What motivates farmers’ decision to organic farming conversion: The case of conventional mango farming in Vietnam

Abstract

This research is aimed at analyzing perception and identifying determinants of the decision to convert to organic mango farming in Mekong Delta (MD) Vietnam. The research was conducted by using a direct survey data set from 109 household heads in this region collected by stratified random sampling method. The research method used was descriptive statistics and the binary Logit model. The research results revealed some interesting points. In the total observations gathered, only about half of households decided to convert, mainly due to local implementation and awareness of safety for consumers and environmental protection. Still, the most important reason for farmers to convert was to get a higher selling price. The binary Logit model analyzing the determinants found that the older the farmer, the more difficult it is to decide to convert. At the same time, training and enhancing awareness about organic farming will increase the probability of conversion decisions. Based on the research results, several relevant solutions on investment, production linkage, and propaganda to raise people's awareness were recommended, thereby increasing the probability of deciding to convert.