Farmers’ decisions to adapt to flash floods and landslides in the Northern Mountainous Regions of Vietnam

Abstract

Understanding household's decision making in agricultural production to natural hazards is significant for policymakers and extension organizations in supporting farmers to optimize adaptive strategies, there are, however, still limited empirical researches that emphasize the determinants affecting the choice of measures in the process of adaptation. This paper explores the decision-making process of rural households in adapting to flash floods and landslides (FF&LS) by conducting a household survey on 405 purposively selected households in Yen Bai province, one of the poorest mountainous regions in Vietnam. Based on the multi-portfolio framework, the study assumes that farmers have multiple choice of adaptation strategies simultaneously and these adaptation measures are correlative. Multivariate Probit models were used to figure out the household decision making process in adapting to FF&LS. Survey results showed that changing cropping patterns, crop variegation, diversifying types of crop varieties, as well as managing and implementing crop protection (soil and plant) are the primary adaptation measures applied by local farmers. Furthermore, lack of money, inadequate support from local government, shortage of machinery and technical equipment, as well as insufficient knowledge about FF&LS were listed as major constraints in the study area. The MVP analysis indicated that all farmers’ perception, socio-economic, farming features, and institutional conditions strongly influence the farmers’ adaptation decisions regarding FF&LS. Future policies may therefore need to consider these major contributing factors with appropriate interventions to facilitate suitable adaptations for local farmers.