Agricultural and food systems in the Mekong region: Drivers of transformation and pathways of change

Abstract

Agricultural and food systems in the Mekong Region are undergoing transformations because of increasing engagement in international trade, alongside economic growth, dietary change and urbanisation. Food systems approaches are often used to understand these kinds of transformation processes, with particular strengths in linking social, economic and environmental dimensions of food at multiple scales. We argue that while the food systems approach strives to provide a comprehensive understanding of food production, consumption and environmental drivers, it is less well equipped to shed light on the role of actors, knowledge and power in transformation processes and on the divergent impacts and outcomes of these processes for different actors. We suggest that an approach that uses food systems as heuristics but complements it with attention to actors, knowledge and power improves our understanding of transformations such as those underway in the Mekong Region. The key transformations in the region include the emergence of regional food markets and vertically integrated supply chains that control increasing share of the market, increase in contract farming particularly in the peripheries of the region, replacement of crops cultivated for human consumption with corn grown for animal feed. These transformations are increasingly marginalising small-scale farmers, while at the same time, many other farmers increasingly pursue non-agricultural livelihoods. Food consumption is also changing, with integrated supply chains controlling substantial part of the mass market. Our analysis highlights that theoretical innovations grounded in political economy, agrarian change, development studies and rural livelihoods can help to increase theoretical depth of inquiries to accommodate the increasingly global dimensions of food. As a result, we map out a future research agenda to unpack the dynamic food system interactions and to unveil the social, economic and environmental impacts of these rapid transformations. We identify policy and managerial implications coupled with sustainable pathways for change.

One size doesn’t fit all: regional differences in priorities for food system transformation

“…The results of this regional consultation show the importance of taking regional perspectives into account in discussing pathways for food system transformation. It complements the emerging literature on food system transformation at a regional scale (Friend et al, 2019;Gill et al, 2018;Popkin & Reardon, 2018; and introduces a comprehensive regional comparison to a growing body of comparative studies on food system transformation (De Bruin et al, 2021Guijt et al, 2021Rivera et al, 2020;Vincente-Vincente, 2021). Moreover, this study shows that to realise inclusive food system transformation, we need to consider what regional food system actors consider the most urgent food system challenges, their most likely drivers and most promising strategies.…”

“…While an increasing amount of studies does focus on the required food system transformation in one region (Friend et al, 2019;Gill et al, 2018;Popkin & Reardon, 2018;, country (Bhunnoo & Poppy, 2020;Mergenthaler et al, 2009;Song et al, 2019) or city (Battersby, 2017;DVRPC, 2010) there is only a small group of studies which compare food system transformation needs and strategies between different regions (De Bruin et al, 2021Guijt et al, 2021Rivera et al, 2020;Vincente-Vincente, 2021) often focusing on a limited number of only 2 or 3 regions.…”

The Role of Social Enterprise Hybrid Business Models in Inclusive Value Chain Development

“…Thailand was chosen to participate in this research mainly because of the growing number of social enterprises in the Thailand agrifood sector in recent years [82]. In addition, while Thailand has been ranked amongst the world's top 5 countries producing and exporting food products for the global market, smallholders and growers still suffer from inequalities in value chains [83]. Moreover, given the maturity of the social enterprise sector in the UK, its cases also provide valuable lessons.…”

White Gold: The Commercialisation of Rice Farming in the Lower Mekong Basin

“…These policy dilemmas are linked with an array of other issues, including the persistence of smallholdings in the face of a perceived need for larger production units to achieve new technical and marketing efficiencies; the growing preference of many rice farmers for more flexible and diversified farming systems, counter to long-standing rice intensification policies; and the role of state-owned and private enterprises in the processing and exporting sectors. These issues have arisen in the broader context of a changing physical environment-resulting from both hydropower development along the river and global climate change-that is creating particular challenges for rice production in the Basin (Friend et al 2019). All of these developments raise questions about future investment in the research system that gave rise to the productive technologies underpinning the transformation of rice farming in the Basin.…”