Transitioning practices of vegetable small-scale actors in Vietnam: an interplay of food safety, labor demand, and soil environment

Abstract

Food safety is a critical and persistent issue that challenges the sustainability of agri-food systems in Vietnam. The government has launched multiple food safety initiatives, but there is limited understanding of their contribution to changing the practices of small-scale producers and distributors. This study explores these changing practices by applying Social Practice Theory (SPT) to analyze the transitions in everyday routines of small-scale vegetable producers while being embedded in socio-institutional contexts of agri-food system transitions. We conducted semi-structured interviews and survey with small-scale food producers and distributors in Hanoi, Vietnam to examine the transitions in production and post-production practices over the last 20 years and the intersection between smallholding practices and cross-level dynamics. The study revealed, contrary to some common perceptions, that smallholder producers are transitioning towards food safety, with the use of more bio-pesticides and eco-friendly pest control methods. The smallholders also reproduce a variety of (sustainable) intensification practices, including crop rotation, organic fertilization, and soil cultivation, to sustain soil fertility and save labor. However, there are no clear patterns of change for post-production practices, although they have been diversifying under the impacts of urbanization. The findings highlight the interplay of food safety, labor, and soil environment in shaping the transitions of smallholder practices. We suggest that success in improving safety in production practices is feasible, but that this requires more thorough interventions in distribution and consumption practices to transform the food systems at large.