Characterizing dairy farm diversity and sustainability in Vietnam: Case study in suburban Hanoi

Abstract

In Vietnam, public policies tend to support the development of large (> 30 cows) or industrial (> 500 cows) dairy farms. However, despite the recent expansion of these large farms, very small family farms still play a major role in national milk production. To contribute to the discussion on the models of farms worth promoting, we aimed to characterize the diver­sity of dairy farms in the district of Ba Vi in suburban Hanoi, and to assess their sustainability. In total 160 dairy farms were selected to represent the diversity of farms in the area. Direc­tional interviews were conducted with farmers on the various types of capital available on the farm, on livestock-husbandry and milk-marketing practices, and on farm economic, envi­ronmental and social performances. A multiple factor analysis, followed by hierarchical clustering enabled us to establish a farm typology. An industrial farm and five types of family dairy farms were identified in the district, mainly differentiated by the number and type of agricultural and non-agricultural activ­ities, the dairy-herd size, and milk production intensification. The performance indicators of the specialized farms revealed higher economic profitability than in more diversified farms. However, mixed farms also had economic (adaptive flexibil­ity), environmental (fodder autonomy) and social (employ­ment, workload) assets that were related to the diversity of their agricultural and non-agricultural activities. Although policies tend to support the development of specialized farms and large farms, support programs must also include small farms with agricultural and non-agricultural activities, as they also play an essential role in the sustainable development of national dairy production.