Sustainability intent transforming staple food in the Greater Mekong Sub-region: Qualitative study of Low Input and Niche Rice Value Chain

Abstract

Low-input, niche rice value chain in contexts of Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam has potential for sustainability intent to transform the Greater Mekong agri-retail consumer behavior. Creative communications for Sustainability or true-green advertising framework test-beds input-side optimization through rationalization of scaled-down water and off-grid-energy. This paper builds on retail mindset that drives sustainability intent, proactively. The research probes the research gap on lack of co-evolution of ruralurban aligned, rurbanization, through hierarchical levels of three sets of metrices of entrepreneurial potential. Literature prompts that the latent spirit of ownership evolves from trust. The potential of shared value entrepreneurship is a possibility for heritage rice-cuisine-driven family-led bottom-up businesses. To galvanize this spirit of ownership for folklore rice-based culinary delights spanning Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand (CLMVT) is an interesting proposition. The vibrant Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) is the test-bed here and this paper unfurls the theory leading to practice on issues of sustainability amid disaster vulnerability, floods, droughts and climate disruption. Key take-aways are (i) low input niche rice value chain serves as a sustainability enabler of tourism pivoted through heritage culinary traditions (ii) entrepreneurial ventures at community-scale can integrate the folklore heritage rice-cuisinedriven tourism with economic infrastructure of EEC through the spirit of ownership. Hierarchical Bayesbased sustainable entrepreneurship metric assesses the viability. Corresponding author: Piya Ngamcharoenmongkol Email addresses for the corresponding author: dr.piya.n@hotmail.com First submission received: 9th October 2018 Revised submission received: 6th December 2018 Accepted: 18th January 2019 Introduction The spirit of ownership evolves from trust. Given the literature supported interfirm familial networks to sustain entrepreneurship, this paper proposes ‘rurbanization’ to galvanize the spirit of ownership for heritage cuisine for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand (CLMVT). The paper contributes to the EEC to usher rural – urban connect, described here as rurbanization, through heritage culinary tourism. The value proposition secures sustainable use of resources as it addresses a vital research gap for blending rural with urban tourist destinations. The outcome of this paper blends tourism leveraged on heritage rice-based multi-cuisine in C-L-M-V-T given the milieu of habitat development through EEC. The added feature is to posit low resource input niche rice value chain, that Journal of Business and Retail Management Research (JBRMR), Vol. 13 Issue 3 April 2019 www.jbrmr.com A Journal of the Academy of Business and Retail Management (ABRM) 2 would nurture heritage for well-being. The EEC infrastructural fabric is predominantly rural with rapid clustering urban hot-spots. Hierarchical Bayes assesses the viability of the blend. A notable concern for EEC is unpredictable and exacerbating issues on disaster preparedness, floods, droughts and disruption. Tourism when parenthesized with heritage cuisine, draws not only economic largesse but generates emotive feelings, such as, care for rural – urban blended development. These characteristics open the relevance for heritage cuisine tourism. The pilot outcome based justifies the proposed methodological framework, with the Sustainable Heritage-cuisine tourism Intent metric (significance 0.004) meeting the likelihood ratio tests. The key to retain transformation in this era of resource optimization is continuous improvement. Reflection and re-evaluation on resource inputs, such as water and energy for rice could generate incremental contributions at the grassroots level. Given the colossal popularity of nice rice-based cuisine in the Greater Mekong Sub-region, there is multiple benefits from the retail perspective, one, on-going quality control processes and secondly, heightened awareness. This innovation on the retail business practice would also foster good governance, societal contributions and stakeholder engagement. The East – West Economic Corridor (EEC) redefine role of interfirm networks (Tsai, & Ghoshal, 1998) with the potential to blend of rural – urban habitats. in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand. Rurbanization is primarily a sustainable blend of power, experience and culture (Sharma, 2004). The common denominator is heritage of cultures, folklore that have significant footprint on culinary-driven behavior-interlaced family businesses (Chua, Chrisman, & Sharma, 1999). The corridor structure, resources scale, sustainability impact enhances local cuisine skills. Self-reliance on entrepreneurship, benefits the rurbanization readiness. Rurbanization is rural – urban aligned development with characteristics