POTENTIAL FOR APPLYING CIRCULAR AGRICULTURE IN THE MEKONG DELTA: A STUDY BY STAKEHOLDER LEVELS IN SOC TRANG

Abstract

Using field survey data in Soc Trang, the research explores the potential for applying circular agriculture in the Mekong Delta at the levels of farmers, cooperatives, and enterprises. The results show that, although there is significant potential, the application of circular agriculture remains limited. Farmers mainly face barriers related to capital, technology, and confidence in the model's effectiveness; cooperatives face difficulties with knowledge, techniques, and production organisational capacity. For enterprises, although the rate of circular production adoption is still low, several pioneering enterprises have emerged, laying a foundation for the deep processing and reuse of agricultural by-products. The study also shows that to improve the ability to apply and develop circular agriculture, synchronous support from the State and close linkages between entities in the circular agriculture ecosystem are necessary.