This study provides an overview of the postharvest loss situation of selected vegetable crops as perceived by the various supply chain actors in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. It investigates the volume and value of vegetable losses upstream along the supply chain, and identifies the main reasons and the preventive measures undertaken at each stage in the supply chain to abate postharvest losses. Loss estimates are compared by supply chain actor, country and crop. This study finds that the average loss of the selected vegetables is about 17%, and that farmers are the most vulnerable group compared to middlemen and retailers who both have more control on product prices. It recommends developing measures to contain disease problems for farmers, and improving marketing efficiency through standardisation of product quality for middlemen and retailers.
PurposeThis study aims to investigate the food choice motivations of rural households using a cross-sectional dataset of 510 households from northwest Vietnam interviewed in 2016.Design/methodology/approachA modified Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) is used to assess factors related to food choice and explore relationships between food choice factors, diet quality and various sociodemographic characteristics.FindingsResults show four distinct food choice factors: “Natural and healthy,” “Familiarity,” “Balanced diet” and “Convenience.” Two distinct consumer clusters are identified: “Health-conscious” households and “Pragmatic” households. “Health-conscious” households rank “Balanced diet” and “Natural and healthy” highly, while “Pragmatic” households prioritize “Convenience” and “Familiarity.” “Health-conscious” households have significantly more diverse diets, are wealthier and have a greater geographic concentration in the high vegetable density per capita-high elevation areas (36%). Their main food preparers are more educated and about 13% have Kinh ethnicity.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research is warranted to explore the temporal dimension of parental food choice motivations given the changing agrifood system in Vietnam.Originality/valueThis study is one of the few studies that assess the food choice motivations among ethnic minority groups in a rural setting.
Childhood undernutrition, particularly stunting, wasting, and micronutrient deficiencies, remains a major health concern in rural Vietnam. While literature suggests leveraging agriculture to improve child nutrition via agricultural diversification, market engagement, and women's empowerment, very few studies have empirically explored how smallholder vegetable production can influence household nutrition. This paper examines the association of household-level vegetable diversity, market access, and market participation with nutrition outcome measures of children in smallholder households. We use a cross-sectional household dataset, collected in 2016 in northwest Vietnam, covering 234 children aged 6–60 months. We estimate and compare the results of regression models using three-stage least squares (3SLS), ordinary least squares (OLS), logistic regression, and seemingly unrelated regression (SUR), to explore variations in six nutrition outcome measures: height-for-age z-score (HAZ), weight-for-height z-score (WHZ), weight-for-age z-score (WAZ), stunting, wasting, and underweight. Our results suggest smallholder vegetable production has a significant indirect association with children's nutrition status via market participation. Market participation is an important factor in improving girls' HAZ and WHZ, and in reducing the probability of boys being stunted and underweight. The additional income from selling vegetables allows households to purchase nutritious food, which is likely to have a positive impact on children's nutrition outcomes.
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