Rice paddies in the Mekong Delta, Viet Nam

Pacific Agroecology LLC provides consultative expertise in resource economics.

Việt Nam: In this study we examined the effect of a government water management strategy to control the salinity levels within the Mekong River Delta, Vietnam on five villages located in Bac Lieu Province, located in the southern part of the river delta region.  A mathematical programming model of shrimp and rice production, the leading sources of income within the province, was used to assess regional differences in the economic consequences stemming from government actions to control salinity. Results suggested the water management strategy reduced welfare in villages, especially in those villages dominated by shrimp production.