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Paddy Cooperatives and Climate‐Smart Agriculture Adoption: A Case Study in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta

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  • Le Canh Bich Tho
  • Chieko Umetsu

Abstract

Agricultural cooperatives in Vietnam help smallholders improve economic benefits and support farmers adapt to external shocks. Various policies have been implemented in Vietnam to develop agricultural cooperatives. The climate‐smart agriculture (CSA) approach is integral to the promotion of sustainable agriculture. However, whether cooperatives facilitate households' adoption of CSA technologies remains unclear. This study examines how paddy farms' participation in cooperatives affects their CSA adoption. We use propensity score matching (PSM) to assess the influence of cooperatives on the adoption of climate‐smart agriculture. The study's key results suggest that participation in CSA training and location in coastal provinces positively influence engagement in cooperatives. In contrast, cooperative membership is negatively affected by farming plots and farmer association membership. PSM indicates that the role of cooperatives in advancing CSA adoption becomes significant when the intensity of technical support increases from 1.4 to 2.1 cropping seasons. Cooperative membership has heterogeneous effects across farm and household attributes. The effects are greater on farms with a production scale of

Suggested Citation

  • Le Canh Bich Tho & Chieko Umetsu, 2026. "Paddy Cooperatives and Climate‐Smart Agriculture Adoption: A Case Study in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 70(1), pages 87-101, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ajarec:v:70:y:2026:i:1:p:87-101
    DOI: 10.1111/1467-8489.70077
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