System dynamics modelling for defining livelihood strategies for women smallholder farmers in lowland and upland regions of northern Vietnam: A comparative analysis

Abstract

This study aims to compare the main determinants of the quality of lives and livelihood options for women smallholder farmers between the lowland and upland regions of northern Vietnam. A systems approach and relevant systems tools were used to develop rich pictures (systems models) that depict the current situations and interrelationships amongst different factors within the systems. The comparative analysis showed similar and distinctive characteristics of the farming systems and women farmers in the two regions. Patterns of relationships and interplays amongst different variables reflect the complexity and multidimensional nature of the lives of the women, who are part of and influenced by the interwoven social, economic, cultural and environmental systems. The study provided insights and practical guidance for making "strategic decisions" towards sustainable agricultural systems and livelihoods of the target group in the respective regions. The systems approach, framework and process steps employed in this study are of a generic nature and can therefore be applied to solve complex problems in various other contexts around the world. Theoretical and practical contributions of using systems approaches in agricultural research and development are discussed.

Modelling environment and poverty factors for sustainable agriculture in the Three Gorges Reservoir Regions of China

“…The sustainable agricultural system of TGRR consists of three subsystems as follows: agricultural development subsystem, environment and ecology subsystem, and society and economy subsystem (Figure ). Agricultural development subsystem includes indicators about agricultural resources (Xu et al, ), agricultural production (Pham & Smith, ), and agricultural commercialisation (Ha et al, ). Environment and ecology subsystem consist of factors about environmental pollution (Xu et al, ), geological disasters (Jiang et al, ), land degradation and resources conservation, and environmental improvement (Pham & Smith, ; Xu et al, ).…”

“…Environment and ecology subsystem consist of factors about environmental pollution (Xu et al, ), geological disasters (Jiang et al, ), land degradation and resources conservation, and environmental improvement (Pham & Smith, ; Xu et al, ). Society and economy subsystem contains two aspects: social and economic equity (Pham & Smith, ) and social and economic development (Ha et al, ). The major variables of the subsystems are detailed in Figure .…”

“…Modelling is a good tool for understanding the complex interactions among different parts of the agricultural systems (Pandey & Hardaker, ). Currently, the systems methodologies (Ison, Maiteny, & Carr, ), systems thinking (Florin, van Ittersum, & van de Ven, ), integrated systemic framework (Tipraqsa, Craswell, Noble, & Schmidt‐Vogt, ), systems approaches (Kropff, Bouma, & Jones, ), decision support systems (Eastwood, Chapman, & Paine, ), and various modelling methods (Ha, Bosch, Nguyen, & Trinh, ) have been used in the studies of sustainable agriculture and agricultural systems. However, few studies have used a combined method of topic modelling (TM) and system dynamics modelling (SDM) to analyse and simulate the agricultural system, considering factors about environment, poverty, and sustainable agriculture.…”

Developing adaptive capacity in times of climate change in central rural Vietnam: exploring smallholders’ learning and governance

“…This is largely because of the complexities and interdependencies in the agriculture and rural development sectors in Vietnam (Ha et al, 2017). For example, poor understanding of local conditions by governments, and limited smallholder knowledge and capacity, has been reported as main causes that lead to various failures in technology transfer and livelihood development programs (Vien et al, 2006).…”

“…In the agriculture-based economy of Vietnam (Ha et al, 2016;Ha et al, 2017), 65.4 % of the rural population depends mainly on agriculture for their livelihoods (GOS, 2016). Agricultural production contributed to 16.32%…”