From July 14 to 17, 2025, the STAR-FARM project team carried out a field mission across several localities in the Mekong Delta. It is under the scope of package: Identify and address the specific constraints of women and youth for the adoption of innovations. This trip aimed to further explore local agricultural systems and social dynamics through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with individual farmers. These activities focused primarily on two key areas: (1) farming systems, farming practices and farmer interactions with their peers and within the agricultural value chain, as well as the needs, priorities, aspirations, and challenges faced by local communities; (2) Household labor division, decision-making, and intrahousehold dynamics in farming which serve as the starting point for the analysis on social inequalities (gender, ethnicity, age, land size, and other factors) in access to innovation and identification of vulnerable groups.
Fieldwork was conducted in diverse agricultural settings to reflect the Mekong Delta’s rich variety of farming models. In Đồng Tháp Province, the team visited Trường Xuân, Phong Thịnh, and Láng Biển communes, formerly known as Thạnh Lợi, Hưng Thạnh, and Láng Biển, which are home to integrated rice and rice-lotus cultivation systems. In Bình Hàng Trung (formerly Bình Hàng Tây), the focus was on mango farming, while in Tam Ngãi commune, previously part of Trà Vinh and now in Vĩnh Long Province, the team explored the local coconut farming system.
The research team engaged two main target groups – (1) female farmers and (2) male farmers & mixed-gender farmer groups – using focus group discussions and in-depth interviews methods, which built upon findings from previous quantitative surveys. Female farmer groups participated in a Gender Tree activity to explore the division of labor and decision-making dynamics within the household. Meanwhile, male and mixed-gender groups took part in Vision Road exercises, collaboratively mapping out their development goals over the next three to five years, assessing their current conditions, and identifying the steps needed to achieve those aspirations, along with potential obstacles and enablers.
Following the data processing and analysis phase, the STAR-FARM research team will move forward with several important next steps. These include the potential for additional interviews, especially in the rice-shrimp farming area of An Biên, Kiên Giang (now part of An Giang Province), and the selection of specific topics for in-depth study between October 2025 and June 2026. A core goal of this next phase is the development of a set of social justice indicators that are both relevant to the STAR-FARM project sites and adaptable to the wider agricultural context of the Mekong Delta.
In addition, the team will apply visual storytelling methods to deepen exploration of topics such as gender inequality and the adoption of agricultural innovations. These methods will include photovoice, co-producing knowledge through video, and documentary filmmaking.
The final phase of the process will culminate in a series of workshops designed to share research findings with local stakeholders and communities. These workshops will also serve as platforms to revisit key themes, encourage collaborative dialogue, and foster collective thinking toward inclusive and sustainable agricultural development in the region.
About STAR-FARM
The STAR-FARM project (Smart Agro-ecological Transformation of Farming Systems towards Resilience and Sustainability in the Middle and Coastal Zones of the Viet Nam Mekong Delta) aims to facilitate the agroecological transformation of agri-food farming systems in Viet Nam’s Mekong Delta. It seeks to enhance their resilience to climate change, environmental degradation, and other external shocks, while promoting long-term sustainability and social equity to help secure the livelihoods of local farmers.
