This study examines smallholder farmers’ perception of digital agricultural technology and factors that shape the smallholders’ adoption of it in South Central Vietnam. A sample size of 202 smallholder farmers was randomly chosen from a total population of 407 smallholder farmers. Descriptive statistics and a binary logistic regression were used to analyse the data. The results show that the internet and connectivity/wireless, mobile applications and digital platforms are the common digital technologies used by smallholder farmers and these are also the most effective digital technologies for dealing with agricultural production and marketing issues. It can be concluded that younger smallholder farmers who had higher education levels, who interacted with scientists and possessed large farms are in a better position to adopt digital technologies of the internet and connectivity/wireless, mobile applications and digital platforms than older smallholder farmers who had lower education levels, did not interact with scientists and owned small farms. Smallholder farmers who participated in training programs, was member of community-based organisations and contacted with extension workers tend to be digital technology users of the internet and connectivity/wireless and mobile applications. Smallholder farmers who live far from local markets tend to be digital technology users of digital platforms compared to those who live close to one. The provision of training courses on the use of digital technologies in agriculture that consider demographic, socio-economic and institutional characteristics of smallholders when designing and delivering, is a proper agricultural extension strategy which can foster the smallholder farmers to adopt digital technologies for managing agricultural production and marketing systems.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors that influence farmers' adoption of Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices (VietGAP) in Vietnam.Design/methodology/approach: A case study design was employed. A purposive and snowball sampling strategy was used to select 54 participants for semi-structured interviews. Qualitative data analysis techniques were applied to analyse the data.Findings: This study found that the social, cultural and institutional dimensions that define the dominant traditional agri-food system determined farmers' adoption of VietGAP and this was expressed in: (1) there was a lack of concern about food safety amongst value chain (VC) actors, particularly consumers and this limited demand for VietGAP-certified vegetables; (2) subjective rather than objective measures were used to assess vegetable quality by actors throughout the domestic vegetable VC and (3) the coordination of this vegetable VC was dominated by informal, trust-based relationships between VC actors rather than through formal written contracts.Research limitations/implications: This study employed a case study approach and focussed on a local VC for fresh vegetables. The findings of this research may therefore differ to those concerning other produce.Practical implications: This study highlights that farmers' uptake of VietGAP requires changes to the socio-technical regime of the traditional agri-food system.Originality/value: This research provides a systemic view of the determinants of GAP adoption by farmers and highlights areas that need to be considered when designing policies to enhance the uptake of public GAP programmes and introduce agri-food systems in developing countries.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate factors that affect smallholders' adoption of organic rice production in the Hai Lang district of Vietnam.Design/methodology/approach: This study employed a cross-sectional survey research design. A sample size of 215 was drawn from a total of 455 smallholders. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including a binary logistic regression, were used to analyse the data.Findings: The study concludes that younger female smallholders participating in credit/training programs and community-based organisations, who have a high level of education, a large household size and more experience in rice farming, and who grow mixed crops, have a greater tendency to adopt organic rice production.Research limitations/implications: A combination of demographic, socio-economic and institutional characteristics of rice smallholders should be considered when promoting organic rice farming practices by smallholders and when choosing organic agricultural development strategies for smallholders in developing countries.Originality/value: This research provides significant understanding of the determinants of organic rice adoption by smallholder farmers and highlights factors that need to be considered when designing policies to enhance the uptake of organic farming in developing countries.

The study investigated factors that shape the Vietnamese smallholders’ adoption of mobile phones for marketing. A random sample of 161 smallholders was drawn from a total of 275 smallholders who produced and marketed cereals in Quang Dien district of Vietnam. Percentages, means, standard deviations, chi squares test, t-test and a binary logistic regression model were applied to analyse the data. This study concluded that the young male smallholders with a higher education level, who are members of community-based organisations (CBOs) and live far from an electricity base, have high income and participate in credit programs, have a greater tendency to adopt mobile phones for marketing. Lack of knowledge/skills on use of applications on mobile phones, together with language barriers and mobile phone network problems hindered smallholder adoption of mobile phones for marketing.Keywords: mobile phones, adoption, marketing, smallholders, Quang Dien district