The Participation of Rural Youth in Smallholder Farming in Red River Delta, Vietnam

peer reviewedSmallholder farming which is the important source of employment as well as food security, has become a priority on the development agenda, focusing attention on the next generation of farmers. However, emerging researches show that even though youth have potential qualities to promote agriculture, most of them appear reluctant to enter farming. The study aimed at finding out the determinants which influence rural youth participation in agriculture, and identified conditions under which capable youth being interested in agriculture. Based on the empirical findings in Red River Delta of Vietnam, the study revealed that that age, sex, marital status, education level, family background, as well as the ability of rural credit facilities and land access are important factors associated with rural youth’s participation in agricultural activities. Furthermore, the perception on agriculture as a heavy work, low income and low status made farming unattractive prospect for many. The analysis suggests that factors new information communication technologies and associates desire for consumption have influence on decisions about farming choice. Moreover, majority of the respondents were attracted to invest independent in their own farms rather than being employed as agricultural labour or involved in family farms