Vietnam, the Case of Quang Ninh Province

Dak Lak province, Central Highlands, Vietnam presents an interesting case in perennial crop systems, of which coffee and black pepper are the two premier commodities and contribute a large part to economic growth provincially and at the national level. In recent years, in addition to mono-cropping systems, intercropping systems for diversification have developed quickly. This paper focuses on (1) comparing the economic efficiency of mono-coffee systems (MCSes), mono-pepper systems (MPSes), and coffee and pepper intercropping (CPI) by analyzing startup cost, annual cost, and profits; and (2) identifying the main factors affecting farmers’ decisions to convert their crop systems. The study was carried out by investigating 90 perennial crop samples using the three perennial crop systems (MCSes, MPSes, and CPI) in 2017–2018. Additionally, in-depth interviews and focus group discussion (FGD) methods were applied to collect more information about the operations of each system. Another survey with 37 samples (new plantations) was carried out to compute the startup cost. The findings showed evidence that MCSes had the lowest startup and annual costs, whereas MPSes had the highest costs of the three perennial crop systems. MCSes used less manure or compost in the initial setup and overused chemical fertilizer in annual production. Similarly, MPSes had high pesticide-stimulant costs in the production process to sustain crop development. The study indicated that CPI not only had the highest economic efficiency, but also created the best family employment opportunities of the three systems. Additionally, the study found some social factors that strongly influenced farmers’ decisions to shift their cropping system: These included ethnicity, education, training, and crop failure, in addition to economic factors (profits).

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/1/81/pdf

Economic Analysis of Perennial Crop Systems in Dak Lak Province, Vietnam

The study was conducted in Xuan Thuy National Park to provide a comparative assessment of different farming systems under the context of the coastal zone development of Vietnam. Based on a sample of 234 farmers in this area, SCP (Structure–Conduct–Performance) analysis revealed three farming systems: integrated aquaculture–mangrove (IAM), intensive shrimp (ISH), and rice-based (RB) farming. The evaluation of farm performance among the systems indicated that ISH incurred the highest values of variable cost and sustainable family income. Meanwhile, IAM obtained the lowest production cost due to the availability of allocated natural resources. The imbalance of applying synthesized fertilizers and an overdependence on nitro-based fertilizers were reported in the case of RB systems. In comparison with the other coastal areas of Vietnam, these farming systems achieved a lower level of production efficiency. It is urgent for policy makers to take action to promote sustainable farming practices in accordance with the stringent enforcement of environmental standards to reduce potential impacts and strengthen the coexistence of systems. Additionally, the purpose of securing rural livelihood under coastal development is aligned with the recommended solutions for economic improvement in this study.

https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/9/7/138/pdf

Dynamics of Farming Systems under the Context of Coastal Zone Development: The Case of Xuan Thuy National Park, Vietnam

Integration of farmers in the shrimp subsector in the Mekong River Delta, Vietnam

Nowadays, Vietnam is known as a developing country with a fast-growing economy. Agriculture is the main traditional sector which plays an important role in Vietnamese economic growth and development. Improving the efficiency of agricultural production towards sustainable development is one of the country’s national economic development goals. This study aims to measure the efficiency of the orange farms which have created jobs and improved living standards for people in Tuyen Quang province, Vietnam. A comprehensive literature review, key informant interviews, and a structured questionnaire were applied in this research for data collection. The data envelopment analysis (DEA) model was applied to evaluate the technical, allocative, cost, and scale efficiencies. The main results of this analysis show that the orange farms have high scores for technical and scale efficiencies. On the other hand, the research reveals low levels of cost and allocative efficiencies. This is in line with the fact that though the farms’ owners have extensive experience in orange cultivation and receive periodic technical training, they still have low levels of education and a lack of economic management expertise. The study results also propose optimal input allocation for the orange farmers. The research could provide crucial information to farms’ owners, the local government, and agricultural planners for formulating effective strategies to improve agricultural sustainability.

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/8/3170/pdf

Thi Minh Hop Ho

Papers

One Village One Product (OVOP)—A Rural Development Strategy and the Early Adaption in Vietnam, the Case of Quang Ninh Province

Economic Analysis of Perennial Crop Systems in Dak Lak Province, Vietnam

Dynamics of Farming Systems under the Context of Coastal Zone Development: The Case of Xuan Thuy National Park, Vietnam

Integration of farmers in the shrimp subsector in the Mekong River Delta, Vietnam

Efficiency Analysis of the Progress of Orange Farms in Tuyen Quang Province, Vietnam towards Sustainable Development