Household Income Diversity of Small-scale Cassava Producers in Vietnam

Abstract

This study clarifies how small-scale cassava producers endeavor to stabilize their household income. We conducted the survey between April and December 2017 in Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, and Gia Lai provinces, which are major cassava-producing provinces; 182 small-scale cassava producers were randomly selected for interviews. According to the results, each household has 4.5 members, of which 2.1 are involved in cassava production. The average household income was $7,071.29 per year, while the average income per employee was $3,535.15, which is 36.8% less than the average income of Vietnamese employees. The primary income is derived from two sectors: $3,648.41 (51.59%) and $3,422.88 (48.41%) from agricultural and non-agricultural incomes, respectively, along with $25.0 (0.4%) and $14.7 (0.2%) from remittance and pensions, respectively. Further, the cassava income shared 23.57% and 12.16% of agricultural and total household incomes, respectively, with an average of $859.81. As their primary sources of income, some small-scale cassava producers produce industrial crops, such as rubber trees, sugarcane, cashew, tobacco, and acacia. Moreover, they produce vegetables and fruits and engage in animal husbandry activities and agro-processing. In terms of non-farm income, they work as hired laborers and receive a stable income from the government or private companies. Thus, small-scale cassava producers in Vietnam stabilize their household income with multiple income sources and do not rely heavily on cassava.