World Food Policy Volume 3, No. 2/Volume 4, No. 1, Fall16/Spring17 | Page 33

World Food Policy • Vol. 3, No. 2 / Vol. 4, No. 1 • Fall 2016 / Spring 2017 New Freshwater Aquaculture Systems in the Red River Delta of Vietnam: Evolution of a Key Role in Food Systems and Rural Development Nguyen Van Huong 1,2 , Tran Huu Cuong 2 , Tran Thi Nang Thu 3 , and Philippe Lebailly 2 Abstract Freshwater aquaculture production systems are closely related to Integrated Agriculture Aquaculture systems. The systems are tradi- tionally integrated with crop production, horticulture, and livestock husbandry. Improved aquaculture systems are currently able to not only improve the nutrients of local farmers’ diets and economic conditions, but are also able to create employment opportunities and lead to better resource-utilization and rural development. This paper aims to present the changes in food systems affected by the rapidly developing freshwater aquaculture in northern Vietnam. It will shed light on how the aquaculture system plays various roles in supporting agrarian livelihoods, their relationships to well-being, and food security using a clear example of small-scale aquaculture in a province of the Red River Delta. The challenges and opportu- nities presented to small-scale producers and culture systems are assessed, and the likely future of small-scale freshwater production systems is discussed and forecast. Combining historical, adaptive, and systematic approaches, the study revealed the features and characteristics of inland aquaculture systems at the household level over a decade of the evolutionary process (1997–2015). By investigating 151 aquaculture households in two representative districts of the region, the three existing sys- tems are identified: VAC system (23%) (whereby V=vuon-gardens (horticulture), A=Ao-ponds (aquaculture) and C=Chuong-animal 1 2 3 Faculty of Accounting and Business Management, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Hanoi, Vietnam Gembloux Agro BioTech, University of Liège, Belgium Faculty of Fisheries, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Hanoi, Vietnam 33 doi: 10.18278/wfp.3.2.4.1.3