of sustainability corridor that develops on social entrepreneurship (Volkmann, Tokarski, & Ernst, 2012). This paper pegs past heritage as a cornerstone to anchor present developmental systems, such as the East – West Economic corridor as continuum. Local governance aims to open entrepreneurship along the corridor and the surrounding hinterland. Food and society present principles as well as paradoxes (Guptill, Copelton & Lucal, 2017). Re-bonding via the heritage-cuisine is promising though the diverse sub-cultures along the economic corridor with intermittent nodes of urban spots and spaced with rural hinterland. Social media virtual connectivity along with East – West Economic Corridor geographical connectivity would surge sustainable behaviors. Sustainable use of natural resources would gain importance through the heritage-based cuisine tourism. Local wine is an essential item in the heritage cuisine menu (Sogari, Pucci, Aquilani & Zanni, 2017). Rurban aligned economic development would benefit from the cuisine-focus. Sustainability initiatives, such as, renewable energy usage, greenhouse emissions curb, inorganic pesticides elimination, water conservation and waste optimization would be encouraged leading to a combined sustainability-linked metric that parenthesizes East-West Economic Corridor with rurbanization with heritage cuisine-led tourism as a central determinant (Sogari, Pucci, Aquilani & Zanni, 2017). Developmental outlays ensure economic progress, however there is a research need to local entrepreneurship and diffusion of innovation to external stakeholders. Heritage cuisine tourism can satisfy both, thereby creating tangible economic value as well as intrinsic value with respect to retaining the rich heritage through traditional cuisine. As cuisines are a function of local natural resources, the heritage cuisine tourism can contribute to equity in terms of development in urban hotspots, as well as, robust rural growth while retaining the heritage splendor. A well-defined heritage cuisine led tourism would encompass developmental infrastructural projects such as East – West Economic Corridor, as well as sustainability clusters such as rurbanization. Heritage cuisine retains the care for health, food without preservatives, community owned infrastructure, as well as, water, waste, energy optimization. Global emissions issue calls for aligned climate change mitigation, with the enhancement of trust quotient (Shi, Ma, Shao, Tang, Wang & Wang, 2015). Heritage cuisine-led tourism adds-on to accountability for environment. This rationale guides this research paper to assess the ecological and habitat sustainability related impacts, along with economic benefits. This approach benefits policy makers to innovate rurbanbudgetary needs along the East – West Economic Corridor spanning Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand (C-L-M-V-T). Heritage cuisine-led tourism serves several locales and would promote cooperation among the countries, as it provides differentiated development yet integrates sustainable Journal of Business and Retail Management Research (JBRMR), Vol. 13 Issue 3 April 2019 www.jbrmr.com A Journal of the Academy of Business and Retail Management (ABRM) 3 practices. The novelty and variety-seeking behavior of the heritage cuisine tourism clientele would incessantly challenge the entrepreneurs to engage, acquire, bolster and compliment variety cuisines. The small & medium scale niche-rice-based heritage culinary entrepreneurial ecosystem balances the bigger industries and exporters that primarily utilize the East West Economic Corridor. However, there is ample evidence economic corridors suffer as natural resources erode, forest foliage ebbs, livability and well-being deteriorate, air quality debilitates, and societal fabric attenuates. This poses as a research gap as well as a heritage cuisine-led tourism opportunity. This recourse benefits eco-tourism through renewal of culinary education, environment-care incorporated through cuisine, cross cultural adhesion in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand and dynamically building a sustainability-linked metric (Butler & Hinch, 2007). Developmental outlays to regenerate and restore heritage sites are sparse. To enable the entrepreneurial ability to manage heritage habitats, culinary legacy can attract tourists, that would release valuable resources for resilience of the heritage-habitats endowed with a rich biocultural/heritage diversity (Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, 1998; Moli, 2011). These resources could be deployed for developmental projects involving sustainability platforms of health, food, infrastructure, water and education that is of synergistic interest for policy makers, local tourism and cuisine providers (Gössling, Garrod, Aall, Hille & Peeters, 2011). However, it is important to promote sustainable practices among culinary and allied entities and potentially inform sustainability measurement more widely. Maurice, G. D. S. (2017) Literature integrating low input, niche-rice heritage cuisine, East Wes