Coping with drought: Lessons learned from robusta coffee growers in Vietnam

Coping with drought: Lessons learned from robusta coffee growers in Vietnam

An improved understanding of the benefits and uptake of drought mitigation strategies under a changing climate is critical to ensure effective strategies are developed. Here, using 10 years (2008–2017) of farm data from 558 farmers distributed across the major robusta coffee-producing provinces in Vietnam, we analysed coffee farmers’ perceptions on drought and its impacts; we then quantified the impacts of drought on yield and farm profit, and finally, assessed the effectiveness of mitigation strategies. While drought reduced robusta coffee yield by 6.5% on average across all provinces, the impacts on gross margins were noticeable, with an average 22% decline from levels achieved in average-rainfall-condition years. Yield reductions from drought were consistent with farmers’ perceptions, being on average − 9.6%. With irrigation being typical in coffee farming in Vietnam, the majority of surveyed farmers (58%) adopted mulching in drought years and had a 10.2% increase in economic benefits compared to their counterparts who did not. Furthermore, the chances of adopting mulching as an adaptation strategy decreased generally for every one unit increase in perceived drought impact or when shifting from surface water to groundwater in drought years. Although coffee farming remained profitable in drought years, our findings have potential relevance for the design of policies to address drought risks and encourage more resilient adaptation strategies for Vietnam and other coffee-producing countries experiencing similar climatic conditions.