Why do farmers resist change? Lessons from central Vietnam
28-01-26
Le Thi Thanh Thuy describes herself as a “city girl”, yet her heart lies with farming communities in central Vietnam. In her Danida-supported PhD research, she explores how agriculture is rapidly changing – though not all farmers are able, or willing, to keep pace with new innovations and technologies.
By Elena Adamo
Around the world, agriculture faces huge pressure from climate change. In central Vietnam just a few days ago, floods destroyed crops, undermining farmers’ livelihoods. Agriculture itself also contributes to environmental stress as many farmers still overuse pesticides and nitrogen fertilisers and burn their rice straw,
Agriculture is vital for the livelihoods of millions of people, but many widespread agricultural practices are unsustainable. Tackling these problems means transforming the approach to agriculture, “but, so far, most efforts focus on technical fixes, often ignoring local adaptive capacity,” says PhD researcher Le Thi Thanh Thuy. She believes that it is essential to understand why some farmers resist change. Unless we understand the underlying reasons for the gap between technology and its adoption, we will not be able to solve the puzzle of how to protect the environment.
Transforming agriculture starts with understanding farmers
The four-year Danida-funded project Governing Transformations in the Agricultural System in Vietnam TRANS-AG (2024 – 2028) focuses not on technologies, but on people and governance: how decisions are made, who is involved, and how people and nature can thrive together.
The research project focuses on farmers, the major role players in agriculture. This is where Thuy comes in. As a joint-degree PhD student at the University of Copenhagen and Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry, she studies how ready farmers are to adopt sustainable and low-emission rice farming practices:
“I’m interested in how governance and community dynamics can shape a farmer’s ability to change and adapt,” she explains.
A “city girl”, but with rural communities at heart
Thuy grew up in Hanoi, but her career has taken her far away from urban life. Originally trained as an economist, she shifted from markets and trade to work with decision-makers and communities in promoting conservation and environmental protection – her field for more than 14 years.
Her most transformative experience came in 2016, when she joined a project supporting ethnic minority farmers in mountainous areas in Vietnam to develop livelihoods through sustainable forest management. “It was the first time I worked directly with farmers. I stayed in their villages, shared meals with them, and learned how hard they worked and how creative they were in finding local solutions. That was when I developed a deep respect for farmers and rural communities for their knowledge and awareness.”
If people resist to change, there is always a reason
Later, at WWF Vietnam, Thuy worked on plastic waste reduction. “We trained farmers in sorting waste and composting, but adoption was slow – not because people were not aware of the issue, but because daily life is complex,” she says.
The team soon realised that context matters more than one-size-fits-all solutions. “We helped farmers turn rice straw and animal manure into compost. It was a simple technique, but time, resources and local conditions made it hard to adopt widely.”
These experiences shaped the focus of her PhD. “The TRANS-AG project resonated with me. It’s not about teaching farmers to grow rice: it’s about learning together why farmers may resist change, and then leveraging their experiences to find the most suitable solution”.
Vietnam aims to meet the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Agriculture accounts for 43% of the country’s total emissions. “Policies exist, but farmers face many barriers,” says Thuy. “They know that burning rice straw is harmful, but with short crop cycles and frequent floods, it’s often the fastest option.”
The solutions: social learning and adaptive management
This shows that technology alone isn’t enough. “We need to understand the human side: how people decide, who’s included, and what pressures they face.” Thuy’s research links local innovations, policies, and global pressures like climate change and trade, showing that “transitions happen only when all these levels align.”
Her approach centres on how people learn from one another. “Farmers may know composting is good, but they believe it only when they see their neighbour succeed. Community groups can act as facilitators of that change.”
Continuous learning and adjustment based on the lessons learnt and on adaptive management, is also key. “Many projects stop when funding ends,” Thuy says, “but when lessons are shared across levels and integrated into policies, change keeps growing.”
Her research may focus on central Vietnam, but its lessons are global. Understanding why some farmers resist change can help create more inclusive, sustainable agriculture everywhere.
“I strongly believe that through adaptive management we can promote the sustainable transition”, Le Thi Thanh Thuy
