Intercropping in coffee farms in Vietnam: motives and barriers to adoption and its impacts on farmers

Mono-cropping in coffee production has long been associated with market and health risks for farmers and environmental degradation in Vietnam.

Intercropping coffee systems (ICS), where coffee is grown in a mixture with other species, have emerged as a more sustainable alternative. Despite its multiple potential benefits, ICS uptake remains uncertain, being largely driven by market signals.

This project aims to investigate farmer behaviour in ICS adoption, its impacts on farmers, and effective policy instruments to support the transition towards ICS.

The objectives are to i) identify coffee farmers´ motives and barriers towards intercropping adoption, ii) assess its effects on farms´ economic performance, food security, and pesticide exposures, iii) assess coffee yields and crop nutrient use in ICS and mono-coffee farms, and iv) explore policy options for supporting ICS adoption.We will employ Theory of Planned Behaviour and Transtheoretical Model, impact assessment tools, coupled with a choice experiment and policy engagement tools.

Building upon the expertise from agricultural economics, agronomy, rural development, environmental sociology and integrating them with local knowledge, this project will enable the co-production of new knowledge to inform policies for intercropping in Vietnam.

The project findings are also relevant for other developing countries in Southeast Asia, where there is limited uptake of intercropping in perennial cropping systems.