Application of digital technology in rice production of households in the Mekong Delta

Abstract

This paper examines the factors affecting households' application of digital technology in rice production in the Mekong Delta. The study mainly uses primary data from interviews with 470 households that have, are, and will apply digital technology to their family's rice cultivation process. The study was conducted in three provinces (An Giang, Hau Giang, and Kien Giang) and one city (Can Tho) in the Mekong Delta region. The study uses the Probit regression method to identify factors affecting households' decision to apply digital technology in rice production here. The survey results show that most households have been applying a typical type of digital technology, such as drones, because of its advantages compared to other digital technologies. In addition, the estimated results have high statistical significance. At the same time, the estimation results also identified factors that positively influence the decision to apply digital technology to rice production of households in the Mekong Delta, including rice land area, household income, participation in technical training, household education level and distance from the household to the rice field. Hence, the article proposes several recommendations to help encourage households to apply digital technology to their family rice cultivation activities boldly.